Things You Need To Know
LEAD PASTOR SABBATICAL
You may have heard by now that the Elders of Crossbridge have granted Lead Pastor, Chuck Land, a ten week sabbatical this summer. Chuck and his family will not be with us during these ten weeks as they rest, refuel and recharge after ten years of ministry at Crossbridge! May 27th will be the last Sunday Chuck and his family are here until August 12th. Please be praying for them: that God would grant them refreshment of soul, fun memorable times as a family, health and safety as they travel. We are excited about the summer activities and preaching schedule for June and July. Crossbridge has a great summer ahead of her! If you have any questions you may e-mail the elders here and go here if you missed the initial announcement and to learn more.
SUMMER AT CROSSBRIDGE
The summer activity brochure is here! Stop by the information table to learn about some great connecting and mission opportunities for Crossbridge during this summer. We will have our annual Men’s and Ladies’ nights out, children and teen events and Mission Week to North Richmond!
ESSENTIALS SERIES – ORIGINAL SIN – MAY 23rd
Join us as we cover the doctrine of Original Sin on Wednesday evening, May 23rd, from 7:00PM to 9:00PM. Why is our world broken? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will? Can the world be fixed? Dinner ($5 per person at the door with reservation) and childcare is provided by reservation for children 5 years and younger. Sign up and reserve childcare here.
TACOS ON THE PORCH – FATHER’S DAY – JUNE 17TH
Bring every dad you know to the Father’s Day event of the century (okay maybe not!) But do plan to join us after each service for some delicious food and special treats. Porch events are great Sundays to bring a friend and a fun way to introduce them to Crossbridge.
KIDS CAMP – JULY 11-15
Sign up for summer camp for kids who have completed 3rd grade by June 1, up through 5th grade is open until May 24th! Camp is a chance for kids to learn about the Gospel in a way they won’t soon forget through a hands-on, high-energy experience. You can be part of this camp mission work, here’s how:
Sign up – $225 – $30 deposit due now.
Give towards our Camp Scholarship fund and allow underprivileged kids to attend camp.
For more information email here.
TEEN BEACH RETREAT – JULY 31-AUGUST 3
Sign up is happening now for the Teen Beach Retreat (for those who have already finished 6th grade or higher). We’ll stay in a house on Surfside Beach, spend a day at Schlitterbahn Galveston, and spend lots of time worshiping God. The cost is $225, including a $30 deposit. Space is very limited, so sign up now! Email here for more information.
Note from Chuck
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I was so blessed by how God moved among us on Compassion Sunday. From our singing time led by the uber cool Robbie Seay, the moving videos about Compassion internationals work, to casting vision to you about ministering to the poor out of a gospel motivation and the time to sponsor kids. It felt like the Holy Spirit had united us around His purposes like never before!
As of today we, as a church, sponsored 130 kids! Wow! Praise God. The Compassion International representative that was at our church Sunday said he has been to churches larger than ours and big concerts but he has never seen such an energetic excited response like at Crossbridge! Praise God for your response to His leading! Great job Crossbridge!
I spoke with a Compassion staff member yesterday and he encourages us to write to our kids ASAP because once that process starts it solidifies the connection between you and the child.
If you missed Compassion Sunday you can check out pictures on our Facebook page, listen to the sermon here and go here to sponsor a child in Jesus’ name.
There are two items of confusion that I wanted to clear up with you:
1. The Sponsored Compassion Kids:
As you may or may not have noticed, not all the Compassion packets were from El Salvador and the ones that were from El Salvador were not all from the church with which we will partner. Compassion International told me yesterday that Casa De Luz (our partner church) did not have enough kids for Crossbridge to sponsor. They therefore sent packets from project centers in the areas near Casa De Luz. When we go to El Salvador next year on our Compassion trip, rest assured that anyone who goes will be able to meet and spend time with their sponsored child! Since many of our packets are from other Compassion Centers in El Salvador this also opens doors for us to work with other project centers and their churches on mission trips in the future. Hopefully that clears up some of the confusion. If you have any further questions about this please e-mail our office and we’ll do our best to answer.
2. My Sabbatical
You have probably heard by now that the Elders have given me a ten week sabbatical this summer for rest, renewal and recalibration. If you haven’t heard this go here and watch the announcement and read a brief article by one of our Elders.
Many of you have asked, “will you still be at church this summer?” and “are Kathleen and the kids going to be around?” The answer is no, we (my family and I) will not be at Crossbridge for these ten weeks this summer. Our Elders are working with a ministry that is coaching us on how a pastor can get the best out of his sabbatical and they have coached us to be out of town for the majority of those weeks. If you have questions about it please don’t hesitate to contact our Elders and ask them.
Thank you for the support and excitement you have expressed to me and my family about this break. It is great to pastor a church that supports us like you do!
