WEEKEND UPDATE (010311)

Happy New Year and welcome back to Crossroads!  So great to be back in church on Sunday morning.  Here's just a few of the things I noticed this weekend:

• GREAT attendance...in fact, best ever for a first Sunday of the New Year.  Way to go!
• Lobby was great - even without Shelly on coffee duty.  Great job Ben!
• "What???  No donuts?!?"  That's right folks, we started the new year by getting the white bread boiled in grease slathered with processed sugar off the counter.  But your good health is not the only reason.  As I shared Sunday, the real reason is we counted and figured we spent around $4000 on donuts in 2010.  If you've been at Crossroads for any length of time, then you know that we know what's truly important.  There's so many better things we could do with $4000 in 2011.  Like feeding people, clothing people, sheltering people, caring for widows and orphans.  So GRATEFUL that I go to a church that places a higher value on doing the things Jesus said to do, then filling our faces with Dunkin's.  (FYI: We still have donut holes for the kids in Elementary Ministry).
• I thought Nic and Caleb and the worship band did an exceptional job with worship Sunday morning.  Great songs, great sound, and tons of energy.  Good job!
• Sunday was Pastor Nic and Janna's first Sunday as Children's Pastors, and they did a GREAT job!  Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help.  Great job by Nic doing double duty!
• I totally blew the Communication Card thing at the end of service by telling people to take out their cards AFTER offering instead of BEFORE.  Oops.
• Thank you to everyone who helped us make the move from the Old Annex to the New Annex!  Now we're digging into a solid month of construction and painting.  
• Parents of little ones, thank you so much for your patience as we renovate our new building into the best facility for nursery through kindergarten kids in town!  It's rough right now, but it's going to be something very special when it's complete.
• Had MANY people tell me that "pause" was what they needed to hear and do after the crazy-busy rush of the holidays.  Before you finish your new year list - make sure God is at the top of it: SELAH!

So excited for 2011.  We had our first staff meeting of the year this morning, and I can promise you that your hard-working staff is seriously pumped and ready for the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead!  We'll be pushing hard through the renovation work this month to make a first-rate space on a Crossroads budget.  We'll be planning out the teaching schedule, scheduling the volunteer effort, and taking leadership and professionalism to a whole new level.  We want to do everything we can to make you proud to say, "I AM CROSSROADS" in 2011!