We’ll continue our discussion of the “one another” passages in scripture, spend some time singing songs to our Creator with the Mark Francis band, and we’ll eat!

The “Resources” tab has been updated so get the posters and bulletin inserts there.

Check out http://www.markfrancisband.com/.

See you then!

P.S. - Keep an eye out for the upcoming MFB CD!

Last month was the biggest CrossLink we’ve had yet! Invite a few friends and make this one even bigger. We’ll continue our discussion of the “one another” passages in scripture, spend some time singing songs to our Creator with Stereoreel, and we’ll eat!

The “Resources” tab has been updated so get the posters and bulletin inserts there.

See you then!

April - Greet One Another and Offer Hospitality to One Another
(Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20, 2 Cor 13:12, 1 Thess 5:26, 1 Peter 4:9)

May - Accept One Another
(Rom 15:7)

June - Pray for One Another
(James 5:16b)

July - Encourage, Edify, and Esteem One Another (and Honor)
(1 Thess 4:18 5:11 14, Phil 2:3, Rom 14:19, Rom 12:10)

August - Serve One Another
(Gal 5:13)

September - Be Kind to One Another
(Eph 4:32)

October - Care for One Another and Bear with One Another
(1 Cor 12:25, Eph 4:2)

November - Instruct One Another
(Rom 15:14)

December - Be Devoted to One Another
(Rom 12:5)

We meet on the first Thursday of each month at 7:07pm, 131 S. Cameron Street for worship, prayer, teaching, food and fun. Our next meeting is May 7th at 7:07pm at Market Street United Methodist Church at the corner of Cork and Cameron Streets in Old Town Winchester.

This month the Mark Francis Band will be leading worship.

Get them at
http://crosslinkva.org/resources/

What if we each sought the answer to this question: “What is my purpose?” Is it possible that God intended each of us to have a specific purpose? Is it possible he wants to see that purpose fulfilled in each of our lives?

I think He does have a purpose for each of us. Taking it a step further, I believe it is His desire that we each seek out His purpose for our lives on a daily basis. In a society that is trending downward to become less God-less and more self-focused, believers in Christ have even more of a call today to declare to others what our purpose here in this life truly is. As a believer, it is our duty to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is our spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). Our purpose is to glorify God.

CrossLink has been founded on desire to link believers in Jesus Christ together throughout the Winchester community. Our target audience is the young adult generation. Specifically, young adults who may be connected with a local church, but may not have a ministry in that church directly targeting them. In our ministry plan, it is stated that CrossLink’s purpose is to provide a Christian community for young adults who are uniting to glorify God through worship, networking, and service in the Winchester area. First and foremost, we are here to glorify God! The CrossLink leadership team strongly believes that this Winchester community is primed for strong body of young adult believers from multiple churches in the area to come together and declare God as the sole purpose of our lives…to declare God as the meaning of life…to declare that we were made to live for Him.

As this purpose is carried out with monthly worship gatherings, weekly devotionals throughout our churches, daily personal relationship building with us and God, we will make a difference in this community. We will be a united front, showing this whole area that there is a way for believers to be united and not divided by church boundaries and walls. We can show that there is an absolute truth, and His name is Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the answer. Jesus is who we are to declare as the meaning of our life. And once we acknowledge Him as our Saviour and the Lord of our life, our purpose is to share that to the world and glorify Him by doing that! Join us!

If you church has an event for young adults let us know and we’ll add it to the page. Email me at calebnei@yahoo.com.

Thanks. Caleb

Download these flyers, print ‘em out, paper the town! Pass them out at church on Sunday. You’ll also find a 2-up version suitable for most church bulletins.

Here’s the flyer.

Here’s the bulletin version.

We all have many needs- food, shelter, air, love, safety… we need to have purpose and belonging and intimacy as well. This is expressed in the fact that we are all wired to worship. You may think well not everyone worships, heck some people don’t even believe in a higher power… and yet I believe we ALL worship…something. Maybe it’s another person, or wealth, or power, or performance… whatever it may be we all worship. And when it comes to the Lord we need to worship Him way more than He needs us to worship Him. Read that again… for it is important to understand that God is holy and powerful all on His own. We need to give Him glory for our sake- we were wired and designed for it- to have that connection and intimacy and belonging to our creator.

Though there are many kinds of worship- true worship begins at the foot of the cross. Jesus is our connector. His love and sacrifice is what allows us to worship a holy God. This need we all have is something we can share and do together. It is good and right to gather together in His name as one people. Let us acknowledge our need and reach out to others and invite them to share in this response.

None of us fully knows yet what God intends to do through crosslink but we can journey and pray and worship together as we seek God. He is the creator of the universe and He is big enough to meet your needs.

Jesus is leaving. He knows the end of his work on earth is done. The next scene is Gethsemane, but before he goes, he prays. What is on the heart of Jesus as he’s preparing to die? He prays for us.

John 17:20-23

20″My prayer is not for them alone (the 12 disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. “

If this idea of unity is important enough for Jesus that it’s the last thing on his mind before Gethsemane, then it’s important enough for us to consider.

When I was younger, I didn’t understand why there were so many churches.  We’re all Christians, right?  We all love Jesus, right? Why can’t we just have one huge worship service every Sunday morning? That would be so cool!

Unfortunately, as I age I understand. One group responds to the excesses and mistakes of another. A second group likes their tradition; a third loves their lack of tradition.

I’m not even saying it’s all bad. We have the responsibility to like up to what we know Christ has called us to. We’re all at different places in our journeys and come from different backgrounds and perspectives. I’ve been reading the book of Acts. It’s clear they had to work hard to find the unity God was calling them to- and some of them had seen the resurrected Christ! But as I said earlier, if it’s important to Jesus it had better be important to us.

Dream with me.

What if the churches of the Winchester area really took on the prayer of Christ in John 17 as a goal?  What if our goal was the unity Jesus asked for?  He doesn’t force us.  He invites.  He prays for us.  He gives us the strength to do it by the Holy Spirit.  But, be doesn’t do it for us.

I would estimate that there are about 20 churches actively involved in CrossLink. That’s pretty cool! We’re on our way.

CrossLink then isn’t just a worship night.  It isn’t just a website.  It isn’t just a party at the bowling alley. It’s a dream.  It’s the dream of the people on the leadership team…and, we believe, it’s the dream of God

Practically.  What can you do?

Pray. Pray for unity. Ask God to show you if this dream we have is His dream. Ask Him if you should be a part of it. Ask and trust Him to show us what the unity he prays for looks like in the Winchester area.

Volunteer to help us out with our mission. We meet every month to talk and pray about what we’re doing. If you think this is a great idea then get involved.

Website: Tell us what you young adult ministry is doing. We’d like book reviews, CD reviews. Do you write about what God is doing in your life? We might like to publish it. I envision the CrossLink site being the hub for what God is doing with young adults in the area.

Facebook. I see Facebook as being a key way to invite the young people that we have in mind. Join. Post on the wall. Add pictures.

More? I’m sure there’s more. What it looks like remains to be seen so, join us for the ride.

Closing thought.

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified.

A.W. Tozer