Here are some ministry updates and links I think you will appreciate…

Online Services. We hope you are encouraged by our Sunday worship services. Your online comments and greetings mean a lot, as they are the only way we know you’re out there and how you’re doing. We are excited that hundreds of people are hearing the gospel and “visiting” our church through this media. Please continue to share the link and as always, we appreciate your prayers. Our service is broadcast live at 10:30am each Sunday on our church Facebook page. We hope to see restrictions for public gatherings ease in the weeks ahead, but expect it will still be a while before we can fully re-open services to the public.

Giving. Thank you for your support which makes our ministry possible. We know this is a difficult time for many. God is taking care of our needs, but we do feel the pressure along with everyone else. Sherry just told me we received several gifts this last week into our benevolence fund. Thank you!! If the Lord has blessed you with a little extra, please consider a donation to our benevolence fund, which is used by the deacons to help families in need. To support this cause, just write “Benevolence” on the memo when writing your check or using Paypal. May the Lord bless you. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).

Elijah Coloring Sheets. Our church is doing a kids Coloring Contest this week. Let me know if you’d like to participate! I have several additional sheets that go along with our Sunday morning series on Elijah. You can download the whole packet here, which includes coloring pages and short Bible Stories for your kids on the passages we’ll study in the weeks ahead. 

VBS Training Workshop. Vacation Bible School is our church’s biggest outreach event of the year, and is scheduled for July 27-31. If you have children entered 1st through 8th grade this fall, we invite you to participate. We are also looking for helpers with snacks, crafts, games, and in each classroom. A Virtual Training Conference has been set up with online videos and tutorials that you can watch anytime. However, there is a special hour of training tomorrow at 10am via Zoom. This is an association-wide event so there will be churches from throughout Southern California participating. To receive the Zoom link and be eligible to win prizes, please pre-register for this event.

Thank You, Sherry. This past Wednesday was “Administrative Professionals Day.” We want to say a big THANK YOU to our secretary Sherry for over 15 years of faithful service. Sherry, we appreciate all you to do answer phones, process mail, pay bills, print bulletins, pray and encourage us all when we’re a little down, and find strength in the Lord to keep that positive attitude. We are are truly grateful for you. 

Missionary Biography. Natalie discovered a marvelous little missionary biography that was written for children. “There are SO many missionaries I have never heard of! And certainly a number I have learned of. I have just gotten through William Carey & was struck by the number of people I read before I got to him. People faithfully sharing Christ & even giving their very lives for kingdom work. What a blessing to read of missionaries God raised up before “Modern Missions”. Even Bible translation work (learning the language, writing local grammars, translating the Bible — the whole thing!) was already happening. I am so excited to have found this jewel & thought you might appreciate it, too.” You can download it for free here.

Virtual Walk for Life 2020. The Hi Desert Pregnancy Clinic needs our help. My family plans to walk next Saturday, May 2, at 9am to raise money for the clinic, and we invite you to join us. You can either sponsor our walk, or better yet, join our team page on GoFundMe, schedule your own walk, and ask some friends to sponsor you! All donations go directly to the pregnancy clinic.  You can do the walk any time, but it would be really fun if several of us all walked (independently) on the same day. You even have the opportunity to buy a commemorative 2020 Walk for Life t-shirt through the pregnancy clinic. One of our church members, Elissa Roberson, is on the board of the clinic and can testify just how much they need our support.   

Life After COVID. “The coronavirus has caused economic and societal changes I never thought I would see in my lifetime. What do  you think will be the long-term effects of this and what adjustments to  my finances should I be making now?” Chuck Bentley of Crown Financial Ministries has a unique perspective on things we should leave behind and things we should take forward. You can read it here on his blog. I think you will be both encouraged and convicted. These are great items to pray over too.

If you have any needs or prayer requests, or know of anyone else in need, please let us know.

