Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Barkley Manor Recovery Update


Edited & Updated @ 4:18 PM
Updated Disaster Relief Information
  1. Immediate Needs - The Red Cross is working to meet immediate needs for shelter, food and clothing. Rooms are being provided in area motels as needed. Vouchers are being provided to the families for area businesses.
  2. Donations of Goods- It is my understanding, after talking to Laura at 4:00 PM today, that the immediate needs of food and clothing have been met. Therefore, we no longer need donations of clothing at the Line Street Building. Any clothing left there will simply be forwarded to other organizations. We will, of course, accept donations of non-perishable food items for the Food Bank. These can be used to help all eight families over the coming weeks.
  3. Donations of Funds - Here's where things are a bit "fuzzy" for me.
    • Funds have been established at all area banks for giving toward this cause, but no one could offer a satisfactory explanation of who would receive those funds and how they will be distributed. If you decide to give in this manner, it is your choice. But I encourage you to give in other ways ... I'll explain in a moment.
    • Funds will also be needed for long-term help and housing. We are working with Laura Shelton and the Family Resource Centers to try to assist in this area. If you want to contribute to the long-term recovery of these families, you can direct gifts to the Lighthouse Family Resource Center at the Primary/Intermediate Schools. They have an account for such purposes, and any funds that they receive will be utilized to help these eight families. We will also be happy to accept gifts at Crossroads Fellowship through our Disaster Relief Ministry Fund. All gifts given to Crossroads Fellowship toward the Barkley Manor Fire Recovery will be used in ministry to these eight families.

  4. "Adopt-a-Family Initiative" - Laura Shelton and I agree that perhaps the best way to address long-term recovery for these families would be to encourage the churches of the community to "Adopt a Family." We at Crossroads have already identified one of the families for adoption. We are committing to direct ministry to this family for at least the next 30 days. Laura and the other social workers in the schools are coordinating volunteer churches for the other seven families. Hopefully, our sister churches will be able to move quickly through their structures and business procedures to render aid while it is needed. On a personal Crossroads note, I will be communicating with this family over the next couple of days to discern their needs. As I know those needs, I will pass them on to all of you.
I would really prefer that the people of Crossroads give through the Crossroads Disaster Relief Fund, or the Lighthouse Family Resource Center Fund. That way we can make sure that our gifts will remain in place to help with more issues of long-term recovery over the coming weeks. We will, obviously, invest significantly in the family we have adopted.

Well, I guess that's it for now! Pray for those who have suffered loss. If you have any other ideas to help minister to the victims of the fire, just send me a note.

God Bless,

Pastor Geoff

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 10:09 AM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Tragedy Strikes Cadiz - Disaster Relief "Called to Action"

Edited 29 August 2007 @ 4:30 PM

Most of you have already heard about the tragic fire that struck an entire building in Barkley Manor this afternoon. The destruction of an entire apartment building has left eight families displaced. Thirty citizens of Cadiz, nineteen of them children in our school system, have lost everything.

I want to commend Laura Shelton for her tireless efforts in coordinating our relief efforts today. She has an incredible ministry through the Lighthouse Family Resource Center at the Elementary School. I could tell that her heart was broken for these precious children and their families. I also want to thank all of the people of Crossroads who came to the Line Street building to help out this evening. Five of the families came by to pick up some clothes and receive a little encouragement. I know that most of us felt pretty helpless, maybe even a little bit useless for most of the time. But your effort and your heart made an incredible difference in the lives of some displaced people. Thank you for your ministry.

So, we have "called up" the Crossroads Disaster Relief Team to respond to this action. We are taking the following immediate steps.

1. I have authorized a distribution of $1000 from our Disaster Relief Fund to be designated for ministrry to these eight families. We will spend more, if needed. Donations will be accepted.

2. Laura and I will be attending a meeting at the Red Cross building at 9:00 tomorrow morning. We will get involved in the planning process and help them chart a course toward recovery for these families. As a strategy for relief and ministry emerges, I will keep the church informed.

