Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome to this Master Class. Glad that you are joining us on a journey of learning from the best practitioner of prayer ever. We learn about prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ. In this Master Class, we will be looking throughout the Gospels to see what lessons the Lord Jesus has taught regarding prayer so that we might become a people who learn to pray, not so that we can just have more things from God, but so that we can enjoy and encounter more of God and encourage others to do the same. This series on prayer is going to take a number of months. If I’m not miscounting, we have something like 30 different lessons which our Lord will teach on the topic. But we will take time during the holidays to prepare our hearts to receive our Lord and celebrate his incarnation as we anticipate his second advent!
But before we get talking about Christmas, let’s meet this Sunday to talk about CrossPoint Community. This Sunday, October 2, during the Sunday School hour, from 9:45 to 11:00 am, we will meet in room A-202 to have our bi-annual CrossPoint Community Town Hall Meeting. This is a meeting for you to hear from CrossPoint Community leaders to see what we have been doing and what we plan to be doing. I also will be presenting a SWOT analysis summary from the CrossPoint Community Ministry Committee. We will talk about our perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities we have for the future, and threats (aka future weaknesses). We will share this information so that we can bring to God what we have, including our hopes and fears.
If you have specific questions, please come and ask. Also, if there is something you want to share, just let me, or Elder Wu, or Deacon Tony know. We are looking forward to seeing you at the Town Hall meeting this coming Sunday.
Please continue to pray for the nation of Ukraine. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.
This Week (Sept. 30 – Oct. 6, 2022):
1. Tonight, Sept. 30, 2022, the Living Stones Friday Night Bible Study is meeting from 7:30-9:30 to continue our study in James in order to live out our faith. Join in person in Room A-216 or online via the following link:
https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. The Living Stones Sunday School and Grace Ambassadors Sunday School is postponed to accommodate the CrossPoint Community Town Hall Meeting. (Look under Events – to the right – to find a link to join online.)
3. This Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at 11:25 am, Pastor Nathan Willems will be preaching. Pray for him! Join us for worship at CBCGL! You can also watch the live stream if you wish.
a. Text: John 4:22-24
b. Title: In Spirit and Truth
c. Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/live-stream/
4. Each Wednesday, for example, this coming October 5, 2022, at 7:45 pm, you are invited, encouraged, and requested to join our weekly prayer meeting. We’ll spend time praying for the nations as well as praying for CrossPoint Community. The link is found below in the section on prayer.
Administration / Events
1. CrossPoint Community will hold our bi-annual Town Hall Meeting during the Sunday School hour on October 2 in Room A-202. Come to hear what we have done and what we plan on doing moving forward as a ministry. You can also come with questions and suggestions. But most of all, come with a cheerful heart ready to serve the Lord!
a. You can join online via the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/491248585?pwd=RnpLcnpjQ01nTGZLSmhaZ3l4L3dKQT09
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 403767
Join by phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
2. CBCGL’s COVID-19 guidance has been updated. We still are following CDC guidance for travel and participation in activities following travel or exposure to a positive case. We are no longer requiring new guests to complete the waiver form.
a. Please note, you are recommended, but not required to wear facemasks to church.
3. Sunday Lunch Service is back at CBCGL with $5 lunchboxes! To place an order, please use the following link: https://forms.gle/SJBrwGF4nb5w564DA Orders need to be placed by Friday at 11 pm so that the kitchen can prepare the correct amount of food. Note: The selection which states “Number of Meals” refers to the cooked food/lunch box/Chinese food option.
4. We have a missions update! This week, we have an update from Tim and Judy, who serve the Lord in Pittsburgh among international students at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh. They have a number of requests, and continue to ask for your prayers in their work of outreach and discipleship. Please check the missions tab in our bulletin to read through these reports and learn how you can support our missionaries.
5. All other announcements can be found here (in our CrossPoint Community bulletin).
For Prayer:
1. Our time in prayer shows what we think about God! Do you see your need of Him? Or are you trying to live this life without / apart from Him? Please join our Wednesday night prayer meeting (7:45 – 9:15 pm) even if you can’t participate the whole time.
https://zoom.us/j/758587937?pwd=aS9sZUdxcm1janNNM2I2aXJ6Smx2QT09
Meeting ID: 758 587 937
Password: 030086
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. Here is our list of prayer and service requests. The service request tab is for brothers and sisters to ask for assistance or announce any give-away items. It is an attempt from CPC to reach out and take care of those in need among us. You may also enter yours via the provided link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U64MLIp-EpQ8YKfIpHzBNR_3tceMaOxrchnfbqlkcpU/edit?ts=5e851f21#gid=0
You can also do so via the following link: https://www.cbcgl.org/pray/
In Christ, your servant, SDG,
Rev. Dr. Nathan Willems
Associate Pastor of CrossPoint Community – A Ministry of CBCGL