Archive for the ‘Crosspoint’ category

How to have a successful Halloweenie Roast!

October 27th, 2009

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.

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Best Pastor Appreciation Letter. Ever.

October 8th, 2009

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:

Pastor Appreciate Letter 1

“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 Appreciation Letter 2

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

IMG_0182_2I’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!)

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Top 5 Ways to Maximize Small Group Outreach Projects

October 3rd, 2009

100_2933One 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.

100_2916

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!

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The NEW CrosspointLive.com Sneak Preview

September 13th, 2009

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?

Picture 6

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Wayne 3.0 – What’s new this fall

September 11th, 2009

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.

  • I will lead  & manage a new Digital Media Team at Crosspoint. No longer will I doing the tasks involved in graphic design, web design, media, email, print, etc. [The job is way too big and there are people out there with greater gifts and talents in this field that are waiting to be used by God!]
  • A new Outreach Team will be formed, to help plan, coordinate, and equip the people of Crosspoint to “Serve, Reach, Feed, & Build”
  • A better listener
  • A feedback seeking machine! [At Crosspoint, we want to have a steady diet of feedback.  So I will ask you, please help me be better.]
  • Clearer communication. [If you're on one of my teams you'll get clear communication with expectations, deadlines, and a desire to hear your heart.]
  • Short Accounts. [The "duck & cover" method of conflict was never my thing.  I will keep short accounts with the people around me so that there could be no foothold of resentment, anger, or division.]
  • A fire and a passion like never before for God’s word and my personal growth.

Help keep be accountable.  Ask me how it’s going.

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The Nines

September 6th, 2009

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.

  • It’s for church leaders
  • It’s all day.
  • It free. (register here)
  • It’s a conference that you don’t have to leave your home or office for, you just watch online.
  • The goal for the speakers is to simply answer this question: “If you had nine minutes to talk one-on-one with thousands of church leaders, what is the one thing that you would tell them?”
  • I can’t wait to hear what they have to say.

The Nines from Todd Rhoades on Vimeo.

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Weekend Wrap-Up

August 31st, 2009

What an unbelievable weekend and what an incredible way to kick off this new season at Crosspoint!

  • I was sick at the start of the weekend but I wasn’t going to let that keep me from all of the blessings that God had in store for me over the next few days.
  • On Friday I got to spend some much needed “hang-time” with Paul & Brad.  Little known fact: not only do I work with these guys, but they are also my friends.  A few hours of “fun time” spent with them is work way more than a work week spend “around” them. Truly a gift and a blessing.
  • Tina’s car finally got the a/c fixed!  And it didn’t cost as much as I thought it would… Double Awesome.
  • Saturday was an incredible day of Vision and Leadership!  All of the Small Group Facilitators were invited to take part in a special leadership training in preparation for the next semester of small groups.
  • I was blown away by the job that Beth Smith did with the room, I was excited for days leading up to this thanks to the work she did!
  • Pastor Brad pulled together an All Star line-up for the training (of which I got to participate and lead in).  I got to share the new initiatives we had in place for Outreach & Service in the Fall of ‘09 and Small Groups will be a BIG chunk of it!
  • (By the way, I had a killer breakfast date with my wife.  I can’t get enough of her.)
  • SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!
  • Once again God blew the doors off the place and graced us with an all time high of 539 worshiping on Sunday!
  • Small Group sign-ups are skyrocketing and I will guarantee we will have a sell-out crowd for small groups.  (Don’t worry we have some extras waiting in the wings.)
  • We closed out an incredible series entitled “The Call”… It was all about Matthew 16:24 and what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus.  Download the messages straight from iTunes… click here
  • My favorite line: We need your seat. (and we do… in fact we’ll need 100 more seats!)  You’ll find out how you can help soon!
  • The blessings just kept coming, I was surrounded by an awesome group of ladies after church.  They are our Volunteer Coordinators. (It’s not a requirement to be a woman, I just think these are the most organized!)
  • We talked about some great volunteer initiatives that we’ll be rolling out in the fall of ‘09.  We talked vision. And best of all, we talked about what God is doing in their lives.  I was blown away.
  • OH! and best of all, 3 people began their relationship with Jesus… it’s all worth it for that!

What a ride!

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Tips for Serving on the Go

August 28th, 2009

The other day I posted some ideas for serving on the go. Here are some tips to back those ideas up!

