CrossPoint Community News 12/02/2022

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

       Tis the Season for caring! God has shown his care for us by coming to be one of us in order to give us life. And as we follow his lead, living with a recognition of all that He has done for us, we can be generous with the good things he has given to us.
       The Local Missions Committee has planned out multiple opportunities for you to use what God has given to you in order to be a blessing. For example, some of you can sing. During this Christmas season, there will be opportunities to join Christmas caroling to declare our Savior’s birth. Even if you’re not a very strong singer, if you can carry a tune, join with other voices to sing praises to our God so that others might know of his power and might and goodness and grace.
       You can’t sing well? No problem. Can you invite friends? Next Sunday afternoon, December 11, you can invite your friends to come to church and then stay for the afternoon when CBCGL will host a Kidney Disease Screening clinic. This clinic is free to all, no insurance is required, and is hosted by a team from Harvard. They will have a number of stations to check blood pressure, Blood Glucose, BMI, Urinalysis, and even a Physician consultation. This event will run from 1:30 to 4:30. Why not gain more information about your kidney health?
       So you have a kidney or more likely two, but you probably also have things at home that are new or gently used that are just taking up space in your house. So, on Dec. 17th, you get to bring new or gently used items to church to be donated to the Lowell Wish Project – an organization that helps families locally. Aren’t sure if you should donate it? First, consider, would you give it to your grandmother? If not, don’t donate it. Second, check https://www.thewishproject.org/current-needs/ to see what they are in need of. Also, larger items should be donated directly to The Wish Project.
       Finally, if you buy groceries, or someone in your home buys groceries, you can buy a few extra canned/dried/non-perishable items to donate to the Chelmsford Food Pantry. As a church, we want to use our abundance (because let’s be honest, you have more than you need!) to share with those who are in need. May God make us into generous Macedonians (cf. 2 Cor. 8), giving ourselves first to the Lord, and then giving our resources for the benefit of others. You can bring donations to the church by December 19 and drop them off in collection boxes near the building entrances.
       And if you don’t care for the community, turn to God in repentance that you don’t care about the things he cares about. Ask God to fill you with love for Him first, and love for others, so that you are motivated to serve, give, and act to benefit others.

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.