Thursday, November 08, 2007

Big Thanks to God for His Awesome Courage...

these last many days. You all prayed and God worked in my heart and in our church!

After you all prayed, I was reminded that my doubts and fears are based on my view of human abilities and that the Lord is the One who keeps His promises!!!! This is going to make a Pentecostal out of me yet!

Sunday was a banner day for Crosspoint and the church in Smyrna.

We had a block party/Fall Festival at a nearby apartment complex and it was FABULOUS. Over 40 people from our church served and had a blast meeting residents and playing games. Sarah (and Anthony, but mostly Sarah) Brogan pulled together a motivated team. The result is that the management has given us an open door to ‘do whatever we want’ there – they will send letters, advertise in their monthly newsletter and offer the clubhouse. So we can offer Bible studies, kid’s programs, anything!
Wow! What an open door! Pray for laborers to enter that harvest field!

Also on Sunday a number of us peeled away from all the fun and joined together with about 100 other church folks from 9 or 10 churches and prayer walked throughout the city. Pastors Osbon, Auton, Greene, Goode and more brought out their prayer teams. It was AWESOME praying together in the Village Green before we left, in various parks, neighborhoods and apartment complexes! We heard that the people in the church of this city are hungry to see God MOVE!

So I think we are on the way to praying for revival, an outpouring of God’s Spirit in this city!
Make it so Lord Jesus!!
Graced
Jim

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Time for Birth


Time for Birth
Just to clarify, my wife is NOT pregnant.
But our baby church Emmanuel is being born this week in Powder Springs. Their grand opening series will be through October. So we are in a 40-day season of prayer and fasting for the ministry as we seek to expand. There are 3 other churches starting this fall in Atlanta in our network of new churches! God is on the move!

I’m starting to get the picture drilled into my brain that the only thing that sticks in ministry is what God does. And that prayer is the way to ask Him to make it stick. So pray for Pastor José Mateo and his family and Héctor and Cecilia Guzmán and the rest of the launch team at Emmanuel as the open the doors to the public! Pray for our new neighbor church Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church and Pastor Walter Henegar as they start out too. God IS on the move!

Pray for us as we pray too. Pray that we will be ‘diligent in prayer’ as we are commanded in Roman 13. Pray for all these exciting opportunities:
1. Pray for a special Sunday for Smyrna November 4th. We’re having Crosspoint’s Fall Festival at a neighboring apartment complex from 12-2 and then going on a Prayer Walk with 8-9 other churches in the city. It’s a big day for asking a big God to do big things for His glory!
2. Pray for us as we fast this season. Fasting for spiritual reasons is a new thing for many in our church. Ask the Lord to give us our daily bread in a new way.
3. On November 11th, we’ll have a special day of focused prayer for the Persecuted Church. Now that I actually have met some people who are in the persecuted church, my heart and mind are very focused on their cries for God!
4. Pray for all of us here to befriend people who aren’t believers. Help me pray for Christopher, David, Jerry and their wives. Three neighbors that I’m praying for opportunity to share Christ.

Monday, September 17, 2007

I'd Love to Say Crosspoint is Exploding

I’d love to say that Crosspoint is exploding with 100s accepting Christ every Sunday. But that isn’t true. The biggest unexpected growth in our church is in its pastor! And it’s happening in other pastors in Smyrna too. I think the growth and transformation must happen in us pastors before the Lord will loose His Spirit on the churches. Does that sound biblical?

There are 35 churches in Smyrna and for about a year now, 7-10 of the Sr. Pastors have gathered for 30-45 minutes on Mondays to pray together. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to last. It was a little weird at first. But something is going on.

God has knit our hearts together as we pray for each other and each other’s churches.

We have Methodist, Baptist, Assembly of God, independent Pentecostal and Presbyterian pastors praying for each other’s churches to grow. For the gospel of Christ to expand. For God to be made famous in our city. Every week we pray that God would so pour out His Spirit that every church is packed full three times over. Today one pastor prayed that we would all be desperate to preach the gospel! I want in on that!

And you know what? As we commiserate, we laugh and as we confess our sins, we hold each other up when we struggle and when our people struggle. We trust each other. And there is a very real love. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking God might be doing a work of revival in our city – and he is starting with us!

Praying Together November 4th
Would you pray for the Church of Smyrna to pray? The only thing we are doing is praying. We have called for a Prayer Walk after church on November 4th for our churches to answer the call to ‘Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into His harvest’

I long for the day when God pours out His Spirit in such power that men and women are coming to faith HOURLY! Oh God, be glorified! Be famous! We are so proud of YOU!

