Don't miss out on the GREAT things happening at Crossgates UMC in Lent!
 
February 2015 Newsletter

From the Heart

 Grace and Peace in Our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

What a blessing it has been for me to journey through this time with you and to share in small groups during the "Conversations with the Pastor". I appreciate so much your willingness to take time to join me and want to thank all of the persons who opened their homes to me and hosted our gatherings. I have had the opportunity to sample some very good soup, chili and desserts along the way, and am grateful for the wonderful hospitality that has been shared.

 

It has been such a blessing to get to know so many of you in a more personal way! To hear your stories of life and faith has been enlightening and has touched my heart. I am grateful to have had this incredible opportunity. Relationships are important! The ways we connect with each other for support and accountability are key to our journey together as Christ's church. I encourage you to continue to connect in relationships that help you grow together in Christ.

 

For those who may not have had the opportunity to join me in one of these conversations, I am very open to meeting you or a group of folks to share life in this way. I love to drink coffee and eat lunch, so email me and we can work on setting a time to meet.

 

It has also been a blessing to talk about the life of Crossgates UMC and where God is leading us as His Church. I believe that God has worked in incredible ways through Crossgates UMC and has great things in store for our future together. Over the course of the 26 gatherings since October, there have been common threads that have been a part of conversation and common themes that seem important. On Sunday, Feb 15 at 5:00pm we will gather as a family to share a potluck meal (bring your chili or other great food items) and then in the midst of wonderful music from our Chancel Choir, I will share some reflections on our time together in these conversations. Please make plans to join us!!

 

I'm blessed to be a part of the Ministry team here at Crossgates UMC!

 

Your servant in Christ,

Chris


Rev. Chris Cumbest, Senior Pastor 
ccumbest@crossgatesumc.org
WORSHIP


A SEASON TO REFOCUS OUR LIVES

8:30AM & 10:30AM Worship
January Sermon Series Continued:
FEB 1  GROWING THROUGH SERVING  John 13:1-17
FEB 8  ANSWERING GOD'S CALL  Isaiah 6:1-8, Mark 1:16-20

FEB 15  TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD SUNDAY  Mark 9:2-9
FEB 22  FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT  Mark 1:9-15
Click here to access our video archive of worship services.
Journey to the Cross- Lent 2015
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE- February 18 @ 6:30PM

Walk with the Pastor
Every Tuesday evening in Lent- Feb 24-Mar 24th join Pastor Chris for a walk @ Shiloh Park at 6:00PM.

Mid-Week Lenten Devotional w/ Holy Communion

Every Wednesday afternoon in Lent- Feb 25-Apr 1st, from 12:10-12:30PM in the Sanctuary, join us during your lunch break for a short devotion and breaking bread together.

 

Mid-Week Lenten Study 
Every Wednesday in Lent- Feb 25-Mar 25th at 6:15PM in the Banquet Room with Rev. Tom Pace, following the fellowship meal in the gym. 

 

Prayer  

Every Thursday morning in Lent-Feb 19-Apr 2nd meet with Pastor Chris for morning prayer in the Sanctuary @ 6:30AM.

Prayer & Fasting
Every Thursday in Lent- Feb 19- Apr 2nd, we invite you into a personal time of prayer and fasting from Sunrise to Sunset to refocus and grow closer to God on your journey.  

Easter Egg Hunt & Flapjack Breakfast Fundraiser- March 28
Join us for our ANNUAL Easter Egg Hunt with some exciting additions-- Delicious Flapjacks provided by the United Methodist Men starting at 7AM, Breakfast & Picture with the Easter Bunny starting at 8AM, with the hunt at 9:00AM. All proceeds benefit Crossgates Methodist Children's Center.  Watch for more details coming soon!

Holy Week Services- March 29-April 3 @ 6:30PM in the Sanctuary 
 
Easter Sunday Services- April 5-Sunrise Service @ Labyrinth & 10:30AM in Sanctuary                                                      
GROW
Church-wide
Church-wide Potluck Supper-Sunday, February 15th @ 5:00PM in the Activity Center
followed by Rev. Cumbest with reflections from Conversations with the Pastor
and a Special Chancel Choir Concert, both in the Sanctuary.

If your name begins with the letter: 
"L" - "R"
"S" - "Z"
"A" - "F"
"G" - "K"  
Please bring an entr�e. (chicken, ham, roast, spaghetti, etc.)  
Please bring a side dish.
Please bring a salad.
Please bring a dessert. 
Church Council will meet on Monday, February 9th in the Activity Center Banquet Room.  A meal will be served at 6:00PM followed by the meeting at 6:30PM.  If you plan to eat, call the church office @ 601-825-8677 or email vnicholson@crossgatesumc.org to make a reservation.  Donations for the meal are welcome.

A wedding shower in honor of Samantha Harrison will be held on Saturday, February 28th from 2:00-4:00PM in the Activity Center Banquet Room.  All are invited to attend.
Children

We have so many exciting things going on in our children's ministry! Our 6th graders have begun their confirmation class, and have recently returned from retreat at Camp Lake Stephens. Please be in prayer for them during this important time, as they grow in their relationship with God, the Church, and one another. Your confirmands are Tyler Armstrong, Hanna Bynum, Nicholas Cape, Kate Herndon, Carson Lindsey, Olivia Wilmoth, Allie Zwiers, and Tim Zwiers.  

