Tuesday, January 29

Coffee Chat

This past Sunday night we held something called, "Coffee Chat with Pastor Tim". It was an opportunity for us to sit in an informal setting, talk about what our church has meant to us over the years, and share where we feel God is leading us in the future. There was an excellent crowd present to enjoy Second Cup coffee, goodies, and the fellowship.

Here are the highlights:

- A 1/2 hour of testimonies! We may not ask for them again for 100 years, but I must say it was good to speak outloud of how God has blessed us.
- The Mission: People of all ages and all backgrounds becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
- The Vision: 1. The Weekend Worship Experience - we believe that our weekend service is our main portal of opportunity to see new people come to a relationship with Jesus Christ. We pour a lot of our resources into making those moments the best moments of our week. It is also one of our top avenues of discipleship. 2. Kids and Teens - we believe that we must invest in reaching our future for Christ. We will staff and budget accordingly. We can't afford to miss a generation. Families will come to know Christ as a result of our ministry to their kids. 3. Getting people connected. No one gets 'pewmonia'. No pew potatoes. Even though we don't have pews! We aren't saved to sit, we're saved to serve and be a part of community. Small groups, ministry involvement, missions, etc, all serve to help us get people connected into the body. A place where everyone belongs.
- We're expecting March, April and May to be as full as Oct-Dec. This means that we are launching 2-services beginning Palm Sunday, March 16th. We'll run the two services at least till May and maybe longer.
- The board has voted unanimously to change our name from "Olivet Wesleyan" to "Crosspoint Wesleyan Church". -Pointing people to the Cross; For whatever point you are at in life; There is a point... This is a significant change that we believe is necessary as we enter a new era of ministry in all of our surrounding communities.
- Outreach - We discussed practical ways that we can show God's love without expecting anything in return. I mentioned a few things that we are already involved with and a new email database called "meetaneedmail" that will help us to respond to the needs around us very quickly. I also dropped a theme for the outreach ministry of our church. We'll have a website designed around givearip.ca We want everyone to know that there is a group of people in Fredericton who 'give a rip' about the needs around us.

I can't say enough about how I appreciate the cooperation and shared-vision of the congregation. It's obvious that we are together in this, wanting to see our church reach its full redemptive potential. Let's continue to pray for one another as we move forward!

Pastor Tim

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