1. For wisdom in our planning and decision making
2. For increased financial support
3. For God to send more laborers
4. For an unspoken need in our family
Thank you for your faithful prayers and encouraging words. Until next week…
It’s a rainy, dreary day here in north Texas – you know the kind of day that seems perfect for just being lazy. But alas there is no rest for the weary and no laziness for the busy. So I’m sitting here trying to design a bulletin for Sunday, pay bills, balance the checkbook, prepare the musician songbooks for the service, and type this update. The semblance of a routine is starting to form, but I know just about the time I think I finally have it all together we’ll be making an adjustment somewhere. Oh, the joys of being involved in something new. In all honesty though there are days that can seem a little overwhelming as we’re trying to plan for the upcoming Sunday or the next month of Sundays, but we try to remind ourselves to just take one day at a time (that sounds like it should be a song). Just to give you a brief update from this past week - we have been continuing to knock doors and pass out brochures in addition to following up with all the visitors from the past two Sundays. We have had some really good visits and we’re encouraged about all the folks who genuinely seem interested in being a part of Crossway. This past Sunday we again didn’t know what to expect even though we had promises from several people that they would come. Although the attendance was down from the previous Sunday with 19 people showing up, we were very excited to see two different families bring other family members with them this week. That’s the kind of growth that is so great to see; individual growth not just an increase in numbers. One of the new visitors was a teenage girl. At the end of the service she approached Justin and said that she would like to be involved in a youth group, and since she is already involved in several different clubs and activities she has lots of friends that she could invite to be a part also. So all that to say, we are beginning to work towards having at least a youth activity within the next month. One of the greatest things about getting these updates to you is being able to share specific prayer requests that we have. As you think about it this week would you please pray for the following things: 1. For wisdom in our planning and decision making 2. For increased financial support 3. For God to send more laborers 4. For an unspoken need in our family Thank you for your faithful prayers and encouraging words. Until next week…
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We didn't know how many would show up. We didn't know if everything would run smoothly. We didn't know what the response would be. But despite the uncertainties, we did know that God was going to do something wonderful – and He did! Last Sunday the Crossway Baptist Church was officially birthed. She was born at 10:30 a.m., weighing in at 50 (people in attendance), and measuring perfectly to what God had allowed. There was a balanced blend of families, single folks, senior saints, young adults, and children. During our Kidz Takeover time we had 12 kids not including those in the nursery come down to the front to sing songs and listen to a Bible story. We had people who had a strong church background as well as those who would say their church history has been minimal. Of the 50 people there we only knew 10 of them prior to us arriving in Texas 2 months ago and none of them were from this area. The goodness of God was very evident and we felt very privileged to have a part in what took place. Since Monday we have been making visits to the ones who came to the service, taking by a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread and getting to know them. It is such a wonderful thing getting to know people beyond just the formalities. Every person has such a unique story and it is amazing to hear how God worked in their life and led them to Crossway. Several of the folks who we have talked with have shared how that they have been searching for a church and in many cases for quite awhile. It is more obvious than ever that God wanted this church planted here and at this exact time. I can’t get over how awesome it is to watch His plan for all this come together and unfold. We serve a great God! Over the next few weeks we’ll be compiling some more pictures of our baby church to share with you and hopefully even some video. In the mean time, please keep us in your prayers. Until next week…
Another week of preparation for the first service of Crossway has passed. Throughout this past week we were able to purchase our PA equipment along with a keyboard, we received the signage for the church, we packed up the trailer that we’re using to transport all the church stuff to and from the school, and we received our bulletins, letterhead, visitor cards, and items for our visitor gift packets. Visually everything is coming together.
On Saturday we held an open house at the school to allow people to come by to meet us and ask any questions they might have. We also took advantage of the two hours we had there to run through our set up and tear down of all the different components. The school will already have the chairs and tables that we’ll be using arranged how and where we need them, which will be a huge blessing and will make our set up a little easier. The open house itself went well. We shared last week about the man who had called after receiving a brochure on his door to say he was interested in our church and that he had been searching for something like this. He was the first person to walk through the door on Saturday. Justin talked with him for quite a while explaining what Crossway would be like and answering his questions. He shared with Justin that he had a Mormon background and that he felt like something was missing in his life. Justin had the privilege of sharing the Gospel story with him which he intently listened to and then bowed his head and asked Christ to be his personal Saviour. Before leaving he assured us that he would see us on October 20th for the grand opening. We also had a lady stop by that I had met while knocking doors several weeks back. She told me then that she was a little hesitant about coming to church by herself because her husband has to work on the weekends and she is still a little new to the area and doesn’t know a whole lot of people. I encouraged her that one of the great things about a new church is that everyone is new, so there was no need to feel out of place. When she showed up at the school I was a little surprised to see her, but she explained that what I had said made sense, so she thought she would give it a try. We are expecting to see her on Sunday also. It almost doesn’t seem real that it’s finally here! The grand opening of Crossway Baptist Church is this coming Sunday!!! When we met together again on Sunday night in our home, Justin preached how that we have been working so hard for such a long time to get to this point, doing all the things necessary to start a church – passing out brochures, acquiring all the stuff we need, meeting people, etc. It would easy for us to get in our minds that the success of this first service would be dependent on us and the work that we’ve done and our performance on Sunday. When in truth Crossway is God’s church. He has allowed us to do and do and do, but the outcome is all up to Him. Would you please partner with us in prayer for Crossway Baptist Church that God’s will would be done in the hearts and lives of everyone that He brings through the doors? It is such a wonderful privilege to be able to see this church get started. We have enjoyed being able to share this journey with you so far, and we are very excited to share with you next week what great things God did. Until then…. We found out last week that another church, Heritage Baptist Church in Haslet, TX, has decided to take us on for financial support. We had the opportunity to get to know Pastor Crawford a little this past summer while we were visiting in the area. He has an exciting ministry that is a testament to God’s grace. We’re excited to have them as partners in getting this church started.
