Dear Crossroads Family,
We pray that the kindness of our Lord meets you each day during this challenging season of COVID-19. Our Wilderness 2.1 plan has launched, and our staff is working hard to make all the ministries and programs take root as we continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In fact, we celebrate each week as several people have surrendered their life to Christ!
Let’s talk about the opening of the church campus! The staff and leadership are working to make the campus both a safe and welcoming place for our church and community. This includes all the best practices for physical distancing and sanitizing. We are ready!
The million-dollar question, when will Crossroads open the campus?
First, we must remind ourselves why we closed our physical campus and moved to an online church. The Coronavirus hit all of us by surprise in March. The Government moved quickly to shut down all physical gatherings to mitigate the spread. We saw the request of the Government as an issue the Apostle Paul addressed in Romans 13:1 when he wrote,
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
Since the Government continues to apply the laws equally and not as targeted persecution of “the Church,” we will open when those in authority over us give the green light to begin gathering in numbers. We will open in a way that honors our Lord, our authorities, our Crossroads family, our Crossroads volunteers, and our community that is watching the “Church.” Many Santa Clarita churches are unified in this very same approach, as you will see in this letter, which will be published in the Signal this weekend. Click Here.
Now, let’s get back to the plan, or as we are going to say “the plays.” In light of us all missing sports, we are going to refer to “plays,” not plans or phases. Plans and phases communicate fixed dates, which we do not have today. Plays are called based on what a coach sees on the field at any given time. We will call the following plays based on what we see on the field as we march forward:
Play #1: Crossroads Online.
We called the first play in March, and we run this play every week now. Worship services and ministries are all online while the campus is closed. We will continue to expand our Small Group ministry during this time.
Play #2: Crossroads in Homes and Online.
This would be the gathering of Crossroads groups, families, and friends in homes together for online worship services and ministries. We will continue to expand our Small Group ministry during this time.
Play #3: Crossroads on Campus, in Homes and Online.
Crossroads opens the campus for multiple services in multiple venues over multiple days and times on campus. We will continue to encourage worship at home and online for those more comfortable in that environment and especially for those in the risk categories. We will continue to expand our Small Group ministry during this time.
Play #4: Crossroads Kid’s Ministry, Student Ministry, and College Ministry
NexGen, Elevate, and Oxford will gather during the week at various outside and inside locations. We will offer a reduced and modified, NexGen Ministry, during the on-campus worship services.
Play #5: Crossroads’ New Normal.
Crossroads moves to a fully functioning church with a physical campus under a new normal of sustainable practices and guidelines.
Crossroads, we expect the above steps to happen and happen soon. It’s not “if” we open but “when.” Pray for us, as we have never led a church out of a global pandemic. Be patient with us and each other. Finally, get ready with us because it’s almost game time.
Before we go, we want you to know that we love you and your family deeply. We remain available to serve you in any way. Should you have any questions about these plays please feel free to reach out to us at elders@lifeatcrossroads.org.
Stay Faithful,
RW Mackey
Danny Young
Dan Gallagher
Dan Waldeck
Rudy Neal
Kim Miles
Paul Collins
Scot Overbey
Todd Smith
P.S. - Unless the Lord changes our plans, we are planning a massive on-campus celebration for Anniversary Sunday, August 16th. Yes, we are planning to have the In-n-Out trucks along with many more ways to celebrate as a church family on that great day!