Exalting Christ Together,

Pastor Stephen

This week, I ventured out into the world for my first full shopping trip since the pandemic broke. Thankfully, stores were pretty well stocked again. Many staples were back on shelves. Clerks and customers were all friendly and a bit more relaxed.

Aside from the plexiglass sneeze guards and ubiquitous face masks, you might not have known anything was wrong. But I found myself spontaneously thanking God for the little things. A clean shopping cart. Thank you Lord! A package of toilet paper. Thank you Lord! A bag of flour. Thank you Lord! Good health to be out and about. Thank you Lord! I was reminded of the time I returned from a missions trip to the Philippines, and felt humbled and amazed at all the first-world comforts we usually take for granted.

In spite of these blessings, our hearts still ache while we are apart. We continue to pray for you, and hope to be back together soon. Here are some announcements for the week…

Benevolence Fund. By now, some of you may have received your stimulus checks in the mail or direct deposited into your bank account. For some of you, this emergency cash is much needed, and we praise God for his provision. If you find yourself doing OK, please consider giving a portion of this money to our benevolence fund, which is used by the deacons to help families in need. Our reserves have dwindled in the past year, and we expect a new surge of benevolence cases as the pandemic and its effects drag on. We want to be prepared to meet those needs, and are asking for each of you to make a generous donation. If you would like to give to this cause, just mail a check to the church with the word “benevolence” on the memo line, or use our Paypal donation link and put “benevolence” in the comments. Gifts to both our general fund and our benevolence fund are tax-deductible.

Easter Celebration Service. Did you miss last Sunday’s Easter Service? You can still go back and watch it on our YouTube Channel. After a few songs and taking the Lord’s Supper, the sermon starts at 19:00. From John 20, we looked at Mary Magdalene’s eyewitness account of Easter morning, and the complete transformation that Jesus’ resurrection should make in each of our lives.

New Sermon Series. This Sunday we begin a brand new series on the prophet Elijah. You can prepare by reading 1 Kings 16-17. We will pick up the story with Elijah the Tishbite quarantined by a small stream, fed by ravens, discouraged by an immoral society, and bracing for economic collapse. In that moment, Elijah discovers that God will always take care of his chosen people. What a lesson we need today! Invite a friend to join us on Facebook Live.

Be Anxious For Nothing. One of our former members, Tiffany Zajac, has been earning a degree in biblical counseling, and recently wrote a term paper on Anxiety. I encourage you to give it a read. “The reality of God’s sovereignty can only provide comfort if one has an accurate understanding of the character of the One in control. Sovereign control by a vindictive, unloving, insensible God would hardly be comforting. Only by acquiring a Biblical view of God can one struggling with anxiety begin to find peace and comfort in the reality of His sovereignty over the chaotic events of this world.” Amazingly, she wrote this before the pandemic. Another reminder that God’s word is living and active, always sufficient for life’s problems. Click here to read the full paper.

Sermon Podcast. We’re pleased to announce we just posted our 600th episode on our podcast, “Feed My Sheep.” We now have over twelve years of sermons from Crossview Bible Church representing 600 episodes and 13,000 downloads. Praise the Lord! This includes all of our Romans series, 1&2 Corinthians, Gospel of Mark, Ecclesiastes, Titus, 1 John, and more. If you could do me a favor, please locate our podcast in iTunes and rate us, which helps get the word out to others. Our latest episodes include my recent sermons on Habakkuk 3 and Psalm 56, and Karl Heitman’s message on Job 1-2. All very timely as we minister the gospel during a pandemic.

VBS Training Workshop. Just a reminder, our Vacation Bible School has been moved to July 27-31. The Training Clinic, however, is next Saturday, April 25, at 10am via Zoom. It will be hosted by our Inland Empire Baptist Association. You must pre-register to get the link and be eligible to win prizes. We are going to need helpers with snacks, crafts, games, and more. If you think you might be able to help us with VBS 2020, then please register for this online meeting!

Exalting Christ Together,

Pastor Stephen