This summer, set sail for VBS fun!  Join us for a week of adventure as we navigate God’s truths.  Kids will explore stations, including crafts, snacks, games and theater where they will hear a daily Bible Point.  At High Seas Expedition, the daily Bible Point is carefully integrated into each station’s activities to reinforce Bible learning. Each activity is an important part of kids’ overall learning experience—kind of like the pieces of a puzzle.

Information:

August 2 — August 5
Monday — Thursday
6:00 to 8:30 PM

We welcome kids age 4 through 11.

Pre-school program for 2 & 3 year olds, and nursery for infants to age 2 is available for the children of parents who are volunteering.

There is no fee to attend.

Kids aged 12 and older may volunteer.

Contact the church office, 322-6400 for more information, or e-mail vbs.crossroads@yahoo.com.

Registration Forms at the Resource Desk, as well as volunteer forms or register online below.

Through the years we have refined our search process as we hire new staff at Crossroads.  Early on in our 17 year history we learned the hard way that asking the hard questions and watching for the “red flags” is crucial in the hiring process.  It can be easy to jump ahead of the process and gloss over the warning signs when the need for leadership is urgent.  Here is a brief overview of the process.  There is more to it but I don’t want to overwhelm you with details:

• Our prayer team is mobilized!
• We need to clearly define and prioritize our greatest needs in the area of leadership.  It is clear that we need a Worship Arts Director at Crossroads.
• When we’ve established the need to hire a new staff member we do our best to articulate a position description knowing that there will be adjustments as we get to know the gifts and strengths of our new leader.
• We proactively seek out quality candidates we know and invite them to apply while advertizing on key websites.
• The staff sorted through some 52 résumés and applications that included DVD’s, audio or websites that sampled the candidates worship leading skills.
• We conducted 9 phone interviews with prospective candidates and narrowed the field to 3 candidates all the while sifting through additional résumés and video samples.
• During the initial phase the Search Team, including staff, Praise Team leaders and elders, was formed and they sorted through the top candidates.
• The top three did an extended behavioral interview with Kris and Drew.  Behavioral interviews work on the premise that “the best predictor of future success is past behavior”.  We don’t ask what they would do, we find out what they’ve done.
• The top three were also asked to take a leadership assessment test (Caliper) that matches their gifts with our position description.
• Our top three candidates, the “cream of the crop”, made it through each of these steps so we invited them to come and lead us at a weekend service.  During the process of scheduling visits the Lord removed two of the potential candidates.
• Many of you participated in our primary candidate’s (Jeff Whitney) visit to Crossroads on June 10 & 11.  We gave everyone a chance to meet Jeff and see him in action while the search team conducted an extended interview and the praise team had the opportunity to meet him and ask questions as well.
• Our final step in the process is to check his references.
• The Search Team then meets (July 8 ) to make a recommendation to the Road Crew (July 12) for their approval.

With slight adjustments this is the process used to hire each individual staff member in the past 10 years.  Hiring new team members can be a stressful time for me.  There are so many variables involved and so many things to consider.  How one individual relates can radically impact the chemistry of our team.  Making the wrong choice can have a ripple effect that hinders Kingdom impact.  However, I am learning to trust God and how He uses the process.  I am excited about how I have seen Him at work in the current process and I know He will provide the right person to lead us in the unique role of Worship Arts Director.

There are several obvious benefits of this type of format. First, there is a church wide focus on a particular topic or passage of Scripture for the week. In most church settings, one topic/passage is discussed in the weekend message, another in the Tuesday morning Bible study or weekly small group, another in children’s and youth gatherings. With one singular topic being discussed in multiple venues and in different ways, we can move beyond mere exposure to actual knowledge. Here’s a test: What was the topic of last weekend’s message? The message a month ago? It’s gone before we can ever truly apply it.

Another plus is that each group still maintains its own flavor or personality that makes it unique and impacting. People are more attentive during the weekend services, because they know they will be discussing this later in the week. There is more note-taking to have as a reference for further discussion. The neat thing in this format is that anyone can discuss what they heard – everyone has an opinion – no matter where they may be in terms of spiritual maturity. The study is not a rehashing of the weekend message, but rather takes biblical passages that are either complimentary or parallel to the main text but not covered. It allows the hearers, to take the discussion deeper than what can be covered in a large group. In other words, it takes the Word of God and plants it in our hearts and lives better than any thirty minute message could ever do.

Are you ready to jump in and see how this works? I’m pleased to say that over 50 of you said YES just last weekend. You can continue to sign-up at the Resource Desk the next couple of weekends. These groups will kick off after the weekend services of January 9-10.

If you have signed up, or are interested in being a leader/facilitator or host, we will be having a meeting on Tuesday, December 15th at 7PM at the church. We’ll answer any questions you might have or contact me at dbrown@aboutccc.com.

