Note from Chuck
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are having a great week and looking forward to a long weekend. I know I am! Let me encourage you if you were not here with us last Sunday to give a listen to the message entitled “Gospel Community.” In the message, I lay out some biblical convictions on the nature of Christian Community and how we dream of doing that here at Crossbridge through our Community Groups. We also had our Group Coaches at the Information Table to help answer questions and get people connected. Many of you are jumping, and our leadership team is very excited about that. There is still time for you to consider joining a group. I want to take the next couple of weeks and answer some questions about Community Groups at Crossbridge.
Remember that next Sunday (September 12) our Teen Chaos ministry starts up during the 9:30am service next door at the gym. If you would like to learn more please contact Mat Yelvington at matyelvington@gmail.com.
Have a great week!
Chuck
What is a Community Group?
Community Groups are basic Christian communities. Following Jesus is something we don’t do in isolation but in the context of relationships. Community Groups are where the church can be the church to each other and the world. They are usually 6-12ish people who are wrestling with the implications of the Gospel in community. They create an environment for gospel growth and reproduction to take place. They are the place where Crossbridgers can experience care, encouragement, and support. Together, Community Groups can experience the gospel together and then take the gospel to our neighbors.
Our vision is that our Community Groups would not just be….
- A Small Group: does not exist primarily for the good of the group itself, but for the mission of Jesus.
- A Bible Study: while a Community Group will study the Bible together, the goal is not simply more Bible knowledge but gospel application.
- A Support Group: ongoing care and basic counseling happens primarily through a Community Group, but it’s not only that.
- A Social Activist Group: not just about a social cause or periodical service projects but about Jesus and his mission in our city.
- A Weekly Meeting: more than just planning and working, a Community Group is a family on a mission and that requires spending time together and including unbelievers.
Our vision is that Community Groups would truly become Gospel Communities on mission in our city.
Go here on our website to find out more.
What is the bible all about?
Here is a great video of what the bible is all about. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkNa6tLWrqk&feature=player_embedded
Note from Chuck
Dear Friends,
This week has been a killer for me. Have you ever one of those weeks where everything seemed to be coming at you? Well that has been my week. Maybe you would pray for me? If there is anything I could be praying for you about, shoot me an e-mail, and I would love to pray for you.
This Sunday we will begin sign-ups for our Community Groups! I am very excited about the leaders and the season of group life we are about to start. They are a fine group of Christ-followers who love Jesus, His Gospel, and people. We will have brochures at our information table, and our Community Group Coaches will be there to help you find a group that could be best for you. Community Group Coaches are three men in our church that serve Crossbridge by helping Crossbridgers connect to groups and encourage/coach our group leaders in developing their groups to be gospel communities on mission. We will have a Community Group coach at the info table the next three Sundays!
This fall our entire church community will do a five week study on the heart from Mark 7:14-22. I will begin preaching about it on September 19, and our groups will go through a curriculum that coincides with it. I’m looking forward to it.
Would you pray for our Leadership Retreat? This Friday and Saturday our staff and Community Group Leaders will be in Palacios for a time of training, encouragement, and equipping. I am asking God to stir up in us a renewed passion for Him and to make Him known. Would you pray that as well?
If you are interested in being baptized please let us know. We are trying to schedule a baptism on September 12, and would love to talk to you about being baptized. E-mail jennifer@crossbridge.cc to let us know.
Again mark September 19 on your calendar. We will be celebrating 8 years of Crossbridge with our Party on the Porch. You don’t want to miss that!
See-ya Sunday!
Chuck
Note from Chuck
Hi Everyone!
It’s happening as quickly as it began. Summer is ending. I know this because Wal-Mart and Target are filled with school supplies, cardboard cut outs of school buses, fresh Dora and Batman lunch kits, and backpacks. And I also attended an orientation for my sixth-grader today!
Our rhythm here at Crossbridge follows the school calendar, so as summer ends and as the fall kicks off a new school year, TV season, football season, and most importantly church ministry season, you will notice a lot to stuff kicking off here, as well.
The biggest thing this fall is COMMUNITY GROUPS. Our church is like a plane, and a plane needs two wings. Our two wings are Sunday Worship Gatherings and Community Groups. We will have 13 Community Groups starting this fall. On Sunday, August 15, you will be able to stop at our information table and talk to one of our Group Coaches about which group would be right for you. If you are not in community with other believers, I don’t know how you can really grow as a Christian. Community Groups are our main way to foster Gospel-Centered Community here at Crossbridge. If you want to learn more about life in our Community Groups, check out these awesome videos that our video team made here. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the videos.
