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Crosswinds A Congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Sunday Worship 9:00 & 10:30am

Crosswinds Monthly Newsletter September 2017

Crosswinds is committed to Enjoying God,

Loving one another, and Serving the community.

Pre-Anniversary Info & Events

Message from

Michael Page 3

Yard Sale November 3 & 4

Page 3

Advent

Brainstorming September 20, 7:00 pm

Page 4

Ways to help Page 4

Music Concert September 30, 7:39

page 5

Crosswinds

Talent Show October 22, 7:00 pm

Page 5

November 18th, 11:00am—3:00pm Community Thanksgiving Festival

Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving

(Psalms 95:2)

Crosswinds is taking the celebration out into the

community. Even though the church has only been at

this location for less than 10 of our 25 years as a

congregation, the Session is grateful to the people of this

community. They were welcoming when we moved in,

and they continue to be open and friendly to our

presence.

See page 2 for more information.

November 19th, 12:00pm Crosswinds’ Anniversary Celebration

Come and see what God has done

(Psalms 66:5)

Following worship, there will be a dinner for the congregation and all our guests. The celebration will look back at some of the important events and people that, with God’s guidance, have made Crosswinds the congregation it is today.

See page 2 for more information.

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November 18th Community Thanksgiving Festival

11:00am - 3:00pm

Let us come into God’s

presence with thanksgiving; (Psalms 95:2)

The Anniversary celebration will include an

outreach to the community. This event will

replace our annual Fall Festival, and will

include many of our traditional activities (no

costumes, though.)

However, this festival will be during the day,

and the church will make a greater effort to

involve the community. We want our guests

to have fun, see our wonderful facilities, learn

about our ministries and missions, and maybe

even become part of our community.

Although it is still early, the plans for the

Thanksgiving Festival include:

Hamburgers & hot dogs

Water & soda

Bouncy house

Live music by multiple bands

Games and activities for all ages

Crosswinds Mission Fair

And much, much more!

If you want to help in the planning, or have

some suggestions, talk to Ron Eshelman,

Tamara Yanke, or Karen Hopper.

November 19th Crosswinds’ Anniversary

Celebration, 12:00pm

Come and see what God has done

(Psalms 66:5)

10:30am Worship

Crosswinds will begin the day by bringing

the entire congregation together with a

single service at 10:30. During this

special service, the congregation will give

thanks for all God has done and ask God’s

blessings on the years to come.

12:oopm Dinner & Celebration

The celebration will look back at the some

of the important events and people that,

with God’s guidance, have made

Crosswinds the congregation it is today.

There will be a written history, some

videos, and lots of pictures!

The office is in the process of collecting all

the names and addresses of former

members and friends of the congregation.

If you have addresses for people you feel

would appreciate an invitation, please

send them to the church office.

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Message from Michael

Praise the Lord, and pray in his

name! Tell everyone what he has done.

Sing praises to the Lord! Tell about his

miracles. Celebrate and worship his holy

name with all your heart.

(Psalm 105:1-5)

In November we will be celebrating the 25th

anniversary of the church. Although the

party will be on the 19th, the church was

chartered on November 22, 1992. Of course,

the history of the church didn’t begin on that

day. In the Presbyterian denomination, when

the Presbytery believes that a congregation

has a dedicated core group of people that can

support and sustain a church, the Presbytery

charters them as an official congregation of

the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Much of

the hard work is done long before a church is

chartered.

After I arrived at Crosswinds in 2001, one of

the first things I did was to read old session

minutes and newsletters. I also made a point

to hear the stories of church members. To be

honest, I was amazed that the church made it

to 2001.

In the years before the church was chartered,

and the church’s first few years, Crosswinds

faced some serious challenges. Even though

the church was stable with a strong group of

core leaders when I arrived, the journey

wasn’t always easy. However, Crosswinds

survived. The congregation more than

survived. You faithfully served Christ for the

past 25 years. Through the giving of your

time, talents and treasures, you have

demonstrated the desire to serve the

community and love one another. You did this

with joy and compassion that can only be

possible through love and the ever present

Sprit of God. The faith has been a witness to

God’s grace.

The life of Crosswinds should be remembered

and celebrated.