Tips:
#1. Be a noticer – Pay attention to your surroundings, eavesdrop, be a people watcher, either way you’ll never know the opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life if you’re not looking.  Jesus was a noticer, I often think about his teaching on “The Widow’s Mite”.  Jesus was at the temple and through people watching he noticed a woman who gave everything she had in one tiny mite.

#2. Keep outreach/Invite cards handy – This is all about equipping.  An act of kindness without some form of connection is simply a random act of kindness.  Now, while those are great and all, the opportunity to match your act of kindness with an opportunity to connect with Jesus is priceless!

Here are a couple of examples of what we use at Crosspoint.

Servant Evangelism Card Front Invite Card Front

#3. Let them know why you do what you do. - There’s usually an opportunity that pops up when someone says “Why are you doing this?”  That’s when I take the opportunity to say, “I just wanted to show you God’s love in a practical way!” A simple sentence with a BIG impact!

If you want to find out more about Servant Evangelism and Outreach check out these books below or visit ServantEvangelism.com:

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Top 5 Ways to Serve on the Run!

August 25th, 2009

Most of my conversations about outreach involve group projects and major initiatives. But the truth is, we’ve got the opportunity to reach others with the life-changing message of Jesus everyday as we come and go. Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-46 that the ones that really know Him are generous in meeting physical needs for Him.

So here are my TOP 5 ways that you can serve others on your own and during your day to day (this is stuff I personally like to do):

#5. Buy a cashier a drink. -
When I’m in line at the supermarket, one of my favorite things to do is to just simply ask the cashier what their favorite drink is. When they respond I tell them, “I’ll be right back”, and return with a cold beverage of their choice. I pay for it and leave it for them with an invite card.

#4. Donut Drops - I pop into businesses all the time for different errands… nothing says “Jesus loves you” like a free box of donuts! (sometimes it might even get you to the front of the line!)

#3. Water Handout - Some cold water when it’s hot will make any delivery guy’s day.  It’s a practical way to show God’s love!

#2. BIG Tipper - I love to go out to eat, and typically I’m a good tipper, but sometimes I like to leave a big tip just to let the wait staff know that they are appreciated.  This is the front side of the card that I usually leave behind: Service Card 03-09

#1. Pay it backward! – Whether you’re in the drive-thru at Starbucks or picking up a Happy Meal, the shock and awe on the person’s face when you pay their meal is priceless!  Give them an invite card and let them know why you do what you do.

Whatever you choose to do, do as if you are serving Jesus himself.  If He was hungry would you feed Him?  If He was thirsty would be give Him a drink?  You can serve God easily by serving others!

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Weekend Wrap-Up

August 24th, 2009

This weekend was crazy!

  • Friday we had the chance to serve the teachers at Challenger K8 School (where Crosspoint meets on Sundays).  We’ve had the pleasure of doing this 2-3 times a year for the last 2.5 years.  It’s our simple way of saying “thank you” to the school we call home on Sundays.
  • I highly underestimated the hunger for God’s Word among the teachers at Challenger. I only brought 30 Bibles and they were gone in minutes!  Thank you God for teachers who are seeking a foundation laid by you!
  • Saturday, came and we got to see our “Sound Man” Ryan Paris get married to his lovely bride Amy.  It was a hot outdoors Summer wedding, but it was perfect for them. (And the DJ at the reception rocked!)
  • Ok, the only word to describe Sunday morning was PACKED!!
  • We had our largest regular Sunday attendance ever!  Close to 540 people were packed into Challenger K8 for services… I was floored.
  • Paul brought out part 3 of The Call… and it was POWERFUL.  Subscribe and get it!
  • Over 200 people signed up to join Small Groups so far!  It’s amazing to see people desiring to do life in community!  GO God!
  • We announced to the crowd that they would soon be buying 100 … (ONE HUNDRED!!) NEW SEATS for the auditorium…  We need to make some room people!
  • We also mentioned that if you are sitting in a seat at 11am… you need to make a move to make room for our guests!  WE NEED YOU SEAT! (believe me, 9:30am is a great time to hang with God. Think of it as First Dibs!)
  • God is going to be doing some big things out here in Spring Hill, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.  WHAT A RIDE!!

WHEW!

(I use exclamation points alot.)

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