We’re excited to share with you this week some of the results from the last few days. We have been seeing God work in the hearts of the people here in McKinney and the surrounding area, and as we near the official start date we are eagerly anticipating what He is going to continue doing. This past Saturday turned out to be a cold, dreary, rainy day, but that didn’t stop Beth Haven Baptist Church and Lighthouse Baptist Church from sending down a group of about 25 people from the OKC area to help us pass out brochures. With the combined efforts we were able to get out nearly 1,500 brochures in about 2.5 hours. It was such a blessing having them here, and we appreciated their sweet spirits in light of the unfavorable weather. On Sunday evening we held an unofficial service in our home. The couple that we had invited over the previous Thursday night was very excited about having a church they could be involved in again. When we asked if they would be interested in getting together Sunday evening in our home they enthusiastically replied, “Yes, absolutely!” Our family and the couple, along with the two Bible college guys (Will and Travis) made up a church of eight that night. We enjoyed a sweet time of singing, testimony, prayer, and preaching. We spent a good deal of time praying specifically for the needs of the church and the people who we are trying to reach in this area. God was listening and the next day we got to see His response to our requests. About mid-morning on Monday, a dozen Bible college students and faculty members from Crown Southwest came up from Fort Worth to help knock doors for a few hours. Around 1,100 brochures were passed out, and they were able to talk to many people at their doors. Around noon they returned to our house for a meal. Not long after they arrived back we received a call from a man who had just discovered a brochure on his door. Now, many of you know that usually when you get a call from someone who found a brochure on their door it’s typically to complain about being solicited to or to say that they don’t want to received any more information from the church. Well, this call was the exact opposite. The man explained that when he found the brochure he began reading it and realized that “this is something I might be interested in.” He then went on to share his church background and to express that he felt like he had missed something along the way. He had come to the realization that it was a relationship with God not just the act of going to church that he needed. After we answered his questions and encouraged him that Crossway is a place where you can learn how to begin and deepen your relationship with God, he confirmed that he would definitely be at our grand opening service. It wasn’t 20 minutes later that we received another call. This time it was lady who had received a brochure on her door (actually the UPS driver handed her the brochure that fell out of her door when she answered his knock). She wanted to let us know that she also was very interested in coming to our church and that she had been looking for a place like this to attend. It is an awesome thing to see God working in the hearts of people here, and to know that we get to have a part in God’s will for their lives. We have been told by several people already that they have been praying for a church like this and they feel like God answered their prayer by sending us to their door to tell them about Crossway. Now, I’m not sharing that with you to brag on us or toot our horn, but to humbly say what an honor and privilege it is to serve such an awesome God Who can burden the hearts of people from all over the place to come together to form His church. This should be just as exciting for you, because whether you have been supporting us financially or in prayer, you have just as much a part in the planting of this church as we do. This coming Saturday will be our Open House from 2-4 p.m. We will be using this time to do a mock set up, and hopefully get the unforeseen wrinkles ironed out. Of course, we’re praying that many people will come by to meet us and get a little preview of what to expect. There is a long list of little details that need to get done before the grand opening service of Crossway Baptist Church on October 20th. Would you please pray earnestly over the next several days for everything to be done according to God’s will, and especially for the people who we have met (and even those we haven’t) to have an open heart toward God’s leading? God bless. Until next week… This week’s update should be fairly short. We don’t have much new news to report this week, but we have several events that will be taking place past this post. I wanted to share some things that we’re looking forward to as matters of prayer that you can be thinking about with us this week.
On Thursday morning Justin will be meeting with a group of local pastors from the DFW area at their monthly fellowship. This group occasionally has funds available that they designate toward church planting projects. Justin has had the opportunity to meet several of the pastor’s already and share our vision for this northern Dallas area. We are praying that God will allow them to have funds available that they would be burdened to put towards planting Crossway Baptist Church. Thursday evening we have a couple coming to our house for supper who received one of the brochures on their door and then contacted us letting us know that they have been searching for a church like this. They have expressed through our correspondence that they are very excited about Crossway getting started and that they would like to be involved. Please pray for them and for God to bring others like them to our church. On Saturday morning two churches from the Oklahoma City area will be driving down to help us pass out brochures for a couple of hours. They are expecting to bring between 30 and 40 people, so we should be able to get out a large number of brochures. Please be in prayer for their safety as they travel, and also for the door knocking efforts to be fruitful. Monday we will be having about a dozen college students here to pass out some more brochures. These students are from the Bible college where the two guys who have been with us on the weekends attend. We’re looking forward to seeing the results of all this work not only in the contacts that are made, but in the people who attend Crossway. We’re also anticipating sharing the reports with you next week of all that has gone on. Thank you in advance for your prayers. Until next week… |
AuthorAs we try to keep you up to date on what's happening in our progress, we ask for your prayers in return. Archives
December 2014
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