Everybody needs hope. Find out how hope is becoming more and more a theme of our church these days, and how it's pretty much at the core of what we do.
Spring and hope
Thanks for the numerous and encouraging emails and texts from my message last Sunday. As always, I try to speak from my heart and the Bible with truth and love as your pastor. Jon Tisevich and I plan to continue to do that.
We had our first significant snow this week, and I thought it might encourage you to know the Reds' spring training is just a month away! Spring and Hope reign eternally! Speaking of baseball...I saw a great article about Hank Aaron. It goes well with my message from last Sunday, because everybody, whether they follow Jesus or not, needs hope and wants to believe there is a better place. Hope is becoming more and more a theme of our church these days. It's not only a part of our mission statement, 'We exist to help people find hope and a home in Jesus', it is pretty much at the core of what we do. I'm glad.
Making the world better
We also continue to be engaged in ongoing conversations about how our world can be a better place and how we can make 'down here' (on Earth) look more like 'up there' (in Heaven). We do this so we can answer the prayer of Jesus, that we would be one - so the world could be won. Toward that end, we have been having great success with our newly started Extensions conversations. Leaning into difficult, but necessary dialogue (not debate) about what's happening in our church and world.
Now that it's February, I'm sure many of you are trying to figure out how to celebrate Valentine's Day in a COVID restricted world. Well, we have you covered with our Extensions: Date Night on February 13. You can attend in-person or online and have a great time with your spouse as you grow together as a couple. Attend online for $20 or, even better, attend in-person for $59 and have some amazing Bier Haus Bourbon Chicken.
Sign up for either option, but the deadline for in-person is Feb 7.
Check out Extensions!
Strategic initiatives
As you may have heard, we are also focusing on FOUR major strategic initiatives as we move boldly into 2021.
- We will reach new people and spread the good news.
- We will create a movement of missionaries by launching four movement leaders in the next 12 months.
- We will (in addition to maintaining our original intent) be repurposing (actually re-envisioning) our wonderful facility to become a beacon of Hope for the Tri-state area.
- We will transform the church into a spiritual leadership and development engine.
We also have four other initiatives which align well with 'The Big 4.' They involve
- increasing our diversity and inclusivity
- improving our communication
- increasing generosity
- taking a new look at what we measure as a church beyond bodies, bucks, and buildings (developing a new scoreboard)
Toward that end, one of our Task Force Teams is laser focused on the current and future use of our first-class facilities, and they are looking for some bright ideas. We want to encourage anyone who calls Whitewater Crossing home to feel free to submit an idea.
Here's our PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: At Whitewater Crossing, we have a remarkable campus designed to be meeting centric. A world-wide pandemic changed the way we think about meetings in large groups. In addition to maintaining our original intent, how can we repurpose our wonderful facilities to help people in the Tri-state area find hope in Jesus and a home in His local church? Submit your ideas by email to jburgin@whitewatercrossing.org or by calling (513) 807-7200.
lastly...
This Sunday, we conclude our Brighten with Flavor series on being Salt and Light. Join us then - snow or not!
P.S. We've recently launched a new e-giving platform that makes online giving easier and more flexible for people. (Plus, it will save the church money through lower banking fees, which we love on the Westside!) If you haven't made the switch yet, could I ask you to take time and do so today at you earliest convenience? Here is how:
Option A
Step 1: Go to whitewatercrossing.org/give
Step 2: Click the "Secure Donation Portal" button
Step 3: If prompted, login or create a new profile
Step 4: Click the "recurring" button
Step 5: Complete fund and payment options and submit!
Option B
Let us complete the process for you. Contact Beth Maxey at 513-661-5811 x116.
I'm convinced this new tool will allow even more people to find help and hope in Jesus.
Contact Info:
Website: http://whitewatercrossing.org
Email: info@whitewatercrossing.org