Community Builders Follow-Up

The following is printed in today's bulletin at Crossroads -

COMMUNITY BUILDERS follow-up

Throughout October we shared some new experiences as a church as we were led in the “Community Builders” program.  We shared in small groups, testimonies, and and had the opportunity to say what we’d like to see more of as we gather on Sundays and as we connect with one another.

As we’ve started to consider what we experienced, it seems that there is “an overriding desire to have more vulnerability, more intimacy, more freedom of expression, more prayer time.”

From what was shared last week we find that we appreciate the chance to be together over a meal (potlucks) and to invite others to share in that too. We appreciate hearing testimonies and most of us want to become more confident in sharing what God has done in our lives.

Following what we learned, experienced and shared last month, this week we will (1) continue the opportunity for extended praise and worship beginning at 10:00, (2) share more scripture, (3) consider how to best have opportunity for individual prayer either during or after worship, (4) have a message time that leads toward individual and corporate action.

As a community we can continue to grow in building a community of faith that honors God, knows and understands each other, finds unity in heart and spirit and mind, and comes to a greater awareness of who God is, what Jesus has done in each of us, and what he still wants to do.

As one of the Igniter Ministry staff said last week: …The most important factor in building community is you -- taking responsibility for it individually and corporately. Ultimately, he said, you’re going to get out of community what you put into it. If [for example] you’ve wanted more prayer at church, chances are there are a lot of other people who have thought that, and that might be a call from God telling you to go pray for people. If you wish you knew people more, there are probably other people like that. Take that initiative in yourself. Take ownership in this community and say “I’m going to ask this person out to coffee” and “invite this family over to my house for a meal” and you start practically engaging with one other, purposefully, individually taking responsibility for how you want to navigate doing “us” well.

Taking responsibility for our Crossroads Community, we will honor the Word of God. Jesus said: All people will know you are my disciples if you have love for one another (John 13:35), love that will be practical and real as we follow him. 

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