Meal Groups at Crossroads Church

Meal Group Survey Results

Over the summer, Chris Mehus (our Groups Coach) surveyed our Meal Group Leaders to determine strength and growth areas in the groups.

You can download the results from the survey here.

What is a Meal Group?

Meal Groups are spaces for people at Crossroads to grow in their love for God as they follow Jesus with a few other people. These groups are comprised of 8-12 people who gather weekly to:

CONNECT through sharing stories;
PRAY for one another;
LEARN together from the Scriptures;
SERVE others in the community.

Groups meet weekly in homes to eat, pray, and discuss the Bible, and once a month to serve others in the Twin Cities area.

Meal Groups launch twice a year and run for three months.

If you are interested in being a part of a group, there are three ways to find a group:

1) Click "Join a Meal Group" on the www.mealgroups.org website
2) On the internet at www.crossroadsgroups.org
3) At the kiosk in the lobby

How To Use SOAP!

I am not talking about taking a bath! This is the clip we referred to on Sunday that explains how to use the SOAP method of daily devotions. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ryan Lunceford or James Brown about how to use SOAP!

If you missed...CORE #3!!!

If you were unable to attend the Core class this last weekend (August 17th), don't worry! We have posted the video teaching from the class.

The video is of Wayne Cordeiro, Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Hawaii, explaining the process by which we become Jesus-like People...we must become people of "The Book!"

Feel free to email me with any questions you might have about the video or the SOAP method of Daily Devotions!

You will hear more about it as Ryan Lunceford brings "the Word" this weekend!

Summer Meal Group Update

Hey Everyone!

We are finalizing our summer Meal Group placement and are very excited to see what God is going to do over the next few months.

As we begin, there are a few things I want to make you aware of…

- Chris Mehus, one of the central leaders of the Core class and Meal Groups training, will be finishing college in the next few months. As part of his Psychology degree, he has the opportunity to do an internship and has decided to do that internship with the Groups ministry of Crossroads.

Over the next couple of months, Chris will be contacting Meal Group leaders to meet. His goal is to hear from you and to help us put together an accurate picture of each Meal Group’s strengths and weaknesses. As the Groups Coach, he will be meeting with about five leaders each week, so if you don’t hear from him right away…don’t worry, you will!

If you would like to know more about Chris, click here for a short bio.

- This summer, our pastors are taking a break from the Coffee Shop Coaching. As you know, summer is crazy for everyone…especially pastors. Between camps, mission trips, campus launches, and whatever we find to do, it will be hard for everyone to get a rhythm from week to week. We will evaluate the Coffee Shop Coaching and take a look at launching it again in the fall.

-The Summer of Service:
June:
Saturday June 14th – Walk the parade from 8:30-12:00 noon. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Make sure to sign up at church this weekend by filling out the Strawberry Festival insert in the bulletin or let Lisa Adams know via email. Lunch will be served after the parade, back at church.

July and August:
Your Meal Group picks! If you need help, Lisa has numerous opportunities available! Schedule a meeting with Lisa or email her. If you know where you are going to serve, just let Lisa know so she can plug you in.


At Crossroads, the ONLY constant is change and there is a lot of that right now! We know that God has big plans for us as we continue to become “a movement of Jesus-like people who do Jesus-like stuff!”

Talk to you soon!

jb
James Brown
Groups Pastor
Crossroads Church
jameswbrown@qwest.net

UPDATED: COFFEE SHOP COACHING SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8:30 AM – Warren Langstraat (Caribou – Woodbury)
9:30 AM – Jake Kerschner (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

TUESDAY
9:00 AM – Lisa Adams (Caribou – Cottage Grove)
9:00 AM – Terry Foss (Panera – Woodbury)

WEDNESDAY
6:00 AM – Brad Kindall (Starbucks – Cottage Grove)
9:00 AM – James Racine (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

THURSDAY
7:30 AM – Ryan Lunceford (Starbucks - Cottage Grove)
8:00 AM – James Brown (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

FRIDAY


SATURDAY
8:00 AM – James Brown (Dunn Bros – Hastings)

EAT THIS BOOK - Update from James Brown

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to drop you all a quick note to remind you about the transition that has taken place in Meal Groups.

On Easter, the 8-week Divine Mentor/Scripture reading schedule (that we designed specifically for the "Soul Food Series"), ended.