“Nicholas and the Nativity”
JAM Children’s Christmas Musical
December 6th
3:00 PM

In the CCC Auditorium

Thank you to all of the children who took the time to try out for special parts in this year’s children’s Christmas musical-play.  We are excited about the impact you are sure to have on many hearts as you combine all of your gifts and talents to perform together.

Posted below are the selections for parts in the play.  You will also find more information about practices and our December 6th performance!

Nick: Andrew Ericks

Joseph: Tom Ericks

Mary: Jaylin Hair

Readers:

Reader 1: Collette Bouwer

Reader 2: Evalin Hair

Reader 3: Justin BeBoer

Reader 4: Savannah Kitchens

Reader 5: Megan Kirby

Reader 6: Jessica DeBoer

Reader 7: Alex Eenigenburg

Reader 8 : Kade Bouwer

Reader 9: Matthew Eagen

Dancers:

Ashley Smith

Zeta Johnson

Savannah Kitchens

Chloe Kaminski

Maddie Nohos

Angel and solo:

Sarah Mapes:  Sings Joy to the world 2^nd verse

Solos:

Erin Rockhill: Sings the first and the last solos in Call His name Jesus

Maddie Nohos:  Sings the 2^nd solo in Call His name Jesus

Kyle Nohos: Sings 2^nd and 3^rd Verse of  Little Drummer Boy

Madison Young: Sings all solo parts in When Love Came Down

Wisemam:

Jason Schutt

Grant Buikema

Eric Blankenship

(All boys will sing as a group some parts of the song We Three Kings)

Sheperd:

Ben Meter

Evan Holland

Brandon Schutt

Michael Zajac

(All boys will sing as a group a SMALL solo in the song Who is this Child)

Our First Practice is Saturday November 14th from 5:30 – 6:45 (during the Saturday evening service).  All of the above parts should attend!

Special Note: the December 4th Practice has been changed to Thursday, December 3rd from 6:00-7:30 pm
All of the parts above need to attend this practice!

]]> http://www.aboutccc.com/nicholas-and-the-nativity-a-ccc-childrens-musical-play/feed/ 0 http://www.aboutccc.com/we-november-7-8-thru-november-28-29/ http://www.aboutccc.com/we-november-7-8-thru-november-28-29/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:16:26 +0000 kvos http://aboutccc.com/?p=518 The November Series at Crossroads is all about how we do life together.   The way you love the people in your life echoes through eternity.  Learning to love each other through pain, betrayal and frustrations of every day relationships is the kind of love Christ modeled and the kind of love God requires of us!  It’s time to stop throwing relationships aside when they hit some rough spots.  If you desire to discover all that God has for your relational life we’ll see you in November.

Over 350 volunteers were mobilized on November 1.  If you were part of the team that served:  St. Jude, Lake Area Regional Recovery of Indiana (LARRI – Those recovering from the floods!), Hearts in Motion, etc. Resale Shop, Dyer Nursing Home, and families in need in our community then tell us how it went.

Sermon-based groups are based on the familiar lecture-lab model seen in most educational models. There is a large group lecture – in our case the weekend message – followed up by a smaller class for grading homework, answering questions, discussing the substance of the lecture – a lab. Imagine the weekend message as a lecture on Christian living, and the small group as a lab where you get to roll up your sleeves and discuss how the weekend’s message works out in real life.

There are several obvious benefits of this type of format. First, there is a church wide focus on a particular topic or passage of Scripture for the week. In most church settings, one topic/passage is discussed in the weekend message, another in the Tuesday morning Bible study or weekly small group, another in children’s and youth gatherings. With one singular topic being discussed in multiple venues and in different ways, we can move beyond mere exposure to actual knowledge. Here’s a test: What was the topic of last weekend’s message? The message a month ago? It’s gone before we can ever truly apply it.

Another plus is that each group still maintains its own flavor or personality that makes it unique and impacting. People are more attentive during the weekend services, because they know they will be discussing this later in the week. There is more note-taking to have as a reference for further discussion. The neat thing in this format is that anyone can discuss what they heard – everyone has an opinion – no matter where they may be in terms of spiritual maturity. The study is not a rehashing of the weekend message, but rather takes biblical passages that are either complimentary or parallel to the main text but not covered. It allows the hearers, to take the discussion deeper than what can be covered in a large group. In other words, it takes the Word of God and plants it in our hearts and lives better than any twenty minute message could ever do.

Are you ready to jump in and see how this works? Join the Schoons (Jim and Joan) and Moes (Mark and Laura) beginning Sunday, May 10^th at 6 PM at 5343 W. 83^rd Place in Crown Point.

We had 110 volunteers cutting, splitting and delivering wood.  We delivered wood to 47 homes in the area that will be able to keep their families warm this winter!

Thanks to Crossroads and Calvary Church of Orland Park for being the hands and feet of Christ!