Also, our ministry to teenagers (6th-12th grade) is going through some awesome changes. Teen Chaos, our weekly Bible Study event, will be moving to Sunday mornings beginning September 12! TC will meet in the aerobic room at One 2 One Training next door. The gym is awesome to work with! Due to their needs though, we will only be able to have TC during the 9:30am Worship Service. If you are a family with teenagers let me encourage you to come at 9:30, let your teen go to TC, and you serve in Crossbridge Kids! Then at 11:15, come worship as a family! Something for you to pray and think about, but I know you want to! :) There are other teen events happening, read about them further down in this update. I am excited about what God is doing with our teenagers!
PARTNERS’ NIGHT is August 25th. If you are a Partner of Crossbridge, I want to invite you to share an experience with me. We will meet from 7:00-9:00pm to celebrate our God and talk about this new season of ministry and what it means for us to truly partner in the gospel together. We are planning some special things so let me encourage you to do what it takes to be there.
Now, mark your calendars for PARTY ON THE PORCH! Crossbridge is turning 8 years old this September, so we are going to throw a Birthday Party on September 19, and we want to invite the whole city to join us! After each service, we will have hot dogs, birthday Cake, face painters, balloon artists, and some more surprises! This will be an awesome Sunday to introduce a friend to Crossbridge. We will be kicking off a new series that Sunday based on a passage from Mark 7. The series is called “IT CAME FROM WITHIN.”
I told you there was a lot of stuff! I could go on and on about Ladies Bible Study, Saturday Seminars, Spectrum Art Show, and Halloween Block Parties, but our brains might explode, so I will leave you with one of my favorite passages from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21…
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
See-ya Sunday!
Chuck
Note from Chuck
What a day Sunday was! It was very refreshing to worship with you, watch you learn from God’s word, and meet many new people invited by you! ”Floats on the Porch” was a blast! Special thanks to Adrian and Shelia Garcia and their team for serving floats, and all the other effort they put into making this Porch Event a great success.
There are three items I would like to update you on:
1. EPIC Campaign Update
As of this week we have raised $189,097.00 in new and renewed pledges toward our construction loan. Thank you to everyone who prayed and is sacrificing for this important part of our church life. We will update you again this fall on where we are with pledges and give those of you who weren’t ready to make a pledge commitment yet a chance to make one. If you would like to go ahead and make a pledge commitment to the Epic Campaign go here and start today!
2. Children Ministry Staff Changes
The Elders and I are excited to announce the hiring of Dixie Moreau as our new Pre-School Ministry Director. Dixie will oversee all ministries at Crossbridge from birth to Kindergarten! Tisha Rich will move to more of a part-time role as Elementary Ministry Director.
Tisha came to me a while back with this idea of taking her salary and breaking it up into two positions. She wants to focus more on the Elementary area (an area that is thriving and growing) and prepare as she and Scott begin the process of seeking to adopt another child. Dixie has been praying about a part time job for while to spend more time with her family and has desired to increase her role with the church. After interviewing her for the position and praying about it, I feel she is God’s provision for us during this next season of our church.
Dixie and her husband, JP, are long time Crossbridgers and I couldn’t be more excited about the direction our entire children’s ministry is heading under Dixie’s and Tisha’s leadership. Be sure to tell both ladies how excited you are about this!
3. Acts 29 Regional Meeting hosted by Crossbridge
We are hosting the Texas Regional Meeting for Acts 29 churches this Wednesday and Thursday. Please pray for the 50 pastors that will be in 1049 as we seek the Lord on how to best advance the gospel in this great state. I love being in this network. If you would like to learn more about the Acts 29 Network go here.
See-ya Sunday!
Chuck
The Coins Drop: Getting the Gospel Deep in You
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.”
~Colossians 3:16
As I planned out my lunch period during my High School days, I always made sure I had enough coins to get myself the beloved nectar from heaven that would get me through the rest of day: Dr. Pepper. Now this was before the days of having to put bills in the machine for the 20oz bottle that blew up in your face when you opened it (Seriously, was that planned as a cruel joke? “We get their money, then shake the bottle as it goes down, and when they open it, BOOM. Bwhahahaha!”).
One of the more frustrating moments was when you put your first coin in and hear the click-clack of it going down the machine, and then you would put your last coin in the machine and hear “click-CLUNK!” The coin wouldn’t drop. It was stuck somewhere in the machine, and without the coin dropping, I would have to eat my Hot Pocket and Star Crunch with…gasp, water! I would “lay hands” on the machine, pray to unknown gods, use some kung-fu, shake it wildly hoping I would hear the click-clack of the coin dropping so my beloved would come out.
Over the years I have taken in the truth of the gospel, many of its truths and implications have dropped deep into my heart producing life change that is staggering to me. When I find I am struggling with a certain sin during a certain time, it seems my heart has gone “click-CLUNK” with the gospel. It is not dropping into this deep part of my heart. To make the gospel drop, I must continually repent of my sin and put my trust and treasure in the person and work of Jesus. I find that it’s the implications of the gospel that need to drop in my heart. And they don’t just drop once, this is an ongoing process for me.