This Sunday we will be having a baby dedication (twins in each service!) and be back in Galatians!
See-ya Sunday!
Chuck
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW!
SECOND SUNDAY FOOD DRIVE – This Sunday!
It’s Canned Fruit and Applesauce Sunday! This Sunday we will collect cans of fruit and individual serving size containers of applesauce in the lobby for My Brother’s Keeper Outreach. Don’t forget!!!
ESSENTIALS SERIES – ORIGINAL SIN – MAY 23rd
Join us as we cover the doctrine of Original Sin on Wednesday evening, May 23rd, from 7:00PM to 9:00PM. Why is our world broken? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will? Can the world be fixed? Dinner ($5 per person at the door) and childcare is provided by reservation for children 5 years and younger. Sign up and reserve childcare here.
TACOS ON THE PORCH – FATHER’S DAY – JUNE 17TH
Bring every dad you know to the Father’s Day event of the century, okay maybe not! But do plan to join us after each service for some delicious food and special treats. Porch events are great Sundays to bring a friend and a fun way to introduce them to Crossbridge.
KIDS CAMP – JULY 11-15
Sign up is happening now for summer camp for kids who have completed 3rd grade by June 1, up through 5th grade! Camp is a chance for kids to learn about the Gospel in a way they won’t soon forget through a hands-on, high-energy experience. You can be part of this camp mission work, here’s how:
- Sign up – $225 – $30 deposit due now.
- Give towards our Camp Scholarship fund and allow underprivileged kids to attend camp.
For more information email here.
TEEN BEACH RETREAT – JULY 31-AUGUST 3
Sign up is happening now for the Teen Beach Retreat (for those who have already finished 6th grade or higher). We’ll stay in a house on Surfside Beach, spend a day at Schlitterbahn Galveston, and spend lots of time worshiping God. The cost is $225, including a $30 deposit. Space is very limited, so sign up now! Email here for more information.
Things You Need To Know
MISSIONAL INITIATIVES
COMPASSION SUNDAY W/THE ROBBIE SEAY BAND – May 6th
Join us for a very special morning focused on releasing children from poverty in Jesus name! In partnership with Compassion International and special guest, the Robbie Seay Band, you’ll have the opportunity to experience a special worship service led by the band, sponsor children through Compassion and purchase the recently released Robbie Seay Band Album, “Rich & Poor”. This is a can’t miss Sunday!
SECOND SUNDAY FOOD DRIVE – May 13
It’s Canned Fruit and Applesauce Sunday! On the second Sunday of May we will collect cans of fruit and individual serving size containers of applesauce in the lobby for My Brother’s Keeper Outreach.
PARENT – BABY DEDICATION – MAY 13th (Mother’s Day)
Parents are invited to participate in the Mother’s Day Parent – Baby Dedication for children birth to twenty-four month, a time for families to be recognized on stage, publicly committing to raise their children according to God’s biblical design. Email us info@crossbridge.cc and further info will be sent your way. Sign up ends May 6th.
ESSENTIALS SERIES – ORIGINAL SIN – MAY 23rd
Join us as we cover the doctrine of Original Sin on Wednesday evening, May 23rd, from 7:00PM to 9:00PM. Why is our world broken? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will? Can the world be fixed? Dinner ($5 per person at the door) and childcare is provided by reservation for children 5 years and younger. Sign up and reserve childcare by emailing us info@crossbridge.cc.
TEEN BEACH RETREAT – JULY 31-AUGUST 3
Sign up is happening now for the Teen Beach Retreat ( for those who have already finished 6th grade or higher). We’ll stay in a house in Surfside Beach, spend a day at Schiltterbahn Galveston, and spend lots of time worshiping God. The cost is $225, including a $30 deposit. Space is very limited, so sign up now!
Note to Crossbridge
Dear Crossbridge,
This past Sunday I announced that our Elders have graciously given me and my family a ten week sabbatical this summer as a gift for our ten years of ministry at Crossbridge. We videoed the announcement and you can watch it here along with an article written by Glenn Smith, one of our elders, on the concept of a Sabbatical.
In the coming weeks we will be rolling out all the summer plans for Crossbridge and it will be stellar! Sundays will rock with some awesome preachers and during the week many connecting events will take place. In July you’ll find opportunities to help in a special week called “Mission Week to North Richmond.” Our Teens will be participating in a Crossbridge Teen Beach Retreat. Information on the retreat will be available Sunday!
Several of you have asked me how you could support me while we are gone. There are two primary ways that you can do this….