Would you pray for Richard, Shell, Steve, Jamie, Stuart, Fredrick, Joey and me? Pray for more pastors to pray with us.

I think God just might answer!
Graced
Jim

PS - God is growing this church and His kingdom all over the globe! As you can see from our last blog entry (http://www.crosspointsmyrna.blogspot.com) things are jumping at Crosspoint and in the Near East.
A daughter church in Powder Springs is getting started with public worship, ministries are expanding, we are developing leaders - our own Moon kids maturing. It is all a joy. But that isn’t all that God is doing! Keep praying!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Back from the Near East

I am back safe from the Middle East.
Still a bit jet lagged, but deeply and profoundly encouraged at the work that God is doing in the country we focused on.

I heard story after story after story that ‘everyone’ is sick of the religion there. They have had the law crammed down their throats and they are fed misinformation about Christ. So there are hundreds (maybe thousands) hearing the gospel through satellite programs, the underground church, radio, and even in the few legal churches still permitted. Any source you can imagine, God is using.

I met a taxi driver who hands out New Testaments and Jesus films whenever he senses an opening. People have dreams that point them to the Bible. It’s amazing. Really unbelievable to my modern American ears. One extended family passed around one NT and 14 converted to Christ. The hunger for the grace of the gospel is truly as a desert longs for water. Pray for God’s work in that country!!!

For security concerns, I can’t write much more on the internet. I’m making plans to return. I hope next time I see you that I can give a fuller picture.

Church Prayer:
- Our daughter church – Emmanuel – launches public worship in October! Pastor José reports great excitement about a new multicultural church in the Powder Springs/Paulding County area. They are using a phoning/invitation campaign that will lead up to their launch in a few weeks.
- Another new staff person has raised support to join us here as the music and mercy guy. Jim and Lisa move in this Saturday! Pray for the music team as they welcome a new servant leader.
- There seems to be a real openness right now as people are seeking to connect to smaller communities within Crosspoint. Pray for the group leaders and teachers who are cranking up for a year of ministry – both youth, adult and children! Pray especially for Dan and Drew as they facilitate getting groups up and running.
- Pray too for Julian Swann and all the volunteers as he leads our 13 week Habitat for Humanity house build! This is a great opportunity for you if you’d like to jump in for Saturday too.

Family Prayer:
- We are all well, but it’s a big year. Everyone is in school. Elizabeth starts her 2nd year teaching music part-time at Dominion, Jake is a senior and Erica is a sophomore, Elysia is in 7th grade. We are realizing (with some tears) that Jake is launching soon. He is a godly young man and we are excited for him, but we can’t believe he is so mature. Pray for us to savor our time this year amidst all the exciting action.
- We also opened our home for a semester to Ray Kim, a Korean exchange student at Dominion. He fits right in and we look forward to living and speaking the gospel in front of him these months. We’re having a room finished out in the basement for him, so pray for him as he lives in the rec room!

We are deeply grateful for your prayers. The protection and care God gives us through you is beyond words.
Graced
Jim

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

No Job No Car - No Car No Job

Will you pray for reliable cars and trucks for our folks who are working? Getting work and getting to work can be the razor’s edge of making it this month for many in our city and some of our members and attenders.

And will you pray for - or donate - a vehicle for a member of our church who has no wheels and is 100% dependent on public transportation. The ideal would be a small pick-up truck or sedan such as a Civic or Corolla valued at $1000 to $3000. It doesn't need to be the prettiest car in town; but it need to be reliable! We will set up an IDA (individual development account) for a ready candidate to earn the car with proceeds from their new job.

Why am I asking?
We are committed to providing both relief for the poor (food, clothes, emergency assistance) and development (job skills, financial training, etc.) so that we break the cycle of poverty.

One of the challenges of helping people out poverty is that relying on public transportation actually keeps them from getting a better job. Over and over one hears in the urban areas ‘I didn’t get the job’ and sometimes it’s not from lack of effort. It’s from an unjust bias with many companies against hiring people who depend on public transportation to get to work! So, you need a car before you can get better jobs! (Something I never thought about until I moved here!)

Anybody ready to donate such a vehicle to the church (it’s tax-deductible)? Know anyone who might? If you are, please call the church office 770.333.1775 or email my associate Anthony Brogan anthony@crosspointsmyrna.org.