This is modeled in scripture. At the heart of

the faith of the Hebrew people was

remembering the past. "Remember this day

on which you came out of Egypt,” [Exodus

13:3]. Remembering what God had done for

the Hebrew people assured them of their

relationship with God and filled them with

hope that God would always be with them.

Crosswinds has been blessed with many

faithful, dedicated Christians who have

served diligently for years. Many have

passed away and are with the Lord, but we

want to invite all those who are still with us to

our celebration on November 19th.

A great deal of help will be needed for these

two events, and I encourage you get involved.

More importantly, I ask you to make every

effort possible to join us for the day of

remembrance, celebration, and asking God’s

blessing on the future ministries and people of

Crosswinds.

Michael

Church Yard Sale

Friday, November 3, 7:00 am —1:00 pm

Saturday, November 4, 7:00 am—10:00 am

Bring your items to church! We can also use

people to help price on Thursday, November

2, and help with the sale on Friday &

Saturday. We will clean up at 10:00 am.

Why is the Yard Sale included in the

Anniversary activities? More than any other

event, the yard sale brings the community

into the

building. We

will use this

event to

advertise the

Community

Thanksgiving

Festival.

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A Unique Opportunity for

Crosswinds is Coming!

Join us September 20th at 7:00 pm

for More Information

What Can the Church Do to Bring in

Young Families?

This is a question many churches are

asking, including Crosswinds.

Congregations across the country and

across denominational lines are aging.

There are no simple answers or easy

programs to this dilemma.

However, Crosswinds as a unique

opportunity to reach the families in our

neighborhood.

Two events in November will bring

possibly hundreds of visitors onto our

church property; the Yard Sale on

November 3rd & 4th and the Community

Thanksgiving Festival on November 18th.

Advent begins two weeks later.

What if Crosswinds has a special

program or activity to invite and involve

some of these visitors to church during

Advent?

People are more likely to accept an

invitation to church during Christmas

and Easter than any other time of the

year. The invitation will more likely be

accepted if there is an activity for

children, or a topic that specifically

touches the needs of the families visiting

the church.

How can you help?

Attend this one-time gathering to

brainstorm ideas and ways of

encouraging our visitors to return to

Crosswinds.

Everyone is

invited to

join us on

September

20, 7:00pm

Michael

25th Anniversary

Your Help is Needed

November 18th,

Community Thanksgiving Festival

11:00 am—3:00 pm

November 19th,

Worship, 10:30 am (one service)

Celebration Dinner, 12:00 pm

This will be an exciting fall season for

Crosswinds. We have the opportunity of a

meaningful remembrance of how God has

blessed Crosswinds and an equally important

chance to reach out into the community. To

be successful, it is going to take a lot of

cooperation from the friends and families of

Crosswinds.

This may be a good time to look back at what

Crosswinds has meant to you and your own

faith journey and decide how you can now

help others on their own journey.

How can you help?

Maybe you can help in one of the following

areas.

Thanksgiving Festival Committee

Celebration Team

Celebration Dinner (Deacons will

oversee the meal, but they will need

help)

Publicity

Yard Sale

Advent Outreach

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Crosswinds Philharmonics Concert

September 30th, 7:00 pm

Crosswinds has one of the most amazing groups of

musicians, not just for a church our size, but any church.

This was made apparent at the 2016 & 2017 Battle of

the Bands.

By popular demand, Crosswinds will present an evening

of new and old favorites on September 30th, at 7:00 p.m.

This will be a wonderful time to invite

friends and colleagues to get a taste of

Crosswinds! (Refreshments will be

served!)

Crosswinds has Talent

October 22, 7:00 pm

As part of the buildup to the 25th Anniversary Celebration,

Crosswinds is reviving an old tradition - the Crosswinds

Talent Show, where Crosswinds was one of the most

popular groups.

So, can you sing, dance, or juggle? Do you have some

hidden talent you have just been dying to unhide? Well

now is your chance! Start rehearsing now and be ready to

sign up!

Even if you don’t have a talent, you won’t want to miss one of the most enjoyable events of

our past!

Both of these events

are free, but

donations will be

accepted. Donations

will go to help with

the 25th Anniversary

expenses.

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We Believe...

A Worship Series Exploring

Some of the Theological Beliefs

Important to the People of Crosswinds

The foundation of Christianity is the belief in Jesus Christ as Lord

and Savior. Beyond that, churches today and throughout the ages

have differed on theological doctrines.

