Each year we could highlight many ways God is on the move, in and through Cross Creek Church. I hope you take a few minutes to hear from Laura Dougherty below, about just one area of the Lord’s work in our midst for 2023. As we ask each household to pray and prepare to present by Nov 12 a “First Fruits” Planned Giving Card for 2024 and our church takes a step of faith to expand our ministries we hope this will encourage all with the fruit from our kingdom investment.
YOUTH
When some of our longstanding youth staff relocated in 2022, we asked the Lord to provide for and even strengthen our reach to the next generation. Our leaders had implemented a “Sustainable Ministry Model” back in 2020 but we still expected our Middle School group might decline and some of our rising High Schoolers would drift away, as is typical. By God’s grace, the opposite happened and both our Middle and High School groups have grown, with 2/3 of the latter being young people who attend without family involvement at our church. Your decision of faith to offer “first fruits” supports the staff God is using to shape young lives for Christ
Video Transcript: Laura
When I stepped into middle school ministry at Cross Creek, I wasn’t sure what to expect, because I’ve never taught that age before. But I’ve been so encouraged by how much the Lord is at work among those students in those times Wednesday night and Sunday morning.
On Wednesday nights, we challenged the students to give us questions that they had about the faith and about the Bible. And they really stepped up to the plate and asked good questions like, How do I know that I can trust that God’s word is truly God’s word? And how do I know that we have the right books of the Bible? Another question was, how do I know that God forgives me even if I don’t forgive myself? Those are things that we were discussing with them and they’re engaging, and they’re sharing things that they’re hearing from their friends at school, and it’s been so encouraging.
On Sunday mornings, we’ve been going through Exodus and the students are relating to the struggles that the Israelites face. They’re talking about struggles they have at school and with teachers and sports and different things. And it’s so cool to see them apply with God’s word to their own hearts and to actively engage in that discussion with one another. One student this last Sunday, when when he heard about how God sent Moses to strike the mountain of God to send forth water for the Israelites, he said that so beautiful. It’s just like Christ received the strike from God for our sins, so that we might receive that living water, that salvation from him. So be encouraged that God is really at work in the middle school ministry at Cross Creek Church.