You can now begin reading the Bible from the reading plan set forth in the Divine Mentor book. You do not need to start at the beginning of the month...just start reading and journaling on whatever day you find yourself living. Psalm 118.24 says, "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." Don't worry about what you missed, just start on the readings for that day!

We have created a few resources to help you better understand what you read:

1) Bookmarks were placed in the Easter programs last week. If you still need one, they will be in the programs this week and can be picked up at the Adult Ministries table in the lobby.

2) The Online Devotions are still available on the www.mealgroups.org website.

3) You can podcast the readings from iTunes from the www.mealgroups.org website.

4) We have recorded Summaries for the Books we are reading. You can listen to them by going to the website or clicking (in this email) on the book you would like to listen to: Joshua - Judges - 1 Corinthians - 2 Corinthians.

5) We have updated the Coffee Shop Coaching Schedule on the www.mealgroups.org website.

6) Pastor Phil has added a Devotional Corner to his Cyber Updates...so be on the lookout for that!

As Meal Groups finish this season and head into the summer, we will continue reading and journaling (using the reading schedule from the Divine Mentor Book) and sharing what God has been teaching us as we meet with our Meal Groups!

It has been exciting to see how God has been using these readings to revolutionize Meal Groups, families, and the people of our church!

Eat this Book!

-- 
jb
James Brown
Groups Pastor
Crossroads Church
www.crossroadschurch.cc
www.mealgroups.org
www.therealjamesbrown.com

UPDATED COFFEESHOP COACHING SCHEDULE (03.29.08)

COFFEE SHOP COACHING SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8:30 AM – Warren Langstraat (Caribou – Woodbury)
9:30 AM – Jake Kerschner (Caribou – Cottage Grove)
5:00 PM – Suzanne Elliott (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

TUESDAY
8:00 AM – James Brown (Caribou – Cottage Grove)
8.30 AM – Lisa Adams (Caribou – Cottage Grove)
9:00 AM – Terry Foss (Panera – Woodbury)
3:00 PM – James Racine (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

WEDNESDAY
6:00 AM – Brad Kindall (Starbucks – Cottage Grove)
9:00 AM – James Racine (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

THURSDAY
7:30 AM – Ryan Lunceford (Starbucks – Cottage Grove)
8:00 AM – James Brown (Caribou – Cottage Grove)
4:00 PM – Phil Print (Caribou – Cottage Grove)

SATURDAY
8:00 AM – James Brown (Dunn Bros – Hastings)

Terry Foss- Grace: Free and undeserved Romans 11:6

Scripture

Romans 11:6 "And since it is through God's kindness then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what it really is-free and undeserved."

Observation

So Paul is talking about how Israel has repeatedly rejected God in so many ways and yet they're looking for God's favor so earnestly. They've been blinded by a "works" theology that says "I have to work for God's love." But Paul is reminding his audience that God's love is all about His kindness, not ours.
A father loves his child simply because he's his child. Not because the child has somehow earned his father's love. How absurd!

Application

May I ever understand God's love and best for me through the love I have for my own children.

Prayer

Father God, you have so much love for  your children. Help me to live well in your grace.

Jesus for President

Judges 8: 23 "But Gideon replied, 'I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!'"

Gideon
has proven himself to be a very capable leader. As Israel's judge, he
routs the Midianites and makes a name for himself. After his victories,
the Israelites plead with him to be their "ruler." Gideon wants nothing
to do with being the king or their ruler. He tells them that God alone
will be their ruler. Gideon understands he has a specific purpose and
that God alone desires to rule his people.

I have been reading
"Jesus for President" by Shane Claiborne the past few days. It's a
great book contrasting "empire" with the kingdom of God. Shane points
out that God never intended for the Israelites to have a king or a
ruler. God alone wanted to rule his people. God knew what having a king
could do to a people. God wanted his people to be special, set apart,
holy. By having a human king or ruler they became more empire-like and
less God-like. Allegiances and hopes turn towards the king in an
empire. Under God's rule, allegiance, faith and hope are given solely
to God. I need to remember that my hope, and my allegiance belongs
solely to Jesus Christ.

Dear God, help me to follow you alone. Help me to be loyal to you and give you my complete allegiance. Amen.