Page Two InRoads March 2016 March 2016 InRoads Page Three

What  Difference  Does  Easter  Make? By Rob Aubrey

         In  just  a  few  weeks,  members  of  Crossroads  Christian  Church  will  gather  together  to  celebrate  Easter.    As  we  gather,  so  will  churches  all  over  Tennessee,  the  United  States,  and  yes,  the  world!    There  will  be  all  sorts  of  Easter  celebrations  taking  place.    Why?    Is  that  Sunday  different  from  other  Sundays?    Well,  in  many  ways,  the  answer  to  that  is  “No”.      It  will  follow  Saturday  and  come  before  Monday,  just  as  it  always  does.  But  the  answer  is  also  “Yes,  it  is  different!”    You  see,  on  Easter  Sunday,  as  members  of  Crossroads  meet  together  for  worship,  others  will  join  us-­‐-­‐friends,  family,  former  members,  people  who  happen  to  live  close  in  proximity.    Perhaps  it  will  be  a  large  number  of  people  who  will  join  us  as  we  celebrate  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.              It  is  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  that  makes  Christianity  different.    It  is  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  that  makes  Christianity  unique.    It  is  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  that  makes  Christianity  perplexing.    No  other  religion  or  following  makes  a  claim  that  its  leader  died  and  came  back  to  life.    No  other  religion  claims  that  its  central  Oigure  resided  in  a  grave  for  three  days  only  to  overcome  death.    So,  if  the  resurrection  is  merely  an  incredible  story,  if  it  is  only  an  adventurous  tale,  if  it  is  nothing  more  than  a  chapter  in  a  great  book,  then  when  we  gather  to  celebrate  it  we  are  simply  fools.            However,  we  know  the  resurrection  to  be  true,  and  we  know  that  because  of  its  truth  we  have  a  hope  for  eternal  life  that  others  do  not  understand.    If  only  we  could  tell  them.    If  only  we  could  show  them.    The  exciting  news  is  that  we  can  tell  them,  and  we  can  show  them.    Research  tells  us  that  aside  from  the  Christmas  season,  this  is  the  time  of  year  when  people  are  most  open  to  matters  of  faith.    People  are  listening  and  people  are  watching.    What  they  see  and  hear  from  us  during  the  Easter  season  can  go  a  long  way  towards  their  taking  the  next  step  in  Oinding  out  about  Jesus.            So,  to  that  end,  we  are  getting  ready  for  Easter  because  Christ’s  resurrection  makes  all  of  the  difference  in  the  world!    We  are  getting  ready  for  people  to  listen  to  the  message  of  the  resurrection.    We  are  getting  ready  for  others  to  experience  the  power  in  worship  as  they  observe  us  doing  just  that.    As  members  of  His  church,  we  all  should  be  preparing  for  this  opportunity.      Here  are  some  very  practical  things  that  we  ask  you  to  do  in  anticipation  of  Easter  as  we  prepare  for  our  guests:

• Invite  friends  and  neighbors  to  meet  you  at  church  on  Easter  Sunday.• Come  to  the  early  service  (8:00)  and  plan  to  stay  during  the  remaining  

services  and  Oind  a  place  to  serve.    (*Note:    see  a  list  of  Easter  service  opportunities  below)

• Park  away  from  the  building  so  that  our  guests  have  no  trouble  Oinding  a  parking  place.

• Engage  yourself  in  the  worship  service,  allowing  the  message  of  the  resurrection  to  touch  your  heart  and  your  soul.

• Pray  for  someone—a  friend  or  a  family  member—pray  that  the  resurrection  message  will  penetrate  their  heart.    

How  can  I  serve  on  Easter?  ____    Parking  lot  attendant    (help  direct  trafOic  Olow  in  the  parking  lot)  ____    Greeter    (Smile  and  welcome  people  as  they  approach  our  doors)  ____    Usher    (Assist  in  helping  people  Oind  a  seat  in  the  auditorium)  ____    Guide    (Accompany  guests  to  the  auditorium  or  children’s  ministry                                    area)    

If  you  are  interested  in  serving  in  any  of  these  areas,  please  contact  the  church  ofOice  at  477-­‐2229  and  ask  for  Rob.