3. Clothing is no longer being collected at Crossroads. We believe that clothing may still be given at the Community Center at City of Cadiz Housing on Lincoln St.

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Clothing Needs List

Clothing Items Are No Longer Being Accepted at Crossroads

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4. Please check back on the news blog daily for updates and needs.

5. Please e-mail a link of this blog and list to everyone on your mailing list.

God bless you, and thank you for "building bridges" to our community!

Pastor Geoff

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 7:50 PM | | Comments

Friday, August 25, 2006

Sports Camp - September 2: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon


Fall Football Camp
Saturday, September 2
9:00 Am - 12:00 Noon
(Registration @ 8:45 AM)
For Kids in Grades 3-6

Location: Practice Field Next to the Playground
(Near the Elementary School)

FREE - No Registration Fee!
Volunteers Needed!
Contact Chris Green to Join the Sports Ministry Team Staff

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 9:59 AM | | Comments

Bridge-Building Opportunity

The disaster relief unit of the Little River Baptist Association has been called to go to Hatch, NM to do mud-out following the recent flooding there. Bill Purkes Sr., will be leading two different teams there. Crossroads Fellowship has been invited to join that effort. Current needs are:

  • Team of 10-12 that are Phase I trained to leave on Sept. 1st and return around Sept. 11th. Transportation will be provided in the associational van.
  • A second team of 10-12 will be needed to leave on Sept. 8th and return approximately Sept. 18th. This team will need to provide its own transportation such as a church van, as the association van will still be in Nee Mexico.

If anyone who is Phase I trained would like to respond, they may call the Baptist Center @ 522-7066 or contact Bill Purkes, Sr. @ 522-8882 for more information.

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 7:38 AM | | Comments

Thursday, August 24, 2006

A Few Reminders

Ladies, register by "signing up" on the bulletin board in the hallway.
If you have any questions, please contact Kim Baggett at 522-6996.









Children of the World
International Children's Choir
Wednesday, October 25 - 7:00 PM
Trigg County High School Little Theater




Children's Fall Festival - Coming October 28!

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 5:35 AM | | Comments

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Mid-Week Update

Christmas for an Orphan ... Larry Bland on the Job!!

Larry has been working hard this week to get as many people as possible in our community involved in the "Christmas for an Orphan" effort through World Help. Larry has reported a positive reception at the hospital, library, Stroud's Barber Shop, and the Little River Baptist Association. Larry also reports that he hopes to have some involvement through the prison where he works.
Great job, Larry!

Super Servant of the Week - Mark Hughes
Mark is one of our newest at Crossroads Fellowship (he's still waiting to take the Discovering Membership class!), but he has already stepped out in ministry to be our Super Servant this week. Mark came through for Scott and Christy Hill. He helped them locate a very costly water leak on their property and repaired the leak for them. What an awesome deed done for a Christian brother! Be sure to thank Mark for his most excellent service in the name of the Lord!


News Bytes
  • Don't forget ... firewood is available on the church land. (Just make sure you claim the wood that is already on the ground! :)
  • The pavilion project will be starting soon ... be on the lookout!
  • Praise! - Chris Wallace is recovering well from his surgery. He will be back in practice on Thursday and back leading our worship on Sunday. Welcome back, Chris!
  • Jim Stroud will be having a shoulder replacement surgery on Thursday. Please add him to your family's prayer list. His is in for a long recovery period.
  • Don't forget to check the Crossroads Calendar! (Link to your right) If you need to add items to the calendar, e-mail them to Pastor Geoff!

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 7:53 PM | | Comments

Friday, August 18, 2006

Weekend Update - August 18-20

Just a couple of quick notes:

  • Firewood is available on the Crossroads land. Several trees had to be taken down to prepare the pad for the pavilion. Crossroads members are welcome to take whatever they need for firewood. The remnants of the trees will be burned in a couple of weeks.
  • We currently need a volunteer for our "Highway 68 Sign Project." We are seeking to have a sign placed on Highway 68. Information, guidelines, and documents have been secured from the Commonwealth. We need a dedicated volunteer who will pursue this project through to completion. Please speak to Tony Dothsuk or Ralph Stevens.
  • Check the calendar for updates! In particular, pay close attention to the month of October ... it's shaping up to be ver busy, and very exciting!
  • Bottled water will be collected over the next several weeks in preparation for the Ham Festival. Donations of bottled water will increase the proceeds toward the Mary Hodge Missions Fund. You may bring cases of bottled water to the church. They will be collected and stored until October.