Here are some of the gospel implications/promises/truths that need to drop in our hearts:
(adapted from materials from Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky)
- Instead of believing you are estranged from God, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that you are now chosen by God in Christ. (Election, Ephesians 1:3-6)
- Instead of believing God condemns you, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that you are now forgiven by God in Christ. (Propitiation, Romans 3:23-26; 1 John 4:10)
- Instead of believing God rejects you, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that God in Christ now accepts you. You are declared not guilty. (Justification, Romans 3:24, 5:1, 9)
- Instead of believing you are unloved by God, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that God in Christ now adopts you. (Adoption, Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:5)
- Instead of believing you are spiritually powerless, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that God has made you spiritually alive in Christ. (Regeneration, Titus 3:5)
- Instead of believing you are in bondage to sin, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that God has delivered you from sin’s power in Christ. (Redemption, Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7)
- Instead of believing you must be unholy because of sin, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that God has set you apart from sin and for holiness in Christ. (Sanctification, Romans 6:22)
- Instead of believing you are without hope, you must learn to claim the gospel promise that all things will be restored by God in Christ. (Glorification, Romans 8:30)
Where in your life do you feel the “click, CLUNK” of the gospel? What gospel coin do you need to repent of not believing and, by faith, live by? Which one do you need to pray that the Holy Spirit would let catch fire in your heart?
What coins need to drop so that the life Jesus came to give us can come out of us for the sake of others and His glory?
Note from Chuck
Hi Everybody,
It’s been a few weeks since I have written to you. I am excited about this Sunday, and there are three reasons why:
- It will be my first Sunday to preach in three weeks! I love my calling to shepherd and preach the Bible to Crossbridge. So I’m just excited to be back doing that.
- Mark 6:14-29. This is one of the saddest passages in the book of Mark. And it’s not sad for the reasons you might think. Read the passage before Sunday. We will unpack it together. So far my working title is “The Things That Lead to Another: How to push God out of your life.”
- FLOATS ON THE PORCH! This is our second annual “Floats on the Porch Sunday.” Following each service, we will enjoy a time of community building on the porch of 1049 Eldridge over the creamy bubbly of a Root Beer Float. A nice refreshing treat on a hot, summer day and a good appetizer before lunch!
We continually want to be an inclusive community at Crossbridge. If the Gospel is working in us, then it will be propelling us outward toward our neighbors and friends who don’t know Jesus. Not only is this a natural outworking of the Holy Spirit applying the Gospel to our lives but it is also what Jesus has called us to do (Matthew 28:19-20).
Floats on the Porch is an opportunity to introduce our friends to the Crossbridge Community. Many times people need to belong before they will believe, so I make no apology about encouraging you to invite and include people on Sunday!
A recent survey says that 82% of people who say they are not Christians would respond favorably to an invitation from a friend to church! That means that most likely they will not be offended and might even say YES!
The sad thing is that same survey said that 98% of churchgoers will never invite someone to church! Friends, this should not be! If the love of God is a fire in our heart, then we should be opening up our lives and mouths to include people in our community so they might see and hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ!
So here are four tips that we believe will help you see your friends come to church this Sunday:
1. Pray and ask God that the subject of church would come up naturally in conversation.
I regularly pray and ask God to guide my conversations with people I want to invite to church. I am amazed by how often someone will say, “I’m just praying that God will work it out.” It’s in moments like these that wise people see the open door that God is giving us. It’s very natural to say, “Speaking of prayer, my church is moving to a new location this weekend and I think you’d really enjoy the topic we’re going to be discussing.”
2. Give them an invite card.
The reason we give you invite cards is so that you’ll always have one to give a friend. The invite cards give them all the information they need to make a decision to attend one of our services. This way, they can check out our website and see what Crossbridge is all about and get some of their questions answered.
3. Invite them to lunch after church.
I have used this tip for years. I know it sounds funny, but no one can resist a free lunch. Plus, if they’re a friend, they’d enjoy spending time with you and your family. So invite them to come to the same service you’re attending and then to join you for lunch afterwards so you can talk about the service. It’s amazing how God can use you after a service to reinforce what God has been speaking to them during the service.
4. Pray for them even after they have said yes to attending.
I am amazed at the crazy situations the Devil throws at people when they decide to come to church. Pray that God would wake them up on Sunday, that their kids would behave, that the whole family would come to church, and that their heart would be open to hear God.
I know that God wants to use you to reach your friends and family. Just think, the reason you and I are Christians is because someone reached out to us. I pray we would return the favor by reaching out to someone else and watching what God can do in the life of someone we care about.
