LETTER FROM PASTOR BRIAN.... Welcome to
Cross of Life! We are so grateful to the Lord for the opportunity
to do His work by serving and reaching out to others. As
described in Ephesians 4:11-16, we strive to equip believers
for the work of the ministry.The result of healthy, spiritually
mature followers of Christ is a church that glorifies God
by bearing much fruit (John 15:8). We are a church that
focuses on three areas of ministry. The first focus is strong,
Biblical preaching. We teach through the Word of God, verse
by verse, and apply it to everyday life. Secondly, we concentrate
on the high importance of worship. Worship is designed to
bring repentance and intimacy with God Almighty, and it
readies the believer’s heart for God’s Word. Finally, we
seek God through prayer in order to see His power, plans,
and purposes as He reveals them in the lives of His people.
We seek to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead
in all areas of ministry. Our concept of “faith communities”
as expressed in our mission statement is found in Acts 2:42.
It reads, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
The foundation of a community will determine the health
and success of that community. A faith community that has
God’s Word as its foundation will result in spiritual health
and spiritual prosperity as that community continually follows
God’s Word in God’s way. “Leading people to be committed
followers of Christ“ assumes we are reaching out to them
first. That’s exactly what we must do to “build faith communities.”
We also need to be real, genuine, and authentic
in our love for and relationships with others. We pray that
all who come into our fellowship will encounter the love
of Christ. We want to embrace everyone the Lord leads to
us and leads us to. We desire to create an environment that
reaches out to all people, as Christ did, and gives them
a sense of belonging. As we understand our acceptance in
Christ, then we can accept others as they are. Whether a
person wears a three piece suit, shorts, or blue jeans is
not important. What is important is to see that person go
from where he is to where God wants him to be spiritually
(Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 5:17).
Thus, Cross of Life’s mission is “building
faith communities on God’s Word by leading people to become
committed followers of Christ Jesus.” Here at Cross of Life,
we don’t want people to know about religion...there’s plenty
of that already in the world. Rather, we want them to know
and experience a personal and powerful relationship with
Jesus Christ both now in our fellowship and forever in eternity.Praising
and Serving King Jesus,
Pastor Brian
pastorbrian@@thecrossoflifechurch.org