Graced
Jim

PS – I am flying out tomorrow for a 10 day mission to meet persecuted former-M’s, who are now Christians. We are meeting in a neutral country for a week of teaching, worship and encouragement. Thanks to all of you who are praying and giving. Pray for me, S, Mark, Jeff and the folks traveling from the difficult zone. For safety and no hassles with their govt. and pray for persecuted Christians world-wide!!! There are so many!

www.crosspointsmyrna.org

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Trip to Armenia for Leadership Conference

The Trip in August

Thanks to all of you who are praying and supporting the trip to Armenia for the ILPC. I'm at peace with God's call to send me to help train former-Mus_ms from I__n and the funds are coming in!
Graced
Jim

Thursday, June 21, 2007

I've Been Hiding - Again.

Pressure!
I’ve been hiding my needs – again. I realized this morning that I’m living in ‘orphan mode’ instead of the love of an adopted son of God. I’m afraid like I’m a slave in Romans 8:14-15. Afraid I won’t do well leading the church, afraid that people will not come back or leave.
I keep hearing [lies] in my head, ‘Well things are good now, but you just never know what’s going to happen next.’ I really struggle when offerings are low and they have been the last two weeks. And I’m just weaker than I want to admit. So I hide my shame and pretend I’m fine.

Pray that I will trust deeply in the One who has this day - and what happens next - right in the palm of His hand.
Pray that I would see myself in the palm of His hand. Not that He’s going to squeeze me or hurt me, but that He’s my Father who loves me!

Further Prayers and Answers:
- The Outreach month continues to go well – Kindness Ministry, Backyard Bible Clubs, Supper Clubs, Youth Mission Trip
- There are 4 adults that have professed faith in Christ but need to be baptized. Pray that they will step forward and meet with an elder.
- We have a special guest preacher/songwriter Mo Leverett here this Sunday morning during our worship service. I’m really looking forward to his ministry with us.
- The Evangelism seminar I led in Memphis went very well. Thanks for praying!

How can I be so up and down in my faith? Who will deliver me from the body of sin!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Huge Ride in Ministry

What a HUGE ride this is turning out to be! We are getting deeper and higher at the same time!
Will you pray for:
• At least 4 couples are struggling in their marriages and/or with finances. Pray for each of them to find a trusted friend and wise counselor! It’s great that they are honest and not pretending!
• We have 4 adults that have made a profession of faith in the last few months! Pray that they will all be baptized in July.
• It’s Outreach Season. Pray for our people to serve in many ways – Backyard Bible Club in the apartments across S Cobb Drive, in neighborhoods, Kindness ministries on Saturday, helping deliver Kid’s Meals on Wheels. Pray for relationships to start, strengthen and lead people to Christ Jesus!
• A seminar I’m teaching at our General Assembly in Memphis this Wednesday. I’m teaching on evangelism in small churches – but I’m nervous and battling insecurity. Pray that I will believe the gospel and that more people will come to Jesus because of what the Spirit teaches them.
• I’m weak. I get fatigued. I’m not exercising. It’s summer. I’m going to be out of town in a hotel for 3 nights. Pray for me to be faithful and pure!

UPDATES:
Hearing good reports from our missionaries Chad and Sonia on the field in North Africa.
Our church planter José Mateo and Emmanuel Mission are gearing up for launch in the fall. They have Hiram Elementary under contract. Pray for a strong multi-cultural launch team!
New Staff guy Jim Payne is raising support to serve with us. He’s at 42%.
Praying with Smyrna Pastors about a united day of service for our city.

We’re here because you pray!
Graced
Jim

Thursday, April 19, 2007

If Our Church Disappeared Would Smyrna Miss Us?

If our church disappeared…would Smyrna miss us? What a good hard question.

Nobody starts out life thinking, “My goal is to do nothing, say nothing and never make a difference.” Everyone wants to live a significant life. Same with this church – we want the Kingdom of God to come here in Smyrna ‘as it is in heaven.’ Would you pray for God to do HIS amazing work through us?

We realize that we aren’t any better than anyone else, but Crosspoint still wants to make a difference in the city. We want to fight sin-sickness. We want to overcome poverty – physical, financial, emotional and spiritual. I hope folks can see a difference in the greater-Smyrna area because we are humbly praying and faithfully working to make this city better.

We want to see individuals and families living dignified, just and righteous lives. We want to see businesses and institutions governing, educating and serving this city with honesty and without bias. We want Christ Jesus’ reputation to shine brightly in the heart of this city. And we want to celebrate the strong work He is accomplishing while we work.