Beginning September 17th, Crosswinds will begin a short worship series focusing on some of

the beliefs and doctrines that are important to the people of Crosswinds. Many of the topics

were suggested by the friends and families of the congregation.

Below is the topic and message title for the service each week.

September 17 What We Believe Introduction

“Why Do We Care?”

September 24 What We Believe About the Bible

“Is the Bible the Word of God?

October 1 What We Believe About Trust

“Why do Good Things Happen to Bad People”

October 8 What We Believe About Heaven and Hell

“Do They Really Exist?”

October 15 What We Believe in Faith and Good Works?

“Does It Matter How I Behave?”

October 22 What We Believe about Justification and Sanctification?

“What Do All Those ‘ifications’ Mean?”

October 29 What Do We Believe About the Reformation?

“How Luther Changed the World”*

Crosswinds’ Choir and Philharmonics have already begun working on special

music for these services. Both groups are always open to new members. The

Philharmonics rehearse on Mondays at 6:30 pm, and the Choir rehearses on

Thursdays at 7:00 pm.

*This year is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 96 Theses on the

door of the Wittenberg Church. This was the beginning of the Reformation.

Crosswinds will have a very special service in remembrance of this significant event.

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September

Birthdays

Tom Brock

Rick Splitstone Douglas Burton

Janet Berg

Alyse Zatorski

Teddie Revas Anne Lau

Bob Leonard

Phil Kuhns

Pat Gates

Sherri Heller Enzo Staley

Robert Cunningham

...and our newest addition,

Aurora-Zeau Mabborang-

Burton

Audio/Video

Volunteers are needed to help run the

computer during worship

services. Only minimal

computer skills are

needed. Speak to Rev.

Hartwell if interested.

Wednesday Bible Study

10:00 am beginning September 13th

To coordinate with the “We Believe” worship

service, and in honor of our Anniversary, we

are repeating one of the most popular studies

of the past.

“Being Presbyterian in the

Bible Belt”

Even if you participated in

the first study, this is a

wonderful review of some of

the basic beliefs of

Presbyterians!

In Memory Your prayers

Bonita Lowry

Bonita passed away on Friday, July 28. A

memorial service will be held at Crosswinds

on the evening of Saturday, November 25th.

Potluck

September 17

11:30 am

A time to share a meal

and chat about our ministry at Crosswinds

It is going to be a true Potluck!

There isn’t going to be any signup, or any list

of food to bring. Everyone is asked to bring a

dish to share!

Lend-a-Hand Begins

Lend-a-Hand will begin on September 12, and

will meet on the second Tuesday of every

month at 10:00 am. Lend-a-Hand is open to all

women of the church and their friends.

Members of Lend-a-hand will participate in

projects such as the We

Care hygiene packets.

We hope to see you there!

Congratulations!

Aurora-Zeau Olyvene

Mabborang-Burton was born on

September 3rd, at 8:27am. She

was 7 lbs 1 oz, 19.5 inches at

birth.

The parents are Maria Mabborang (Mikka)

and Douglas Burton. The proud grandmother

is Cheryl Burton.

Nominating Committee

Meeting September 13th,

7:00pm

The Nominating Committee will begin its

work in calling Ruling Elders and Deacons for

the coming year. As they begin their work,

pray for them, and discern if God may be

calling you to serve..

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Crosswinds Presbyterian Church

20125 N 15th Ave

Phoenix, Arizona 85027

The high water from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey may be subsiding, but the long-

term threat in Texas is far from over. In the Houston area, emergency crews are still

going door-to-door looking for people who may still be in their homes. As the water

recedes, the threat of mold and contaminated water supplies from local chemical plants

and refineries continues to complicate recovery efforts.

Several Presbyterian Churches were damaged. “The severity of damage depends on

where you are. At least 18 congregations have had some type of water damage,” said

Lynn Hargrove, stated clerk for the Presbytery of the New Covenant based in Houston.

“One church had water shoulder-deep, about 5 to 6 feet, in their building. Others have

had a foot or less. I have a dozen pastors who have been flooded out of their homes along

with members of their churches.”

Donations can be made directly to Crosswinds (please indicate Hurricane Relief)

or online at https://pma.pcusa.org/donate/make-a-gift/gift-info/DR000169/

Learn more at http://pda.pcusa.org/situation/tropical-storm-harvey/