In February we kicked off our Outreach Season by partnering with Love Your Neighbor to help a family who was in serious need of home repairs and who’s home exterior needed some TLC.
The music is courtesy of Matt and Joanna Black. Check out their website at MattAndJoannaBlack.com
PCY Project February 2010 from Crosspoint Church on Vimeo.
It’s the day before Christmas Eve and I am PUMPED! At the Crosspoint Office, we decided to spend this day serving the people who work in the other offices and businesses in the industrial park where we office out of. We’re firing up a massive grill and feeding everyone today!
It’s another opportunity to share God’s love in a practical way.
The love of God sometimes isn’t practical though… Sometimes it’s weird. If “I” was God, I’m not so sure I would should up as a tiny baby. So fragile, so defenseless, so… “babyish”.
Instead of a throne, He got a manger. Instead of a castle, our King got a stable. Sometimes LOVE comes in a form where you least expect it.
Tomorrow on Christmas Eve, who are you bringing? Who have you been praying for who is going to meet face to face with a savior you’d never suspect?
See you tomorrow!
This year at Crosspoint, we’re proud to say that 80% of our Christmas Offering will be going to ministries and organizations that are outside of our community. You can find out more at ChristmasOffering.com. One of the organizations we’re working with is Water of Life.
Water of Life is an organization dedicated to providing access to clean water to those in need while offering the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A non-profit organization based in Greenville, South Carolina, WOL has been sending mission teams around the world into different countries for years.
We will be adopting the village of Boiwalah in Liberia, Africa. The money we raise will be used to build a well that feeds into Boiwalah and 3 other villages.
Find out more about them at GiveFreshWater.org
and you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook
The fall is here, the temperature is dropping (which means it’s 72 here in Florida), and Halloween is just around the corner which means one thing: The smell of kindness is once again in the air!
For the second year, Crosspoint Church is participating in the HALLOWEENIE ROAST! The Halloweenie Roast is an outreach designed for parents of kids who are trick or treating. Since kids are the ones who get all of the goodies on the 31st, we decided that this was a huge opportunity to serve parents who are being dragged up and down the street by their kids in their pursuit of candy.
We’ve encouraged everyone here at Crosspoint to set-up their grills in their front lawn and offer Free Hotdogs and drinks to moms and dads in the community. It’s a simple way of saying “God Loves You” to parents during this night that usually focuses on the kids.
If you are interested in how the Halloweenie Roast works, here’s the video we sent out to all of the Small Group Leaders who are facilitating the event:
Halloweenie Roast Prep Video from Crosspoint Church on Vimeo.
The other day I got a bunch of letters in the mail. These letters came from a local Christian School that encouraged students to write to their Pastor and thank them for their hard word and service. I flipped through a few of those letters I received and smiled as I looked at what the children wrote. And then I got this one letter that brought a tear to my eye! Look at what it said:
“You are the BEST pastor I’ve ever had.” I was floored! This was such a touching letter from one of the children at our church and it made my heart warm. As I wiped the tear from my eye, I looked down to see the information portion of the letter, it was a special box for the school administration to read so that they would know where to send these heartfelt tokens of appreciation. And this is what I saw:
PASTOR BECKY!! This letter wasn’t for me at all… it was actually for Becky Russ, a leader in our Crosspoint Kids Ministry. Becky is a faithful volunteer at Crosspoint in many areas, but the impact that she is making in our Crosspoint Kids Ministry will be felt for generations
I’ve had the privilege of seeing what happens at Crosspoint Kids and I wish EVERY one on that team could get a letter like this. The Crosspoint Kids Ministry Team works hard to provide a safe & secure place for kids to grow and connect with God! I appreciate all of them, and I couldn’t imagine what Crosspoint would be without them all.
(Especially PASTOR BECKY!)
One of the ways we’ve made Outreach a part of our DNA from the very beginning was through Small Groups. When it comes to building community with Small Groups there is nothing like being able to serve together as a group and hopefully bring other people with you on that journey.
Every semester Crosspoint Small Groups head up a couple of outreach projects and at each of those projects we’ll have some folks who are unconnected take part as well. Here’s a Top 5 on the best ways to maximize small group outreach projects as a small group facilitator:
1. Be an inviter - Your small group should never be exclusive, so these projects are another way to invite people to be a part of your group who might not have felt comfortable at someone else’s home at first. Outreach projects at the part are typically a great first time invite. (see BONUS down at the bottom)
2. Recognize the first timers – Before you begin, find out who has never participated in this type of project before. Don’t think that just because you have drop off donuts a few times before that everyone knows how to do it or how to even explain what they are doing with others. Thank the folks who are there for the first time and share instructions with everyone to put them at ease.
3. Contact AND Follow-Up - This is simple, a phone call reminder the day before and a thank you call the day after will go a long, long way!
4. Celebrate successes and admit failures – Take some time during your small group meetings to share the successes you have had serving others, it will help folks look forward to their time of serving. And while you’re at it, let them know about some of the failures you’ve had. Some reason hearing that you’ve already received some “no thank you’s” or “get outta heres!” will help put people at ease.
5. Debrief – Talk about your time of serving. Let people share their own stories, how they felt, and what they were thinking. It’s also a great opportunity to share some vision about why we do what we do.
BONUS: Make a day of it! – Outreach doesn’t have to just be an “In and Out” experience. Take the opportunity to serve and play with your Small Group. Some of the best experiences as a community come when you spend some time serving the park that you will later hang out in. So hand out some waters, and then huddle up under a pavilion for a group picnic.
This isn’t a top 5 about guaranteed results, this is all about making the experience a memorable and life-changing event not just for those who get served, but also for those who are serving!
Soon Crosspoint will have a brand new website!
Thanks to Ericka Watson, who’s a part of our Digital Media Team, and who also blogs at GodKindofLife.com. She’s a freelance writer and taught me a lot about WordPress. Check out her sites and drop her a line she’s available to help you with any website & writing needs!
Well, here’s the site. What do you think?
The pastoral staff at Crosspoint have a saying. Crosspoint is the anvil in which we will all be shaped on. Some days that hammer is huge!
Well this Fall there will be a lot of changes going on in my life. A LOT. As Crosspoint grows I know that my position and job description has to grow and change. So here’s a few of the features that Wayne 3.0 will have by the end of 2009.
Help keep be accountable. Ask me how it’s going.
If you haven’t heard about the Nines yet it’s really simple – on 09/09/09 TONS of speakers will be given 9 minutes to share their thoughts on Leadership.
The Nines from Todd Rhoades on Vimeo.
What an unbelievable weekend and what an incredible way to kick off this new season at Crosspoint!
What a ride!
Wayne Cordova is a pastor at Crosspoint Church in Spring Hill, FL where he focuses on Communicating, Outreach & Service, Graphic Design, and much much more!
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