Avoiding a Horrific Car Crash!

Undoubtedly some of you have never heard of Simon and Garfunkel...which is okay...I’m still trying to figure out Lady Gaga. One of their songs goes like this, “Slow down, you move to fast. You got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobble stones. Looking for fun and feeling groovy...” (Bet you haven’t seen that word in a while)!

I imagine many of us would feel pretty “groovy” if we would simply slow down. However, slowing down isn’t all that simple, is it? This past weekend, we kicked off a new series at The Crossing titled “This Christmas...”. The challenge was clear: This Christmas...Slow Down!

Slowing down takes thought and effort...our natural reflex is to speed up! We’ve been conditioned over the past years to hurry. Yet many took seriously the “personal training exercises” for practicing the discipline of “slowing.”

One person applied this past weekend’s message and on day one, they drove in the slow lane. Remember, this past Monday, it was raining. As a result of driving in the slow lane, they avoided a very serious car accident.

Here’s a sampling of some “slow down” exercises; give them a try:

• Day One: Drive in the slow lane, exclusively
• Day Two: Drive the speed limit on every road, street, and freeway
• Day Three: Eat food slowly by chewing each bite 15 times before the next bite begins
• Day Four: No multi-tasking, only do one thing at a time
• Day Five: Silence, no outside audio stimulus of radios, ipods, tv, etc.
• Day Six: Let two people go in front of you in line at a coffee shop or store
• Day Seven: No pushing the “close door” button on an elevator

Look forward to seeing you this weekend for message number two in our series," This Christmas...",

Tim Celek

Lead Pastor

The Crossing

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This Christmas...

O come all ye faithful. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Hark the Herald Angels Sing Joy to the World. Do you Hear what I hear? The music of Christmas is something that lives in our hearts all year long. The messages of peace, simplicity and joy remind us that we can be better, that our world can be better.

Join us for in the second week of the three week series as we reimind ourselves about the true message of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS SERVICE TIMES:
Tuesday, December 22: 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 23: 6:30, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 24: 3:00, 3:30, 4:30, 5:00 p.m.
*Elementary, Jr. and Sr. High School students will join their parents in the services.
*Nursery and preschool children's programming will be available at all the Christmas services.

Invite your friends and family to join you at one of the Christmas services.

Online invite: click here

Praying for our Partners

When I talk with our partners, they always emphasize prayer! In the underdeveloped world they know the power of prayer, many times it is their only option and they have learned it is the Best Option.

When they pray they pray with more faith than we in our world of plenty can only hope to muster up. They have seen God answer their prayers in miraculous ways. So they always ask me are we praying for them? Will we pray for them?

Please join me and our Impact Teams for each country in praying for our Partners.

This week please focus your prayer on India! I spoke with our partner this morning and he shared that we really need to pray for one of the boys in the orphanage named Andrew, who had to be rushed to the local hospital (which let me tell you is pretty simple) and that he is fighting for his life due to pneumonia.

The other children in the orphanage the ministry students in training and the community would all see God’s glory should he pull through, please join us in prayer.

Also for Christmas Albert and his family invite the community in for a “love feast” please pray that those who come, many of whom will be Hindu, will come to know the God of love who sent His son that first Christmas.

Pray also for the completion of Phase one of the ServLife Center, it should be done by March, so they can move onto their own land and begin to expand their ministry in the community. And finally please pray for the 13 church planters Albert, our partner is training, that God would help them learn all they need to be effective at planting new churches in places where there is no knowledge of God’s love.

Thanks for joining in the support of our partners, it means the world to them and does more than any of us really understand!

In His Strength,

Ian Stevenson
Pastor of GO Ministries

Thinking about giving up diet soda BUT...

Those who know me well know that I MUST have DIET Cola. You’ll notice I didn’t use the words Coke or Pepsi, cause when I’m “jonesing” for a diet cola, I’ll even go for the Super Chill (Albertsons brand). The Brand doesn’t matter! It’s whatever is cheapest at the time. In fact, I don’t like the caffeinated variety...to which some of you are probably saying right about now, “Why drink it then?”

Which is a GREAT question, one that I’ve been pondering the past few days. “Why drink it then?”

So you understand the kind of issue this is, I don’t just drink 1 can a day, try like 12 to 24 cans a day. Oh, before we go any further, DO NOT send me that stupid internet stuff about the dangers of “Equal” or “Splenda” or “saccharin”, nor the fabricated and photo-shopped pictures of nails that have been eaten by the chemicals in diet soda. All urban myths, I’m sure.

Anyway, I wanted you to know, I’m thinking seriously about giving up Diet Cola...I’m not sure I can, but I’ve got some reasons why I AM at least thinking about it. I may give it up before then, but in the New Year I’ll tell you a bit more why I’m thinking this way...but for now, I think it’s important to talk about Christmas.

