April 15, 2020
Dear CrossWay Family,
Jesus is the light of the world and our victory over the grave! It was so good to worship the Lord and reflect on the cross and resurrection this past weekend. I’m sure we all go through our emotional ups and downs due to isolation, financial concerns, limitations, or simply change. To bring the shining light of the gospel into each up and each down is the glorious privilege of every follower of Jesus. I hope you too experienced the Lord ministering the light of the gospel to you at Good Friday and Easter. What a Savior!
With Pastor Bullmore taking a few days off, I (Pastor Moore) am updating you this week. As a pastoral team we continue to think about how to do ministry and church life, while respecting the wise and neighbor-loving limits put in place by government leaders. While we don’t like being scattered and isolated, one of the most encouraging things we hear about is the growing number of ways the body of Christ is serving, both one another and the larger community. Let me share a few examples.
This past week we heard about several people sewing masks for hospitals, neighbors, and friends. One of those efforts got started when a CrossWay member was asked by a neighbor to help make medical-grade masks. The member agreed and contacted several other CrossWay women, men, and youth to get involved, working as a team with others in Kenosha. Some carefully cut the special N-95 material into the needed parts. Others sat over their sewing machines to do the time-intensive stitching. The masks were cooked in an oven to sanitize, individually packaged, and donated to smaller hospitals in our area who were grateful and humbly asked for more. In one week, 174 medical-grade masks were created and more are underway.
We heard about other CrossWay seamstresses who are making masks and going out of their way to deliver them to friends and health-care workers. Some of you were grateful recipients of those. Others donated store-bought masks to the deacons to be given to church members who are at-risk or need to make safe hospital visits. What an expression of kindness and care toward one another.
CrossWay members are finding other ways to do good.
Maybe you’re like me: you read those bullet points and think, “What good have I done?” But let’s rejoice at hearing the good works God’s people are doing. And let’s allow our eyes to be lifted to see with faith the opportunities God is putting in front of us. For all of us there are countless unseen acts of kindness that will never be noted in a church update or posted on Facebook – simple kindnesses between family members, a text to check on a friend, an extra friendly greeting to a neighbor passing by, faithfully working from home when no one is checking up on us. God sees those things.
By the way, our website is positioned to connect our needs with those willing to meet needs. On our newly-designed front page, you’ll see a place called “I Need Help” and “I’m Ready to Help”. You can also email our deacons regarding both needs and a desire to help.
Christians aren’t, of course, the only ones doing good to the community (thankfully!) but we have a sacred call and motivation to do so. Far beyond our deserving we have experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Remember God’s generosity to us described in Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Though we did not deserve it, God gave us the greatest gift – new life in Jesus. And part of his purpose for saving us is what verse 10 talks about:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We can be sure that God has planned many of those good works to be done by his people in this time of community crisis. May we have the grace to think not only of ourselves, but to serve others as we have been served in Jesus.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve Moore
Jesus is the light of the world and our victory over the grave! It was so good to worship the Lord and reflect on the cross and resurrection this past weekend. I’m sure we all go through our emotional ups and downs due to isolation, financial concerns, limitations, or simply change. To bring the shining light of the gospel into each up and each down is the glorious privilege of every follower of Jesus. I hope you too experienced the Lord ministering the light of the gospel to you at Good Friday and Easter. What a Savior!
With Pastor Bullmore taking a few days off, I (Pastor Moore) am updating you this week. As a pastoral team we continue to think about how to do ministry and church life, while respecting the wise and neighbor-loving limits put in place by government leaders. While we don’t like being scattered and isolated, one of the most encouraging things we hear about is the growing number of ways the body of Christ is serving, both one another and the larger community. Let me share a few examples.
This past week we heard about several people sewing masks for hospitals, neighbors, and friends. One of those efforts got started when a CrossWay member was asked by a neighbor to help make medical-grade masks. The member agreed and contacted several other CrossWay women, men, and youth to get involved, working as a team with others in Kenosha. Some carefully cut the special N-95 material into the needed parts. Others sat over their sewing machines to do the time-intensive stitching. The masks were cooked in an oven to sanitize, individually packaged, and donated to smaller hospitals in our area who were grateful and humbly asked for more. In one week, 174 medical-grade masks were created and more are underway.
We heard about other CrossWay seamstresses who are making masks and going out of their way to deliver them to friends and health-care workers. Some of you were grateful recipients of those. Others donated store-bought masks to the deacons to be given to church members who are at-risk or need to make safe hospital visits. What an expression of kindness and care toward one another.
CrossWay members are finding other ways to do good.
- Grocery runs on behalf of Gospel Community members and neighbors who cannot or should not go out.
- Meals dropped off at the homes of the sick and isolated.
- Easter food shared with Gospel Community friends as a way of connecting.
- Cards sent and coronavirus care packages dropped off.
- Offers of financial assistance to the needy.
- Several of you have called up people you don’t normally talk to on the phone simply out of concern for their well-being. One Gospel Community is calling all the kids who have been part of the Wilson tutoring ministry.
- One person shared their salvation testimony on social media during Easter. Others have invited non-Christian friends and family to view our worship services online.
Maybe you’re like me: you read those bullet points and think, “What good have I done?” But let’s rejoice at hearing the good works God’s people are doing. And let’s allow our eyes to be lifted to see with faith the opportunities God is putting in front of us. For all of us there are countless unseen acts of kindness that will never be noted in a church update or posted on Facebook – simple kindnesses between family members, a text to check on a friend, an extra friendly greeting to a neighbor passing by, faithfully working from home when no one is checking up on us. God sees those things.
By the way, our website is positioned to connect our needs with those willing to meet needs. On our newly-designed front page, you’ll see a place called “I Need Help” and “I’m Ready to Help”. You can also email our deacons regarding both needs and a desire to help.
Christians aren’t, of course, the only ones doing good to the community (thankfully!) but we have a sacred call and motivation to do so. Far beyond our deserving we have experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Remember God’s generosity to us described in Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Though we did not deserve it, God gave us the greatest gift – new life in Jesus. And part of his purpose for saving us is what verse 10 talks about:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We can be sure that God has planned many of those good works to be done by his people in this time of community crisis. May we have the grace to think not only of ourselves, but to serve others as we have been served in Jesus.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve Moore