  

 We also have our Tween DNow coming up on February 6 & 7. This is such a fun time for our 4th-6th graders as they worship with other Tweens from Brandon First UMC!  

 

Please check out our webpage to find out what other events are coming up!  

Jennifer Mayeu, Director of Children's Programming
Carolyn Jones, Director of Early Childhood
Sheri Blankenship, Director of Elementary Childhood
children@crossgatesumc.org
Youth
The Gathering DNOW Weekend- CG Youth will be attending The Gathering Student Conference at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson Feb. 27- Mar. 1. We will split into small groups to stay in host homes around town and attend large worship sessions together at Christ UMC throughout the weekend. This is a great time for discipleship as we will have opportunities for small group discussions as well as fellowship time with over 1,000 youth from across Mississippi.  

 

Who:          7th-12th graders

Where:      Christ UMC/Host homes

When:        Feb. 27-Mar. 1/money due by Sunday Feb. 22

Cost:           $50   

 

John Joiner, Youth Director

jjoiner@crossgatesumc.org 

Adults
Have you stuck to the resolutions you made the first of the year?  If you're like me, you broke one or two on the second day of January.  But if one of your goals for the new year was to grow closer to God and get more involved in the life of the church, it's not too late!  We have so many opportunities for adults of all ages to get involved.   Join a Sunday School Group, a small group on Sunday or Wednesday nights, check out a short-term study, join us for SOUL Saturdays, connect with United Methodist Men or United Methodist Women, come to Pastor's Study, and if you're 65 and older come join us at Forever Young each month.  And these are just a few ways to get involved.  If you just haven't found the right fit for you this new year let me help!  

Peace, Allison 



Pastor's Study will continue in February each Monday @ 10:00AM in the Banquet Room.

Book Club-
Join us every Wednesday @ 6:15pm in the Parlor.

Women's Study-
Our current group meets on Sunday evenings, but a new small group may be forming soon.  If you are interested in being a part of a group, contact Rev. Allison.

Forever Young will meet on Thursday, February 5th @ 11:30AM in the Activity Center Banquet Room.  If you haven't joined us before, you are missing out & and we've been missing you! Sign up outside Rev. Allison's office by Tuesday, Feb. 3rd.

Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group meets the 1st Thursday of each month in the main building, room 326.  The next scheduled meeting is Thursday, February 5th @ 4:30PM.  A light supper is served. If you know of someone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, be sure to invite them to attend.  

United Methodist Men
will have their monthly breakfast meeting on Sunday, Feb. 8th @ 7am in the Activity Center.  The guest speaker will be Sara Thomas, who many believe 
will be the first NFL female referee.

Short-Term Study
-Sundays @ 5:00PM in Room 324 join Explore the Bible with Chuck Barlow for the last 2 of 4 sessions: Feb 8 & Feb 15 and
Wednesdays @ 6:15pm starting Feb. 25th
- Lenten Study w/ Tom Pace in Banquet Room

United Methodist Women will hold their General Meeting on Tuesday, February 10th @ 6:30PM in the Activity Center.  All are welcome to attend.
  
Rev. Allison Dickerson, Associate Pastor

adickerson@crossgatesumc.org
Music
What a wonderful season of worship and music we experienced during Christmas!  Thank you again to all who participated and helped make the season so memorable.  I hope you have recuperated because 2015 has a lot in store for you, musically, starting with Sunday evening, February 15th.  As you read in Rev. Chris' article, our church family will come together to dine, hear Chris discuss all the wonderful things he heard during his conversations with members, and enjoy a few of the choir's favorite anthems.  I look forward to seeing you then!

 

If you, a family member, and/or a friend are interested in joining one of our ensembles, don't worry because it is not too late to join!  This is the perfect time of year to hop into a group as they prepare for Easter and Spring festivities.  Please let me know if you have any questions pertaining to our music ministry!  Stay tuned for more information on upcoming events happening later this year!

 

Ben Turner, Director of Music

bturner@crossgatesumc.org

SERVE
A Chicken Dinner Benefit for Kramer Sowell will be held on Saturday, February 7th @ Brandon High School from 11:00AM-1:00PM.  The cost is $10/plate lunch.  Tickets can be purchased in the church office.  This event is sponsored by Brandon High School Ag Dept and Crossgates United Methodist Church.  Donations are welcome.  Make checks payable to CUMC with Kramer written in the memo section.

Special SOUL Saturday- Saturday, Feb. 7th helping with the Benefit for Kramer Sowell
We will need groups to help cook at the high school from 7-10am & a serving/distributing team from 10am until 1:00pm at the high school. If you are interested email Rev. Allison.
Don't forget to join us on the 3rd Saturday of EACH month for SOUL (Serving Out Unconditional Love) Saturday! You only have to sacrifice ONE Saturday morning a month and you will be amazed at how blessed you feel while serving others!!  Watch for opportunities on the Serving Ministries Board and your newsletter.

Dream of Serving God Abroad?  Serve with us in BRAZIL June 27th-July 3rd.  To find out more or sign up, email Rev. Allison.

Rev. Allison Dickerson, Associate Pastor
adickerson@crossgatesumc.org
 
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