We could start with all the clichés of the past year, but I think it goes without saying, God is not a cliché.
I would like to start with giving God the glory for His faithfulness and for His goodness. Psalm 34:8 says, “taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
God has been faithful to Crossroads Church over the past year. We have been able to complete Phase 4a of the building, which was the most disruptive phase as we plan for the future, not only that, but God’s faithfulness also has the entire Phase 4a project paid for, so we sit in these unprecedented times without a mortgage on the building. That is God’s faithfulness!
As we have had to move to other means of “fellowshipping” together, platforms like Zoom have allowed us to continue to meet in groups and connect with other brothers and sisters in our fellowship. We have been able to stream our Sunday Services and connect with our congregation and others around the world and have seen people tune in, hear the message, and then make a decision to accept what Jesus did for them and join the family of God.
As a Board, we have met most of the year on the virtual platform of Zoom, with a couple of meetings where we could meet in person appropriately, physically distanced. As we prayed around what was happening in society, we all felt strongly that God was leading us to; “honour those whom He has put in leadership, in our Country, Province and Municipality.” We do not take this decision lightly or without prayer. We believe that God has called us to take this stand for His Name’s sake, and to allow us to continue to interact with our community. Taking this position has brought us favour with our municipalities, schools, and other agencies, and we believe it will lead to more opportunities in the future to bring hope.
This past year, we have been praying and looking for a new board member, and in the middle of this search, one of our current members, Chip Belt, went to be with our Lord. We are excited for his graduation but, are saddened for his family that is left behind, along with the empty seat of wisdom and compassion that it has left at the board table. This has changed our search for one board member, to a search for two board members. We continue to pursue people that we feel have the attributes of an Elder and pray that God would lead us to the candidates that He wants to have represent the congregation.
We continue to navigate through the challenges of our current societal positions and all the information and opinions that exist out there, but ultimately we are praying and seeking Jesus for His heart and His wisdom in walking out the vision that He has given us as a body, which is: To give everyone in Central Alberta an opportunity to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and by following Him together, impact the world with our compassion and hope.”
As a Board, we are always looking and praying that we and the Body would live together in unity, as this is where God commands His blessing. (Psalm 133)
Yours in Christ,
Brad Vonkeman
Church Board - Chair
