My blessing for today...

[Mike Vande]

...is my church family, Crosspoints Church of Lenexa, Ks. The church was originally started back in the late 60’s, concurrent with and a part of the Jesus Movement and the Charismatic Movement. From what I have been told, the church and its pastor at that time, Ernie Gruen, cast a pretty long shadow over the Pentecostal/charismatic community in the Midwest. When I arrived, it was under its original name, Full Faith Church of Love. A few years ago, the pastoral team started feeling the unction to look for a new name. After a time in that mode, a minister who visits us occasionally confirmed that for Pastor Don Lewis; he said that we needed to change the name, because “it’s answering questions that no one is asking anymore”. It took a couple of years of prayer and going through a lot of names, but Crosspoints Church is what we finally settled on.

I arrived at Full Faith in fairly bad shape. My depression was kicking me around like football, intensified by a worsening diabetic condition I was unaware of and rising blood pressure. My car was falling apart, my employer cut my income by using me to move equipment around the warehouse instead of making deliveries, and I was gradually falling hopelessly further and further behind on my mortgage. To say it was hard times would be an understatement.

I had previously left a church because I had been told by one of the elders that I was becoming a more of a burden than I was worth, and I didn’t think anyone was taking me seriously. I had been looking for a church for over a year. Some folks might have seen me as angry, but mostly I was just unbearably sad. I couldn’t stop thinking about my failures in life, how much time I had wasted and how little time I had left. I wasn’t suicidal, but I honestly thought the next thing that was going to happen to me was my death.

I started attending our church’s Doorway Class, sort of a primer for and on the church. We were taught its history, introduced to the various members of the pastoral staff and their wives, and told about the leadership’s vision and mission for the church. In the interim, I started working with the worship team, and things started seeming a little less hopeless for while.

When my job was finally downsized out of existence, my church helped me financially and prayerfully, and I found a job. When my car died its final death, one of the elders actually drove me to work until I was given another car by a couple on the worship team. When I wanted counseling, the lead pastor of our church took time from his already busy schedule to meet and counsel with me. Pastor Don reassured me, as did many others in our body, that I was a wanted and valuable member of our church body, and not just for my musical gifts. They have been with me through some hard things since then, and I know I can count on them.

I am grateful to God for my church body.

[cndlou]

This is something that is very important in our lives... I probably couldn't have really said that a couple of years ago... Out of the bad...God will always turn it to good....

[Jennifer Smith]

Mike, Sounds as though you have really found a good one.

Your church's previous name is funny!

Thanks for sharing with us!