Crossroads Christian Church477-2229

www.crossroadsgray.org

Larry Albrecht, Adult Discipleship Minister483-5503

Clinton Andrews, Senior Minister791-1234

Amy Aubrey, Student Minister647-3425

Rob Aubrey, Campus Minister791-2719

Tempa Bader, Music Minister676-5870

Curtis Booher, Associate Minister543-7989

Kit Dotson, Student Minister791-5779

Nathan Hall, Worship Minister782-9633

Katy Woodward, Children’s Minister502-4183

Robin Johnson, Secretary477-2229

SUNDAY STATISTICS

January 31, 2016Morning Worship 589General Offering $21,707.23Debt Reduction $150.00

February 7, 2016Morning Worship 614General Offering $17,233.67Debt Reduction $430.00

February 14, 2016Morning Worship 567General Offering $16,235.58Debt Reduction $304.00

February 21, 2016Morning Worship 604General Offering $16,150.97 Debt Reduction $135.00

Please note: The 2016 General Fund budget requires an average weekly offering of $18,510.00.

General offering 2016 YTD weekly average is $17,816.30.

For more information or to register your child for this special event, contact our children’s minister, Katy Woodward, at katy@crossroadsgray.org or 423-477-2229.

                                                                                               Come  Early  and  Park  Away  

As  Easter  approaches,  we  are  already  preparing  for  the  large  number                            of  guests  that  are  going  to  walk  through  our  doors  for  the  first  time  on                           March  27@A.    Getting  people  connected  is  essential  to  our  mission  and  

vision  here  at  Crossroads  and  the  last  thing  we  want  to  happen  is  for  someone  to  be  turned  away  because  they  can’t  get  in  and  connected  to  our  environment.  One  of  the  things  you  can  do  to  be  a  servant  on  Easter  morning  is  COME  EARLY  AND  PARK  AWAY.  We  are  offering  

services  at  8am,  9:30,  and  10:55,  with  the  10:55  being  the  busiest  for  new  folks.  Coming  early  simply  means  coming  to  either  the  8am  or  9:30am  services  to  allow  extra  seats  in  the  later  service.  Parking  away  is  important  as  well  because  it  allows  our  guests  the  opportunity  to  walk  straight  in  and  allows  them  to  feel  comfortable.  Easter  is  an  opportunity  to  get  people  connected  with  a  REAL  and  LIVING  Savior,  Jesus,  and  this  is  one  way  we  join  in  with  that  effort.  

“Swap ’Til You Drop!”(a clothing and accessory exchange)

Friday, April 8, 20166:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Bring your gently used, but still in-style, clothing and accessories (shoes, purses,

belts, scarves, etc.) and receive tickets that will enable you to pick out an equal amount of “new” items to freshen up your wardrobe.

More information coming soon.

Easter Lilies in honor or in memory of loved ones can be purchased at the

Information Center in the Lobby March 6 through March 20. The cost is $10.00 each.

Good Friday Service

Join us on Friday, March 25th at 7:00pm for our Good Friday Service. This is an annual worship gathering where we come together to focus on the events leading up to Easter morning. It is a time where we place emphasis on the magnitude of the entire Easter Weekend. This is a great way to refocus your mind and heart for the Easter Weekend.  

REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR ON

SATURDAY NIGHT, MARCH 12.

1300 Suncrest Drive Gray, TN 37615

Contact us by telephone at:423-477-2229

Visit us on the web at:www.crossroadsgray.org

CROSSROADS STUDENT MINISTRY

March 9th-We will be having a pot luck dinner together as a student ministry. It will be a time of fellowship and also an introduction to our next series on Wednesday nights. We will have more details in the next couple of weeks as this time approaches.

March 30th-We will be having our second hands and

feet night of the semester! We're looking forward to an opportunity to serve the community.

No small groups on Easter, March 27th.

Easter Sunday Serving Opportunities:As a student ministry we will have many opportunities to serve on

Easter Sunday. We see these opportunities as discipleship and are excited to be a part of such a big day at our church.

We will need people to help set up and serve breakfast that we will be providing along with the elders starting at 7:30 and throughout services. We will start set up at 7:30 or so, which I know is early, but this will be a way to reach out to our guests and also to members of the church.

