Tomorrow, we get to BE the church...

It may come as a surprise that tomorrow we are not having church--at least not in the traditional sense. Tomorrow, we are being the church in the most traditional sense possible.

Crosspointe has a partnership with Christian Community Action (CCA) an organization that "ministers to the poor by providing comprehensive services that alleviate suffering, bring hope and change lives."  CCA receives many requests from people in transitional economic challenges.  In most cases, the families are "the working poor" who have been hit by illness, layoffs or a major unexpected financial need. 

CCA often receives requests where the resources simply aren't there to complete the request for aid. Crosspointe is meeting the needs of some of these families that fall in between. We've divided up into teams.  Each team leader has called the family to find out what the needs are.  Then, each group is pooling resources to be able to not only meet that need, but go above and beyond where possible. 

It can be life changing stuff--both for those who give and those who receive.  Last year, when we did this we met the most incredible people. Two families which joined us beyond Christmas.  I share one e-mail received in September as one families journey took them back home...

I hold each and every one of you at Crosspointe in my heart and I could not have gotten to where I am in my life without your generosity. I so cannot believe how you blessed me and my girls.


We are doing extremely well here and I cannot express in words how "blissful" our lives are now that we are back near family. These are really good times. We found a good church here and I am looking forward to getting connected there with a small group.  I love my new job.............God has opened the windows of Heaven on us and it is a really extraspecial place to be in my faith. Love you guys so much...

A very real fulfillment of completing CCA's mission to "alleviate suffering, bring hope and change lives."   Which as it turns out, isn't only CCA's mission, but ours too.

The Ladies Ornament Exchange

Even as I type the words "Ladies Ornament Exchange" I want to laugh. Aren't the church "ladies" my mom's age? Apparently not, because the "Ladies of Crosspointe" all got together tonight for the annual ornament exchange. To be honest, it isn't so much of an exchange because there is actual theft involved.

Okay, maybe there is a bit more art to it than that. We each draw numbers, THEN, we steal ornaments from each other.

In the end though, most people seemed happy with the ornaments they wound up with. And there were some definite laugh out loud moments.

We also played Sudden-Death-Single-Category-Random-Spontaneous-Jeopardy. The "single category" was Christmas movies--and DeAnn Lee won with Sheila Joyce coming in a close second.

And now all that is left to do is the dishes. (And I'm really, really, really glad Chris left the homemade marshmallows. They were wonderful!)

Advent Conspiracy

[AC] – What is it?
It’s about putting Christ back in Christmas. Somewhere in the bustle of wrapping paper, packed malls and endless shopping lists, there is a story we long to connect with. It’s a story of a Savior who came to Earth wrapped in nothing more than human skin who would one day redeem the world one person at a time. And, despite our best intentions, somehow that story becomes nothing more than a footnote to our endless to-do lists during the Christmas season. What if this year was different? What if you could usher in a Christmas that put Christ’s story at the center of your family’s celebration? What if you gave gifts that lived long after the season had come and gone? And what if you could do all this while changing the world in a real way, one person at a time?

[AC] – Spend Less
Counter-culture consuming. Save the receipt. Give it at the next white elephant party. Wear it only when grandma’s in town. Let’s face it; we don’t necessarily need everything we get at Christmas. By changing our spending habits at Christmas and instead focusing on the gift we were designed to celebrate during this holy season, we’re pushing back on the consumer-driven culture that has somehow wrapped itself around the very heart of Christmas. Is the Advent Conspiracy against gift giving? No way (your kids can breathe a sigh of relief now). If anything, the Advent Conspiracy is about reminding ourselves that the best gifts of the season are found in the most unexpected ways.

[AC] – Give More
Relational giving. Whether it was that afternoon of riding bikes, the trip with dad to the ballpark, or that framed family photo, there’s something about gifts that come from the heart that mean more to us than any gift found from the sale racks. And no wonder. When God gave his only son He modeled the ultimate example of relational giving. By saying “no” to over-spending and “yes” to a very ancient way of expressing love, we have the chance to connect with The [W]hole Story in ways we’ve always hoped. What does this mean for you and your family? It could mean just taking one less gift out from the “must-have” list and giving one another a gift as simple as spending time together.

[AC] – Love All
Let the revolution begin. Christ, though He was rich, became poor to make many rich. It was in the Advent that Jesus entered our poverty so we would no longer be poor. With the money we save by giving relationally we can redistribute the money we saved to the least of these in our community and world through our missional partnerships. On Sunday, December 13th, our Gathering will feature our missional partnership with the Uganda Children’s Project and their annual Christmas Shoe Project. For $15 you can give a needy child the gift of an education by giving them the shoes and socks they need to attend school next term. We’ve set aside Sunday, December 20th to partner with our friends at Christian Community Action and bring Christmas to needy families in our communities.

[AC] – Families are renewed. Lives are changed. Christ is celebrated. Now that’s a Christmas to remember.