Can I make a difference?

Posted by Crossroads on Oct 19, 2009
Filed under: First Sundays

Linda and I went to the Stanton Center of Annapolis last Saturday morning. The Stanton Center is a facility of Annapolis that reaches out to those who are in need. Downtown Hope Church sponsored a clothing drive there today for anyone in need. We were praying for the people who would come that, they would see Jesus .We were happy to see Brenda and Howard come thru the door. They are a homeless couple that we met several months ago at a dinner sponsored by the Crossroads Ministry. That first time we met them ,we believed was the divine appointment we had prayed for. Linda and Brenda had several things in common. Brenda was a nurse, like Linda and they both are the same age. Brenda shared with us ,that because of her battle with cancer she was no longer able to work. As the night progressed , Linda found out that Brenda was very sick. We took her to the emergency room after we left the dinner that night.

After we left the emergency room we realized that we had not made arrangements to follow up with them. We shared what took place that evening with some friends and were told that they were homeless. There was no way to find out how Brenda was doing except to come to the next dinner sponsored by Crossroads.

The following month we did meet at the dinner and they shared with us that they were homeless. I’ll never forget as we sat at the table, they shared how difficult life for them is. How several nights before it had rained and all their belongs were ruined. Molly suggested that we all pray together. I can remember praying for a miracle for Brenda and Howard. After the prayer we asked what we could do to help them. On the way home that evening we decided that we would buy them a tent and sleeping bags. I called and met them at church circle the following evening with the tent. It was so exciting for me to see how appreciative Howard was when I gave him the tent.
We have been praying about how we can reach out to this couple. At Downtown Hope Church we are encouraged to meet with believers and non believers for lunch or dinner as an outreach to the community. Today we invited Brenda and Howard out for lunch. We all decided together at lunch that we are going to try to meet next Friday for dinner.

My purpose in writing this letter is to share with all of you at Crossroads, that yes you can make a difference in peoples lives. You are all a part of this story I have shared with you. You provide the opportunities to share our faith in Christ through your service to the community around the Stanton Center. Yes, we can make a difference. We can do together what we can’t do alone.Thank You, and we look forward to serving with you in the future.

Together In Christ,

Dave Basara

Changes in October

Posted by Crossroads on Sep 15, 2009
Filed under: General

In case you missed the Crossroads service on 9/13 - here is a quick update on where God is leading…

Crossroads is at a Crossroads. We are a three fold ministry - Small Communities, First Sundays, and the Large Gathering. The strength and health of Crossroads lies in the strength and health of our Small Communities - their leaders and members. As it stands now, the Large Gathering is intended to be the place where those leaders and members are further built up - but the reality is that the Gathering is not very effective at doing this. The Gathering is effective in creating a cool vibe and expression of corporate worship (which is good-and can be a good place to bring people), but by and large doesn’t effectively foster authentic relationships - and these relationships, I believe, are the key to really encouraging and equipping our leaders and groups to love Jesus more and change the world.

The leadership of Crossroads believes that God is leading us in this season to put the Large Gathering as it exists now on the bench. This will allow more time, focus, and energy to be expounded on our ministry leaders, which will have a greater impact on the communities they lead. Because the Gathering is not a church in itself, we feel comfortable asking everyone to participate either in the morning or at their home church for corporate worship.

So what does the young adult ministry look like now? Well, starting in October…First Sundays & Small Communities. There will however continue to be a corporate gathering of the Small Communities coming together on the last Sunday of the month. This gathering will be an expression of worship of the Small Communities coming together. Here is a recap…

First Sunday — a sweet time to bless our city –every First Sunday of the month…

3rd Sunday — Community Leaders Huddle (for Leaders and potential leaders)

Last Sunday — Worship Gathering with Communities

I realize that you might have questions or concerns with a change like this. And that is good. Post them up, and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

Now is a great time to commit to being part of a Community - it is going to be a great ride for everyone who is up for the adventure!

First Sunday Stories

Posted by Pat Linnell on May 18, 2009
Filed under: First Sundays

first-sunday-picture

We are fast approaching our 8th month serving the Clay Street community by serving and sharing a meal with them. As we continue to build relationships with folks downtown God will increasingly open our eyes to more and more of what He is up to in peoples lives. As we step out to bless people out of a grateful heart because of God’s great love for us, we get to be caught up in the adventure of pointing people to the point of life, to Jesus. These are the stories worth telling.

Your stories are worth telling. Not only will you inspire others to bless people, you also invite more of the community in to pray for you and the people you are meeting.

