December 27

Come, all you who are thirsty,

    come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

    come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

    without money and without cost. Isaiah 55:1

With 11 services in the last 7 days we have witnessed  a lot of thirsty people coming to find life! What a privilege to be a part of God's great redemptive work. Thank you for being a part of it (and everyone receiving this email was a part of it).

Here are a few stories I have heard from the past week. PLEASE share yours below!

Our first Christmas Eve service in Hampstead was a great success. We had 231 people at 3 o'clock in the afternoon- and lots of new faces. It is fun to imagine having next years Christmas Eve services in our own building in Hampstead.

The Choir was a big hit at all 5 services. Nick Wheatley shared that a friend of his came back to church for the first time in 10 years and ended up singing in the choir.

I heard more than a few stories of people who came feeling underdressed and uncomfortable but who left feeling like "ALL PEOPLE" meant them.

December 20

The people walking in darkness

    have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

    a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2

5 Days until Christmas!
And 5 Christmas Eve Services!!

5PM & 7PM Westminster 12/23

3PM Hampstead 12/24

5PM & 7PM Westminster 12/24

After months of preparation and prayers the celebration of the birth of Christ is here. I hope God will give you an opportunity to be a light to someone walking in darkness this week. 

In case you missed it we made the front page! Here's the Carroll County Times story on the flashmob from Friday night.  CCTIMES VIDEO

Share your stories below!

December 13

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you;

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5

Thank you to EVERYONE who made the Live Nativity such a huge success! I've heard some great stories already (I love the one about Kevin's Clydesdale sticking his head into the Lexus and then sneezing on the leather seats - and the driver!) i'm sure you have more spiritual stories to tell.  Please share your experiences with all of us in the comments section below. Then check back throughout the week to share in the testimony of God's Spirit at work.

Last week we ran a Facebook ad for the first time ever. The ad was announcing the opening of our Hampstead campus and was targeted to people who lived within a 3 mile radius of NCHS. It was really well received and as of tonight over 150 people have clicked on the ad to visit our website or our Facebook page. This week we are going to run another ad highlighting our Christmas Eve service in Hampstead. you can multiply the effectiveness of our ad by clicking here https://www.facebook.com/events/1530389653940120/  and indicating you are going. 

With just over 2 weeks left in December we have the opportunity to lead by example for our congregation. I do not have any results from today but I at the end of last week we had 151 givers to the NEXT offering. Yay God! That number includes about half of our staff and leadership teams. For those of you who have given, THANK YOU! If you have not yet given would you consider participating this week? I'd love for us to lead by example - regardless of the amount - and have 100% of our staff and leadership participating. 

December 6

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

    to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace. Micah 5:4-5

So much happened before the shepherds stopped by...

And so much happens before every weekend service and every story of life change. I was reminded this morning of how many people serve in so many ways - even ways that most of us are unaware of - and how crucial every person is to the ministry of Crossroads. Thanks for playing your part!

Here are two stories of God moments...

After the Men of Standard presentation last month the Mayor of Union Bridge recognized the men from the recovery house walking through town and stopped them to share how encouraged he was at their story he heard at Crossroads.  He went on to ask them if they would sing at the Christmas tree lighting in Union Bridge! This is not the tree lighting but a shot of the men and Everett putting up their own tree in the house.

After receiving new members at the 11am service in Westminster we celebrated tonight with a dinner. It was so encouraging to hear their stories and enjoy fellowship with our new partners in ministry. 

PLEASE share your stories in the comments below.