We can’t do any of that without the power of the Holy Spirit. Will you pray for us?
Thanks
Jim

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Play in the Reign

Play in the Reign....
Spring makes me want to go out and play! I would except the whole city is covered in nasty yellow pollen dust so thick you can watch it ‘poof’ with every step you take! OH DO WE NEED RAIN!

Would you pray that I will better learn to play in God’s reign?
And if you don’t attend Crosspoint, pray the same thing for your pastor too.

The Church will be a lot healthier if we all recognize that we are far worse off than we realize but far, FAR more loved than we dared imagine! That will lead to a party! And everybody loves a good party!
Graced
Jim

Monday, March 12, 2007

Slack about Asking for Prayer

Hey Prayer team!
Wow, I’m getting slack about sending out requests. My bad. The good news in that is that Crosspoint is beginning to intercede on its own behalf and for others. But we still need your prayers!

Pray for us to labor well in our season of prayer and fasting prior to Easter.
Pray for the lost in our city to come to faith in Christ. God is REALLY moving in Steven my soon-to-be-former-pagan friend.
I’m having lunch with Edward this week. Pray for an open door to tell him how much I need Jesus.
Pray for God to clearly call deacons to serve Crosspoint.
Pray also for wisdom about starting our first mercy ministry for the city. We are praying about starting a Jobs for Life program.
Pray for our daughter church Emmanuel and Pastor José – all the funding to be pledged.

Thanks for praying!
Graced
Jim

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

All-Church Retreat Highlights

After our church retreat, these words have new meaning:

Giraffe noises
Millennium
Gus and Gladys
'Marital Adjustment Session'
I Like people who like the University of Georgia!
Herd of Deer
Swan Lake
Poetry Reading
Featherbed
Bunk house heaters
Ripping phone books
Great Dalmuti
He-Man and Sweet Blossom
A whale walks into a bar

Makes me want to go back!

Retreat

We had an awesome All-Church retreat and its effect was tremendous in getting our folks connected to one another! All that luxurious time spent learning from Pastor Raymond and Donna Causey, talking, laughing and playing together helped relationships and trust go deep! And all the game playing, interactive learning and ‘No Talent’ show proves this church is a hoot! Thanks be to God!

Would you pray for these concerns:
1 – I have called the church to 40 days of Prayer and Fasting beginning next Wednesday the 28th leading up to Resurrection Sunday. Would you pray that 50% of our people would fast in some fashion and join together for united prayer each Tuesday night for an hour? Pray that we would LISTEN, LEARN, LOVE and LET GO.

2 – Pray that the Holy Spirit will put a holy thirst and hunger for His honor and glory in our hearts and in the hearts of the people of Smyrna. The Lord whispered to me in prayer (in a very biblical way) the other day that ‘Most people in Smyrna don’t see the need for Me or My church, much less a new church.’ How can God’s glory and fame grow if most people don’t feel their need of Him?

3 – Pray for me as I lead. I am slow to believe that God wants to glorify Himself. I think I can out-plan and out-strategize Him. But I really, really need God.

4 – Pray for the Senior Pastors of the Church in Smyrna. Since October, a handful of senior pastors have been praying every Monday morning for revival and the move of God’s Spirit in our city. Pray that we don’t loose heart. Pray that we will be both humbled and emboldened by the gospel! Pray for Pastors Greene, Osbon, Hatchell, Kimmel, Coady, Ekane, Caldwell, and Moon.

Thanks for praying! We couldn’t do this without your support!
Graced
Jim

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Now that We are Official

Well, it’s been a few weeks since the big party and particularization and I think I’m glad I don’t have to type or explain that word again. What a great night of celebration though! Thanks for praying and giving and supporting this work.

Now begins a slightly different work of being a church. I’m going to ask you to pray for a few things that are related to that work:
- Pray for me as I lead the elders, staff, home fellowship group leaders, ministry team leaders and coach José and other church planters as they start more churches. It is a joy to train and counsel such great leaders, but I need more wisdom and patience than I realize.
- Pray for love and unity to permeate our church and the church in Smyrna. Since October 5-10 Senior Pastors of churches in Smyrna have been meeting for prayer every Monday. It is getting real and good. We’re below the surface to some tears, some heartbreak for the lost, some frustration with injustice. But we know the enemy, the world and our own sinfulness war against the Bride of Christ and our mission of grace in Christ.
- Pray for us to pray well. I’m sort of starting to believe that God is able and powerful, but I’m weak and not so smart. I’m sort of giving up on cool strategies. But I’m only bright enough to call the church to pray and fast for our city and our nation to repent and call on Christ. We’re going to do that 40 days leading up to Easter.

