John 4 begins with the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well then moves into Jesus talking about the farming principles of sowing and reaping. What's the connection? Perhaps the connection is that process of raising a crop has many similarities to evangelism and seeing people come to faith in Christ.

It is always a special time when we can recognize a new Elder here at Crossing Community Church. John Ashton, our newest Elder, received a charge from Scott Brubaker, one of our current Elders, then John spoke. We closed the service with a time of prayer by our Elder Council for John, his family and his service in our church family.

How would you define a healthy church? By it's programs? By the building or the budget? What does the Bible say about what makes a church healthy? This week we look at several passages in the epistles to see what a healthy church looks like and consider a few of those factors as we look at Crossing to see how we are doing.

Paul compared the church to the body. Peter wrote of the church as a building with a foundation, a cornerstone and 'living stones'. Even Jesus spoke of 'building' His church. These metaphors for the church provide keen insight into how the church should function, but even greater insight into who leads the church!

There are areas of life that God has not given us explicit instructions on. These areas are often referred to as 'christian liberty.' How can we know when it is appropriate or inappropriate to participate in these questionable issues? The best rule of thumb: we are not to live to please ourselves.

The typical responses to dealing with other Christians in our church who are in sin seem to boil down to three scenarios: Go & confront; go and ignore; and finally the thing it seems we do the most -- just avoid the person. Avoidance in relationships kills relationships. Christ calls us to love even when it is awkward. We are called to step into that awkwardness!

Whatever God is doing in your life, He is doing that in our church as we others to see and witness what God is doing. Being at church, in a small group, a bible study -- in relationship -- is important. It's how God intends church to function.

In our study of the local church this week we looked into Scripture to see how Jewish wedding customs at the time of Christ tell us a great deal about what it means for the church to be the Bride of Christ. Spoiler alert: it all boils down to remaining faithful.

On Sunday afternoon, April 23rd, we gathered to remember and celebrate Cheryl Ann Shipley and the Lord Jesus that she loved and served. Each of her children as well as Greg, her husband, shared during the service. While this recording does not include the congregational singing or the music that accompanied the power point presentation, it does include the piano solo by Charis. "Glory be to God in the highest!"

This week we begin a new series focusing on the Church. It is the Bride of Christ -- glorious and wonderful. And at the same time, it is a mess much of the time. People get hurt, confused and angry. God uses all that and more to sanctify people and bring glory to Himself in the local church.