This is a call for all who have been sharing the experience of blessing others at First Sundays on Clay Street. Tell us about your First Sundays experience, and hear back from others about theirs. Whether you have been visiting new friends, having deep conversations, or just feeling downright awkward eating dinner with someone you have just met…bring it. Just be honest. These stories do not need to be clever, well written, or cute. Just share. Ok. Go.

Here is how: write up your story and email it to lauren_shirlen@bayareacc.org and we’ll post it right away.

Loving: A lost art?

Posted by Pat Linnell on Mar 30, 2009
Filed under: General, Life

So I just had some friends have a great thing happen to them. People who by all the world’s standards are greatly deserving of a break just got one. A sweet break. A radical blessing. An out of the blue surprise that was unexpected and rich in its reward.

And I am jealous. Bummer.

I’m bummed for two reasons. One is in my jealous anger and the other is at my jealous anger.

In my jealously, I feel like I got overlooked. I feel gypped. I feel more deserving of the gift. I’m not thinking of my friends at all really, just me. I can rationalize why I was a better candidate for the break. I still am holding on to hope that somehow, this windfall will still be redirected towards me, if I work it.

At my jealousy, I feel dirty and mad that I cannot genuinely be happy for someone else, without thinking of myself first. I suck at loving people. I love myself too much. If loving people is an art, I am making a mess.

We (as followers of Jesus) have a high and hard calling to make disciples. I’m becoming more and more convinced that the driving agent in this process is the very thing I struggle with. Love. The people of God, we followers of Jesus, must major on love if we are to make disciples. Pointing people to Jesus is not a mechanical process that requires the right plan, rather it is a relational process of actually giving a damn about other people, and in this love, the truth will come to bear, it must.

Obviously, Jesus rolled this way. He looked out upon the crowds and had compassion. God the Father sent the Son to the world because he loves the world. Love. Love. Love. Jesus calls out sin - in love. Jesus paid for sin - in love. God is at work in the world today on a love mission to redeem it.

Our effectiveness in making a difference in this generation for the sake of Jesus will rise or fall on our ability to advance the agendas of others, not our own. This is our great challenge: can we love others more than we love ourselves?

At this point in my day, I cannot do this. But I’m asking God to make up my shortfall and steer me back on the right track.

Check out 1 Corinthians 13.

Some Romans background

Posted by Pat Linnell on Mar 23, 2009
Filed under: Bible Study

If you are going to be tracking along with us for the next few months as we study Paul’s letter to the Romans here are some things to keep in mind…

Paul has three interlocking geographic features on his mind as he writes this letter. The first is Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem is hurting, they need assistance, they need the basics. Paul, as he has been off on his missionary journeys, has been collecting money from other churches to give as a gift to the saints in Jerusalem. Before he sets off for Rome, he will deliver this gift. Something to glean from this activity is that reality that the last time Paul was in Jerusalem, he was almost killed by his old Pharisee pals thinking him a traitor (Acts 21ff). This is a commendable act of Christian love, bringing aid despite danger and the past relational tensions between Paul and the church in Jerusalem.

The second geographic factor is Spain. Paul has his sights set on taking new ground for the Gospel. He is planning on embarking on a new mission to Spain. And the third factor is Rome. Spain and Rome are connected as Paul seeks to garner prayer, financial, and personnel support from the church in Rome, which would act as a new base of operations for his mission to Spain. Paul also seeks to reap a harvest in Rome alongside of the church there. Keep in mind also, that the church in Rome at this point is a decentralized network of small churches that meet in homes and marketplaces.

With those geographic factors in mind, we can also draw out four purposes of why Paul writes this letter to the Romans. The first purpose: missionary. Paul is introducing himself to a church he has never been to before. He need to raise support for his mission to Spain. The second purpose: doctrinal/theological. Paul is writing after 11 years of missionary work and has the ability now to reflect back on the Gospel in a very rich way. This letter unpacks the heart of Paul’s message in a mature and expositional way. The third purpose: apologetic. Throughout his years in ministry, Paul was hounded by people who labeled him, “anti-law.” These were mainly people known as Judiazers, who basically purport that to be a true Christian, you need to become a full fledged Jew first. In this letter, we see Paul address the Gospel in relation to the law, and his understanding of how the law (of Moses) fits into the picture under a new covenant. Finally, the fourth purpose: pastoral. Although Paul has never been to this church, he is aware of relational tensions that were arising. He address these occasional issues, particularly addressing Jew/Gentile relations and matters of being strong and weak in the faith.

It is good to keep these broad contextual matters in mind as we seek to understand Paul’s intended meaning to his audience in Rome, which will better help us apply and live out those truths in our lives today.