We start a BRAND NEW series THIS WEEKEND at The Crossing. The series is simply titled, “This Christmas...” Make sure you are there this weekend. I know THIS weekend is for you! So do not miss out, in fact invite someone to join you.

Christmas is the time of the year where, if asked, people will generally say yes to attending a church. And I know this weekend will hit home no matter the person you invite! So go for it!

Thanks for reading...can’t wait to see you this weekend at The Crossing,

Tim Celek
Lead Pastor
The Crossing
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P. S. If you are newer to The Crossing and you want to meet me and learn a bit more about the church, join me Sunday afternoon, December 13, from 4 - 7 p.m. on the campus of The Crossing for Starting Point. You can sign up by following this link.

Praying for our Partners

Our Partner Church in Uganda is involved in making a real difference in their community! They covet our prayers as they continue looking for ways to bring more hope and healing to Rukingiri. Please pray for Edward Muhima his wife Vasta, their children Gideon, Sara, who are looking for work and Peter & Mark who are finishing up their education. Below are some of the things they are giving thanks for and would love for us to join with them in praying for. Let’s really partner with them by bringing these things before the Lord.

· Medical Centre
o Give thanks and praise
§ For the safe arrival of a container of surgical and other medical equipment .
§ For the new Clinical Officer who is a man of great integrity and who knows the profession well
§ The Health Centre Committee who are men and women of great vision for the Centre and who willingly give of themselves to see the Centre improve and upgrade
§ For the Committee Chairperson who works within the District Health Department.
o Pray for
§ The provision of a Surgical Ward. Some money has be promised, but more needs to come to be able to build the Surgical Ward
§ A new Administrator who has knowledge of the health system, and who will be responsible for ensuring that the Centre runs well and to see the upgrade come to fruition . Pray that the person will be a self starter and will be creative in thinking through concepts and in making proposals
§ For the Medical Centre to achieve the status appropriate to becoming a small rural Hospital. The application process must begin on December 7th 2009. There needs to be an Architectural drawing of what is proposed, for this meeting

· NOKIDES [North Kigezi Diocese Empowerment Scheme]
o Give thanks and praise
§ That this programme is an expression of love which empowers the recipients to generate an income, and improve their standard of living.
§ Pray that the personnel will grow spiritually as they see the practical love of God.
o Pray for
§ More personnel to assist in administering the growing scheme and ensuring that all groups are visited regularly to encourage them in their businesses, and to carry out ongoing training
· Mosaic Vision - This programme cares for total orphans with child headed households
o Give thanks and praise
§ For the transformation of the lives of the children and young people, as they receive care in relation to school fees, clothes, housing, health care and food
o Pray for
§ The Diocese to be able to pay for more children, as the need is huge and many have to be turned away. This breaks Edward’s heart as he has to say No he cannot help.
· WATSAN [Water and Sanitation]
o Give thanks and praise
§ For this ongoing programme of bringing water closer to the people.
§ For the “Friends of North Kigezi” UK who have provided water tanks for a community of 1000 people.
o Pray for
§ The work to be able to continue as there is a desire to have access to gravity fed water.
· Children with Disabilities programme - This programme deals with children with disabilities, deformities and mental disabilities. Some are given operations, and some receive Occupational Therapy. The programme also trains and assists families to care for the children
o Pray for
§ Those who are helping the families cope with the disabled family member
§ Those who are educating the communities that disability is not inability, nor a reason to reject the person or their families.

Thanks for supporting our partners with your prayers, it’s awesome to see how God is working in and through our partners throughout the world.

In His Strength,

Ian Stevenson

A Special Thanks from Superintendent...

In a letter from Jeffrey C. Hubbard, Ed. D, Newport-Mesa Unified School District Superintendent...

Dear Pastor Celek:

Thank you for your work in organizing the efforts of volunteers with The Crossing Church for various projects related to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Over the past year, volunteers from The Crossing Church have made a significant positive impact on our schools. Last Spring, volunteers from The Crossing Church donated their time, energy and talents to beautify Estancia High School and Costa Mesa High School. At our Leadership Retreat this past August, volunteers served a pancake breakfast to all in attendance. In fact there was not enough work for all the volunteers, so some volunteers were seen walking the campus and picking up trash. Their desire to be of service to others was evident.

Earlier this month, volunteers from The Crossing Church coordinated school beautification events at four of our elementary schools. I've received messages from staff members that they were impressed with the efforts of the volunteers and thankful for their service. During this period of financial austerity in California and the nation, public schools are challenged with doing more with less. Volunteerism in the public schools is needed now more than ever. The Crossing Church has proven to be an organization that values our local public schools and shows their support through organizing these many valuable volunteer projects.

Thank you for your efforts in harnessing the power of volunteerism in our community and choosing to help our schools.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey C. Hubbard, Ed.D
Superintendent