Meandering through the Rocky Mountains on our way to the coast, I hear a little voice pipe up from the backseat of the minivan asking the age-old question all small children ask on a road trip, “Are we there yet?” I responded, for the umpteenth time in the last hour, “Not quite, but we are closer than we were before.” Little did my girls know, we still had eight hours to our destination and it was going to be a long trip.
This last year in Community Life has often felt like a long road trip through the mountains—turns and twists, highs and lows and the recognition that we are not quite there yet. September began like all good trips do with a great playlist, coffee in hand and a full tank of gas. The excitement and anticipation of a new start in Community Life was quickly met with unexpected road construction. You know the kind I am talking about, where the vehicle in front of you hits the brakes, turns the car off and gets out to stretch their legs because they have no idea how long the wait will be. You begin to scroll through your options while you wait. Do you complain? Do you look to your phone for distraction, or do you just turn around?
In the middle of another unexpected pandemic shutdown, we in Community Life decided to make the most of the wait. Instead of scrolling on our phones to pass the time, we decided we would launch several mid-sized communities that would help us be inwardly strong and outwardly focused. We started a weekly prayer meeting, monthly worship and prayer gatherings happened, and courses on listening to God and inner healing were offered alongside our mainstay programs of Alpha, Foundations, Women’s, Men’s and Singles’ Ministries. If we couldn’t meet in homes, then we would gather in larger numbers to know Jesus together and encourage one another to reach Central Alberta for Christ.
We have seen Jesus at work in a multiple of ways over the past year. Last October our entire church paused to think about all of the things we have to be thankful for—pandemic or not. We created a Sukkah (check out Leviticus 23:33-43), in order to remember and celebrate God’s Thanksgiving Holiday in the Bible, and we took time multiple weeks to pause, reflect, show gratitude and worship.
This past Palm Sunday, we were able to witness a number of individuals who had given their lives to Jesus at Alpha, declare their followership of Christ in front of the whole church. Some of them are now serving in Alpha and others are currently joining Denise for our Foundations Course. In our courses on Inner Healing and Listening to God, we are hearing things from the participants like, “Most of my life I feel I was living 50 percent for God. And lately, I feel that God is increasing and ramping that up to 100 percent!” Another participant said that for the first time in her life she heard the small voice of Jesus and it calmed her anxiety!
These are just a few ways Jesus has been working during our stop in construction—which really hasn’t been a stop at all because God’s kingdom marches on! We have so many small group leaders and ministry leaders who have been faithful to serving Jesus as we waited for restrictions to lift. You know who you are and we are thankful for you!
Now we are back on the road with no construction in sight (fingers crossed), and as we drive, we know that we are not there quite yet—there is much to be done in Community Life. We need Jesus to raise up people like you to facilitate small groups, build community and help CrossRoads people grow in their faith. We also know that as we travel this journey, we are closer than we were before and we have seen Jesus do many good things among us!
Pastor Jordan
jordanc@crossroadschurch.ca