- Engage – Engage with Crossbridge while I am gone. There really are some great preachers coming. I believe it will be healthy for our church to hear the scriptures taught from another voice besides mine. These are all trained pastors and from growing churches with similar values as Crossbridge. Be the church to each other and connect at these events. I’m praying that as many of you as possible will engage in our “Mission Week in North Richmond” in July. I really believe that this week has the potential to be a life changing event for many of you. Invite your dad and other dads to our “Tacos on the Porch” Sunday on Father’s Day, June 17th. This will be a great Sunday to introduce friends and family to Crossbridge!
- Give – Our monthly budget is $68,757.33. If you receive our weekly update you will notice that we have not made that this month. During the summer, giving sometimes goes down as people travel and forget to give and tithe regularly. Please be praying that God will continue to provide the funds necessary for our ministry. We are paying our building debt from our monthly budget so it is very important that those who call Crossbridge their church make giving a priority. One way that might help you is to automate your giving from your bank or give on-line through our website here. About half of our church uses online giving regularly.
These two things I think will keep our church healthy as we move into the summer season. This has been an exciting year so far and there is more to come!
I am hopeful for the future as God advances His gospel in and through us!
Chuck
PS –Compassion Sunday is this Sunday! Be a part of this special worship service with guest worship leaders the “Robbie Seay Band”!
Top Three Things You Need To Know
MISSIONAL INITIATIVES
COMPASSION SUNDAY W/THE ROBBIE SEAY BAND – May 6th
Join us for a very special morning focused on releasing children from poverty in Jesus name! In partnership with Compassion International and special guest, the Robbie Seay Band, you’ll have the opportunity to experience a special worship service led by the band, sponsor children through Compassion and purchase the recently released Robbie Seay Band Album, “Rich & Poor”. This is a can’t miss Sunday!
SECOND SUNDAY FOOD DRIVE – May 13
It’s Canned Fruit and Applesauce Sunday! On the second Sunday of May we will collect cans of fruit and individual serving size containers of applesauce in the lobby for My Brother’s Keeper Outreach.
PARENT – BABY DEDICATION – MAY 13th (Mother’s Day)
Parents are invited to participate in the Mother’s Day Parent – Baby Dedication for children birth to twenty-four month, a time for families to be recognized on stage, publicly committing to raise their children according to God’s biblical design. Email us info@crossbridge.cc and further info will be sent your way. Sign up ends May 6th.
ESSENTIALS SERIES – ORIGINAL SIN – MAY 23rd
Join us as we cover the doctrine of Original Sin on Wednesday evening, May 23rd, from 7:00PM to 9:00PM. Why is our world broken? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will? Can the world be fixed? Dinner ($5 per person at the door) and childcare is provided by reservation for children 5 years and younger. Sign up and reserve childcare by emailing us info@crossbridge.cc.
TOP 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Missional Initiatives
COMPASSION SUNDAY W/THE ROBBIE SEAY BAND – May 6th
Join us for a very special morning focused on releasing children from poverty in Jesus name! In partnership with Compassion International and special guest, the Robbie Seay Band, you’ll have the opportunity to experience a special worship service led by the band, sponsor children through Compassion and purchase the recently released Robbie Seay Band Album, “Rich & Poor”. This is a can’t miss Sunday!
SECOND SUNDAY FOOD DRIVE – May 13
It’s Canned Fruit and Applesauce Sunday! On the second Sunday of May we will collect cans of fruit and individual serving size containers of applesauce in the lobby for My Brother’s Keeper Outreach.
Baby Dedication
PARENT – BABY DEDICATION – MAY 13th (Mother’s Day)
Parents are invited to participate in the Mother’s Day Parent – Baby Dedication for children birth to twenty-four month, a time for families to be recognized on stage, publicly committing to raise their children according to God’s biblical design. Email us here and further info will be sent your way. Sign up ends May 6th.
Crossbridge Kids Camp 2012
Sign up is happening now for summer camp for kids who have completed 3rd grade by June 1, up through 5th grade! Camp is a chance for kids to learn about the Gospel in a way they won’t soon forget, through a hands-on, high-energy experience. YOU can be part of this camp mission work, here’s how:
Sign up! Camp cost: $225 – $30 deposit due NOW!
Give towards our Camp Scholarship fund and allow underprivileged kids to attend camp.
Be a camp counselor and impact lives for Christ! We are in need of one more adult to attend.
For more information email – tisha@crossbridge.cc.
Essentials Series: Christology Audio and PDF
Here is the audio and pdf download for the most recent Essentials Series on Christology. There are Q&A sessions at the end of each audio clip.
Session 1:
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Session 2:
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PDF Download:
Christology
How to Make This the Best Easter Ever at Crossbridge Church!
This Sunday (April 8th) is Easter! We will gather as a church family and celebrate that Jesus is alive, risen from the dead, our sin has been paid for, death has been conquered and our future is secure and bright! We are expecting many guests this Sunday and are praying for many new people to come and experience the love of Christ in a life-changing way!
