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