Dixie Ford, Associate Pastor
I STOOD IN THE LOBBY of our church and watched as two members of Crosscreek decided to walk across the street and meet the neighbors who were outside in their front yard. Why? Because it’s what Jesus would do. Because our church covenant says that we will share our faith and care for our neighbors. Because they didn’t want to just read Scripture or the church covenant and say they agree; they wanted to live it. With no agenda other than meeting and being neighbors, they lived what they believed and shone with the welcoming light of Christ, right across the street.
| It was a beautiful example of the people of Crosscreek taking seriously our calling to share the Good News—the Good News that God is Love and that all people are welcome and have a place in God’s love story. |
We celebrate the God who gives life, and we know that God has given life to the whole world. So, we will maintain an outreach, strongly evangelical, in which each member seeks by personal witness of life, influence, and word to share his or her faith in Jesus Christ.
We know that what we do with and for our neighbors matters to God and our humanity. So we will practice a social concern which seeks justice for everyone, and which results in active ministry to our local community, and the whole world.
Sharing our faith and caring for our neighbors is in our covenant because it is the work we see Jesus doing and the work we believe we are called to continue. For God so loved the world; therefore, so shall we. From making Easter baskets for local children in need to rebuilding houses with brothers and sisters in poverty-stricken countries, from leading recovery efforts for local tornado victims to helping underserved children states away learn to swim—Crosscreek is committed to knowing and loving our neighbors and working for justice, healing, equity, and dignity for all of our neighbors, locally and globally.
For God so loved the world; therefore, so shall we.
| As we examine our church covenant over the next few months, may we be reminded of who we are and of why we do what we do. May we continue to take seriously our calling to share our faith and love all people. May we continue to seek to understand and live out our identity as followers of Jesus. May we be inspired to level walls and erase borders, recognizing all people as neighbors, intentionally created and loved by God. May we remain connected to Jesus, our vine, and to each other, our siblings in Christ, so that we may die to self-interest and bear much fruit. May we rely on the Holy Spirit to empower us to faithfully and responsibly share our faith, to establish justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with our God, and to walk across the street and meet the neighbors. |