See-ya Sunday.
Excited to see what God will do in us and through us!
Chuck
Note from Chuck
Hi Everyone!
This week is an eventful week around Crossbridge. We had our first Ladies’ Night Out of the Summer Tuesday, and from what I hear there were a lot of ladies there! I have heard different numbers from different ladies, but it seems that we had 50-70ish ladies there! If you missed last week’s Men’s Night and this week’s Ladies’ Night, don’t worry! We will be having another round in July.
This Friday, here at 1049, we will be hosting an informational dessert for Terry and Christina Cokenour, longtime friends and founding Partners of Crossbridge. The Cokenours feel that God has called them to move their family to Hungary to advance the gospel there through church planting. This will require them to raise prayer and financial support. If you would like to learn more about their vision and how you can be a part of it, come to the dessert this Friday from 7-9pm in the Elementary Room. There will be coffee and dessert but no child care. E-mail ccokenour@gmail.com to RSVP.
Friday is also the day our high school students head for the Mountains of Colorado for “Peak Week.” This is a backpacking trip that will involve community building and Bible Study while hiking and riding the rapids. Please be praying for Mat Yelvington, our Teen Ministry Director, and his team as they seek to lead our high school students in a life-changing experience.
Don’t forget that we will be having ONE worship gathering on July 4th! It will be a special family worship service. That means all the kids will be in the service as well. We will have some great music and take communion all in one hour. The format is very similar to our Christmas Eve service except Ben will be dressed up as Uncle Sam, and I’ll be reciting the Gettysburg Address in the Lobby dressed as Old Abe. That’s a joke people! What isn’t a joke is ONE service at 10:00 a.m.
Finally, our 2nd Annual “Floats on the Porch” Sunday is coming! That’s right, friends! What you need after singing your hearts out to Jesus, hearing the Word of God, and taking communion is to enjoy a lovely, refreshing root beer float on the porch of 1049! This is a GREAT Sunday to invite people who aren’t connected to our church so that they can come experience a Sunday at Crossbridge. This Sunday we will show the first of three commercials for the big day, and have invite cards for you to take to your friends, family, and neighbors. FLOATS ON THE PORCH is happening July 18th. Invite a friend, and don’t miss this Crossbridge Summer tradition!
See-ya Sunday,
Chuck
Meet Real, Live Missionaries This Friday!
That’s right friends! Not just people on a slide show, flannelgraph, or a ten year old video, but real, live normal people who feel called by God to live on mission with Him in Hungary! And you have the chance to meet them, pray for them, and learn how you can help them be a part of God’s redemptive plan for Hungary.
This Friday from 7-9 p.m. in the Elementary Room at 1049, Terry and Christina Cokenour (long time friends of Crossbridge and founding Partners) will be hosting a time for us to learn more about the mission God has called them to. There will be coffee and dessert but no childcare. What an awesome way to spend a Friday night! So call the sitter and make plans not just to watch another movie, but come hear how the Gospel can change a nation.
Terry and Christina have raised 20% of the support they need to go full time to Hungary and are praying to be there by January 2011.
RSVP to ccokenour@gmail.com.
Learn more at www.budapestalive.org.
Note from Chuck
Rescued Ones,
“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” ~Colossians 1:13-14
Sunday was a wonderful time of mining the depths of Mark 5:1-20. It’s been great, to talk to many of you about how the Lord spoke to you from this wonderful passage showing the power, majesty, and mercy of Jesus. We must continually put before us a robust, Biblical picture of the Son of God so we don’t remake Him in our image and drift from a life of discipleship. That, again, is why we are committed to preaching through the Bible, and in this season, specifically the Gospel of Mark.
It was great seeing a ton of guys show up Tuesday night at our first “Men’s Night Out.” I didn’t count how many showed up, but I’ve been told by at least three guys that they think there were about 50 men there. It was very cool to see Skeeter’s filled with men eating, laughing, and meeting new people. Men, you did a good job meeting others, and some of you brought guests with you – well done! We will do another one in July, so we can all go on diets and perform penance for the gluttony some of us committed last night 
!
Ladies, the gauntlet has been dropped, do you think at least 50 of you can show up next week at the “Ladies Night Out?” We’ll see…
This Sunday, we will begin our annual emphasis on Compassion International. Compassion International is a Christian, child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled, Christian adults. We will have a special table in the lobby of 1049 for you to stop by and learn more about this incredible ministry. To learn more about CI go to their website www.compassion.com.
Lastly, many of you have turned in your commitments to the Epic Campaign, but there are still some of you who have told us verbally you are committed and have not turned in a commitment card. We need you to turn one in or go online here to submit your commitment. We will announce where we are at with it in the next week.
See-ya Sunday – Read Mark 5:21-43 to get ready.
Chuck