We will also need volunteers to be greeters and friendly faces throughout all three services. We want everyone to feel welcome, and we will have many visitors on this day. 

We are really looking forward to Easter and how we can serve alongside the church to make it a great day!

April 16-Teen Choir Program Dress RehearsalApril 17-Teen Choir Program

March 2016

         Easter  is  a  season  filled  with  opportuni2es  to  share  the  good  news  of  Jesus  Christ.    It’s  a  season  where  people  who  otherwise  may  have  dri=ed  away  from  church  come  home  because  they  need  hope  or  par2cipate  in  services  with  their  family.    Those  guests  are  important  to  us  and  we  want  to  do  all  we  can  to  open  our  church  doors  to  our  community.        Our  EGGstravaganza  is  scheduled  for  Saturday,  March          

   19,  at  11  a.m.    This  is  a  great  outreach  event  for  families,  and  it  is  designed  for  kids  1      year  -­‐  4th  Grade.    We  will  be  preparing  thousands  of  candy  filled  eggs,  and  we  need      your  help!

Here’s  how  to  get  involved:          1.    Bring  bags  of  individually  wrapped  candy  or  filled  Easter  eggs  by  Wednesday,                        March    16.          2.    Help  us  stuff  eggs  on  Wednesday,  March  16  at  6:30  p.m.          3.    Volunteer  during  the  event.    We  need  greeters,  people  to  help  hide  eggs,  and                      photographers.          4.    EGG  YOUR  NEIGHBOR.    Yes,  you  read  that  right.    On  Sunday,  March  13,  we  will                                  have  small  Easter  baskets  with  invita2ons  to  our  event  available  for  you  to  take                      for  free.    We  encourage  you  to  fill  up  addi2onal  Easter  eggs,  create  an  egg  hunt  for                      your  neighbors  with  kids,  and  give  them  the  basket  with  the  invita2on.

Our  opening  program  will  include  a  telling  of  the  Easter  story  and  we  want  to  share  that  message  of  good  news  with  our  community  and  have  fun  together  just  because  we  love  them.    If  you  have  ques2ons  or  want  to  help  with  the  event  contact  our  children’s  minister,  Katy  Woodward,  at  katy@crossroadsgray.org  or  423-­‐477-­‐2229.

Join our parent group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crossroadskidsgray/

CM  2015-­‐2016  Calendar  March  4  -­‐  Elementary  Wise  Guy  Party  #3,  6:30-­‐8:30pm  (10  Points  must  be  earned  by  February  21)  

May  6  -­‐  Parents’  Night  Out

May  27  -­‐  Elementary  Wise  Guy  Party  #4,  6:30-­‐8:30pm  (10  Points  must  be  earned  by  May  15)

 

March 2016

Early Childhood (2’s-5”s) Elementary (K-6th)

Who can you follow? HOPE - believing that somethingI can follow JESUS. good can come out of something bad.

“‘Come, and follow me,’ Jesus said.” “In this world you will have trouble. But beMatthew 4:19 encouraged! I have won the battle over the

world.” John 16:33March 6 [LUKE 2:41-50, MATTHEW 5, 22:34-39] Lazarus Raised to Life [John 11:1-45]

Jesus uses great wisdom to teach us what BOTTOM LINE: Whatever happens, remember God wants us to know. how powerful God is.

March 13 [THE GOSPELS] Jesus tells the Jesus Encourages the Disciples [JOHN 14-16] disciples to follow Him. BOTTOM LINE: Whatever happens, remember what Jesus promised.

March 20 [JOHN 8:2-11] People spread coats The Crucifixion [JOHN 18-19] and palm branches on the road and BOTTOM LINE: Whatever happens, remember shout praises as Jesus enters God is still at work. Jerusalem.

March 27 [MATTHEW 26:20-30, 27:1-2, 28:1-7] The Resurrection & Easter [JOHN 20:1-18] Jesus eats with His friends one last time BOTTOM LINE: Whatever happens, remember before being arrested and hurt so bad God loves you. that He dies. After three days, Jesus comes back, just like He promised!

DECISIONS

Baptism

January 31, 2016 - Desmond Butler

February 7, 2016 - Fischer Dean

Rededication

February 7, 2016 - J. T. Thrailkill