Archive for the 'This Week at Cross Church' Category
This Week at Cross Church: The Next Three Sundays at Cross Church
The next three Sundays are so important, I want to discuss them with you today. I am very enthusiastic about what will happen over these next three Sundays. They affect every segment of our Cross Church Family.
August 18: Cross Church School of Ministry
This coming Sunday, we will introduce our first class of the Cross Church School of Ministry. We announced this vision in January, stating we had absolutely no students. I asked you to pray for God to draw men and women here for a one-year ministry residency, preparing them for life, ministry, and gospel advancement globally.
You cannot miss Sunday. Vision will come alive before your eyes! It will be powerful. Please get your arms and heart around this: God has brought our first class of students from all over America. Cross Church will help prepare them to launch into ministry. As a resident minister here, Dr. Jeff Crawford, our President of the school, will lead and pour his life into these leaders. They will be in a classroom for a few hours each Monday, but the rest of that day and six other days in the week, they will be working and leading in ministry. For more information, go to www.crosschurchschool.com. Do not miss Sunday.
August 25: Back to School Sunday and Fall Kick Off
On August 25, we will begin our new church year. This is THE Sunday each of us needs to reengage at Cross Church. What should you consider?
- Engage in one of our worship services weekly
- Engage in one of our small groups weekly
- Engage in serving Christ through His church
- Engage in praying daily
- Engage in giving regularly
Small group leaders: Go after three groups of people for August 25. First, go after our regular attenders who have disconnected some, and work hard to get them here. Second, invite people who are not connected to Christ, people who are lost in sin and need Jesus as Lord. Third, go after Christians who are disconnected from a local church anywhere in Northwest Arkansas.
Let’s make August 25 a great glory to God. Engage people into the life of Jesus Christ and in the life of Cross Church.
September 1: New Ministry Unveiled and Bible Studies for Life Begins
On September 1, I am excited to share what God is leading us to do here at Cross Church. We believe it will be one of the most powerful things we have done in years. Do not miss it. Invite people to join you.
Bible Studies for Life will be our curriculum series throughout our entire ministry from Preschool through Senior Adults. Nationwide, over 150,000 small groups will study this series for three years with at least 1.5 million people participating weekly. I guarantee you, it will be splendid. You will discover Where the Bible Meets Life.
Summer Program of Giving
We have three more Sundays in our Summer Program of Giving. This funds our ministries here and around the world. We need you to be faithful. Think about it this way:
- Insure you have given a tenth of all God has given you throughout the entire summer. If not, make it right over the next three Sundays.
- If you have been disconnected this summer, insure you review where you are in your giving and catch up over the next three Sundays.
- Begin to give technologically. You can find out how to do that right here.
Thanks for your faithfulness in giving. You have helped make it a strong summer for the gospel and His church. Let’s finish the summer strong financially.
See You Sunday!
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Enlisting, Equipping, and Empowering
Churches all over America are preparing to launch into a new and promising year. In church life, we think of these seasons relating to the school year. Since school is about to kick off, for example, our Cross Church Family launches into our new year on Sunday, August 25. By then, summer is almost over, school has started, and we will have an opportunity to establish a somewhat regular flow for a few Sundays.
Our staff team and church leaders treat this time of year like a football team that is nearing the kick-off to a new season. Hope and vision are bigger than life, and we are preparing spiritually to see God move miraculously! While we pray towards this massive launch day, here’s what we are doing right now.
We are Enlisting People
We need people to come alongside us in ministry. For example, at our Pinnacle Hills Campus, it is our goal to enlist 100 new volunteers on August 18. We need this kind of volunteering to be robust on each campus!
We can do no more ministry than the volunteers we have involved in the ministry. Biblically, regardless of our age, each of us have spiritual gifts, and we need to be involved in a functional way in the ministry life of Cross Church. This may involve one hour a week, one hour a month, or a seasonal ministry; but we need volunteers now.
Will you, right now, enlist to be a volunteer on your campus? Don’t let fear rule you or ruin you. God is there to hold you by the hand as you step in the waters of ministry.
We are Equipping People
Each of our campuses has planned a time to equip all of our volunteers to do the ministry of the Lord through our church. We are equipping you so you will be prepared for the challenges and joys that await you. You can do it!
I will have the privilege to be a part of this equipping time for servant-leaders and volunteers at each of our campuses. Below are the dates and times for the equipping sessions at each campus:
- Springdale: Sunday, August 11, 5:30-7:00pm in the Fellowship Gym
- Pinnacle Hills: Sunday, August 25, 5-7pm in the Gatheria
- Fayetteville: Wednesday, August 21, 6-8pm in the Worship Center
- College Avenue: Sunday, August 11, 12:00pm in the Worship Center
I cannot wait to see what God will do through each of you as you become equipped to do the ministry you have volunteered to do.
We are Empowering People
Once we have enlisted new volunteers, we equip all volunteers at the same time for each ministry, and then we will empower people to do what they believe God has called them to do. We cannot do all God intends for us to do without your involvement, your willingness to be equipped, and your availability for God to step in and empower you mightily for His glory.
The kind of empowerment I want our people to experience is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We need to have the touch of God upon us.
This is Why
This is why I will soon be introducing our newly formulated prayer ministry. I believe you will like it because it is pliable for you and your schedule. Therefore, do not miss the first Sunday in September. On this Sunday morning, we will discuss the gateway to God’s power…prayer!
Acts 16
Before you come to worship on Sunday, read all of Acts 16. When joined by prayer, this can become a mighty moment of preparation for hearing God speak to you. I will see you Sunday. Bring your Bible. Bring a friend. Tell the story!
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.