We all have a part to play to make this the best Easter ever at Crossbridge. Here are nine ways we can do this together!
9. BRING CHILI AND CRACKERS FOR THE FOOD DRIVE
The Second Sunday Food Drive is happening this Sunday, so let’s not forget to bless our neighbors in Alief through My Brother’s Keeper Outreach. We are collecting cans of chili and boxes of crackers.
8. INVITE, INVITE, INVITE
Research shows that many unchurched people are open to receiving and accepting an invitation to church during the Easter season, especially if it comes from a friend or family member. Prayerfully invite a friend, neighbor or family member to join you Easter Sunday.
- Use your Facebook & Twitter Accounts: Social media provides an excellent platform to invite friends and family to Easter. Invite your friends to join us using this tool.
7. SERVE
Easter is an “all hands on deck” day for us as we are expecting extra guests as well as our regulars. If you haven’t signed up to serve on the Host Team or in Crossbridge Kids e-mail us at info@crossbridge.cc today!
6. ARRIVE EARLY/COME READY
Arriving early will help with kids check-in, family portraits and the general stress of coming to church. Arriving early will help you be ready to serve and worship Jesus. Arriving early helps you be ready to greet new people around you. Come ready to worship, serve, and meditate on the scriptures together.
5. MEET NEW PEOPLE
We are hoping and expecting a lot of new people this Sunday! Let me encourage you to meet as many new people as you can. You might ask, “How do I know if they are new to Crossbridge?” How about if they are new to you go, just meet them! It’s a win-win.
4. LET YOUR CHILDREN EXPERIENCE CROSSBRIDGE KIDS!
We love kids! That’s why Crossbridge Kids every week seeks to partner with parents by creating a fun, safe, gospel-centered environment for children ages birth-5th grade. This Easter we will have a special interactive experience of the Story of Christ. Our hope is your kids will have an encounter with Jesus and be talking with you about it all week!
3. PLEASE SAVE THE ROPED OFF CHAIRS FOR LATECOMERS
Every week we try and save the last two rows for people that come late to the service. Please do not sit there unless the ushers open that area. Late means they have missed the music and don’t want to have to walk in front of everyone to find a seat. Please serve your church by sitting in the other seats. Feel free to sit up close, the Lead Pastor doesn’t bite!
2. CELEBRATE JESUS PASSIONATELY
When Christians gather to celebrate the resurrection, we have a unique opportunity to bear witness to the greatness and glory of Jesus. We should do it joyfully, sincerely, and passionately. What would happen to the guests and non-Christians in our midst if they saw the church electrified with the grace and glory of Christ?
1. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY
Only God can change a person. Let’s pray for Him to transform people for the glory of Christ. Pray for our Pastor to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that power would be on the message. Pray that God would reveal Himself to people and they would respond in faith. Pray that you and our church family would be moved to love Christ, each other and our world more deeply by His power!
Essentials Series: Trinity Q&A 3
Question:
I have wondered why femininity is not “represented” in the Godhead. Father and Son are both male, and the Holy Spirit is at least “masculine”. As a female, I wonder if that leaves me out—that I don’t fully understand because I’ve been daughter and mother.
Response:
The short answer is that there is nothing in the nature of the Trinity that should make it easier for men to relate to the Trinity than for women. Both males and females have been created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and both should be able to relate to and understand Him equally well.
The answer a bit more fully, we need to discuss three things: (1) God is neither male nor female; (2) Scripture refers to God with masculine pronouns, not feminine pronouns; (3) Scripture displays God has having character traits that we may typically associate as masculine (e.g., strength, initiative) as well as feminine (e.g., tenderness, compassion) and does so by using both masculine and feminine metaphors for Himself.
First, God is neither masculine nor feminine in His being. God is Spirit and does not have a gender—He has neither reproductive organs nor chromosomes that would indicate that He was either male or female. This is further evidenced by the fact that both males and females are created in God’s image.
Second, the Trinity is indeed referred to with masculine pronouns (i.e., He and not She) and with masculine relationship descriptions (i.e., Father and Son, not Mother and Daughter). Because this is the language that Scripture always uses, we probably should not take to calling God “She” or “Mother”.
Third, God has character traits of both stereotypical masculinity and femininity and uses both masculine and feminine metaphors for Himself. God compares Himself to a mother bear robbed of her cubs (Hosea 13:8), an attentive, nursing mother (Isaiah 49:15), and a mother hen wanting to protect her brood (Jesus in Matthew 23:37). I think this ought to give females great comfort with respect to this question because the types of things a woman naturally wants to do are the types of things God often says He will do. So it is not the case that females should be less able to identify with God than males.
Click here to listen to the audio of The Trinity class and to download the handout pdf.