Maybe if GOD works in our city to bring folks to faith, we can follow Him! Sound like a plan?!
Graced
Jim

For info on Crosspoint www.crosspointsmyrna.org
For info on our daughter church Emmanuel www.emmanuelpca.org

Thursday, January 18, 2007

It's Official!

It’s official!
Crosspoint has officially become a self-governing, self-funding, reproducing church! And you all are one of the hotlinks to heaven to make it happen!!!!
Glory to God!!!!

This Sunday we send Pastor Jose and Ana and Hector and Cecilia and a core group of 8 families out to plant our first daughter church 30 minutes west of here in Powder Springs/Paulding County! I am SO excited!

Last Sunday night we had over 200 people from Crosspoint and our regional church together for a special worship service where our 70+ members vowed to be a church, ordained two more elders, Powell Harrison and David Daniell, and elected me senior pastor!
It was a deeply moving time for us all. What a sacred and holy time!

I have some of our sharp tech folks working on some links where you can see pictures, hear audio and read some details about the over 500 people and 8 churches who have assisted in one way or another in making Crosspoint a reality! (Yes, that is right, over 500 people and 8 churches helped make this church happen!)

So PRAISE the LORD with us! We’ll be glowing for a while, basking in the goodness of our King!
Graced,
Jim

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Organization as an Official Church

We are now days away from a very important event in the life of our church. Sunday January 14th, at 6pm, we will officially celebrate Crosspoint’s “Organization” as an official church! Since many of you, like me, are unfamiliar with or new to being Presbyterian, you need to know that this is a big deal for the regional Church of Atlanta, for Crosspoint, her new elders, Powell Harrison and David Daniell and for me. So you are officially invited. We expect seating to be limited, so activities will be provided for the younger kids. The service will be at our current rented worship facility at 4061 King Springs Rd in Smyrna.

As you may or may not know, we began the work of church planting in SmyrnaVinings 5 years ago with a dream of starting a new, Gospel-driven, and culturally-relevant church in SmyrnaVinings. We struggled and failed a lot in our first year 2002, but by God’s grace, we re-started with a new core group in our den January 6, 2003, then moved to the conference room at Whitefield Academy for our Grand Opening series March–April 2003.
In the last years, many have come to faith in Christ. Many more have returned to the Church after years away. All of us are being transformed by the grace of Gospel of Jesus Christ, perhaps most of all me.

You all have been the ‘air and ground support’ of this spiritual mission - praying and supporting the work here and I want to invite you to come celebrate our graduation from “Mission” status to official “Particular” church. It is in some ways a technical change, but in many ways it marks the maturity of Crosspoint in several keys ways. We will be self-governing, self-funding and maturing enough to launch a daughter church in Powder Springs in 2007.

So, until now, Crosspoint has been a “Mission” church. I am the “Organizing Pastor” or “Church Planter/Evangelist” and have essentially functioned as the benevolent potentate. While there are dozens of men and women who advise, oversee, lead and serve, the constitutional authority for leading and governing the church has rested with me. A new church has to start this way, but the Biblical mandate is for churches to be governed by Elders, elected by the congregation. Part of my role as Organizing Pastor has been to identify men whom God may be calling to serve in the office of Elder. Over the last 2 years, we have actively trained candidates whom we feel are called, gifted, and qualified to serve in this capacity. These men have been thoroughly examined and approved by our Presbytery to serve Crosspoint in the office of Elder.

On Sunday, January 14th, 2007 at 6:00 in the evening, we will hold our official “Organization” service. At this service, the congregation will vow to be a church, vote to elect and install their first Elders and first Senior Pastor (odds are good that it will be me J). From that point on, our church family will also be formally recognized as a congregation by the Presbyterian Church in America and be received into the fellowship of her sister churches. Many elders from other churches will participate in this service.

I can hardly believe God has brought us this far. Hope to see you at the service! Thanks for praying! (and keep it up!!)

Graced
Jim Moon
Pastor/Church Planter

Crosspoint Presbyterian Church
4061 King Springs Road
Smyrna GA 30082
O-770.333.1775
www.crosspointsmyrna.org
Snail Mail: PO Box 1956Smyrna GA 30081