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 11:04 AM | | Comments

Monday, August 14, 2006

Building Bridges to Our Community!

What an awesome Sunday! We launched our new message series. We enjoyed a great time of worship. The Spirit of God was, indeed, with us at Crossroads Fellowship!

As we continue this series, we're going to be adding another "visual" to help our people understand the importance of building bridges. As ministry teams or individuals perform acts of ministry in the community, we will recognize those acts by presenting them with a board to add to the "bridge" in the parking lot. They will then nail their board to the bridge as a symbol of yet another act of ministry performed to reach the people of Cadiz and Trigg County.

Please remember the coming messages in this teaching series:
August 20 - Building Bridges of Ministry
August 27 - Building Bridges of Acceptance
September 3 - Building Bridges of Relationship
September 10 - Building Bridges of Discipleship
September 17 - Building Bridges of Fellowship
September 24 - Building Bridges of Worship
October 1 - Building Bridges of Missions


IMMEDIATE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY
Start Building that Bridge!
The family resource center at the Elementary School has an immediate need for the following items. You can bring them to church on Sunday. We will collect them and transport them to the school.
Large Crayons (8 Count)
Wide Ruled Notebook Paper
Scissors (blunt and sharp tip)
Washable Markers
Glue Sticks
Watercolor Paints
Index Cards
#2 Yellow Pencils
Pencil Boxes
Zippered Pencil Bags
Large Backpacks (No Wheels)
Kindergarten Rest Mats
Boys Socks (small)
Girls Socks (Small and medium)
Boys Underwear (Size 4)
Girls Panties (Size 4)


CALENDAR UPDATES
  • The Puppet Ministry Team will be meeting on Saturday at 4:00 PM at the home of Tony and Alecia Dothsuk. The team will be making plans for the upcoming Trigg County Ham Festival.

NEWS BYTES
  • Food Pantry / Children's Clothes Closet Ministry - Please remember that these ministries are available on Tuesdays from 9:00 AM until 12:00 Noon each Tuesday. If you encounter families in need, please refer them to this ministry. For more information, contact Paggy Bland.
  • Remember the Crossroads Family Devotions web site. This is an excellent tool for your family. And it's free!
  • Larry Bland had a great idea! He suggested that we place birthdays and anniversaries on the Crossroads Calendar. So, we're going to do it. But you have to request that your information be placd on the calendar. You can simply e-mail me or write your info down and give it to Kim on Sunday morning (if you give it to me, I'll probably lose it!).
  • Remember ... if you have news to post, send me an e-mail. The link is to your right.

God Bless,
Pastor Geoff

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 6:38 AM | | Comments

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Stay Informed!

There is a phrase that is often heard around the church ... around any church ... but especially around ours. Here it is: "I don't know what is going on!" or, "I feel so out of touch!"

Let's face it. We're spread pretty thin at Crossroads. We have three different ministries going on at the same time on Sunday morning. Often our workers in Preschool and G-Force are not able to keep up with everything that is going on. They don't get to hear the announcements, and often times don't get their hands on a worship guide. (And most of us don't really read those worship guides, anyway, do we?) :)

So ... this new site is an effort to change all of that. It is a supplement to our regular web site. I will simply use this site to post daily news and updates. If you have some info that the entire church needs to know about, or if you want something posted, just click the Send Us Some News! link, and it will be posted ASAP.

Another cool feature is the "Comment" capabilities for each post. If you have a comment or update on something in the daily post, you can click the "comment" link below the post and add your info to the thread. It's a great way for everyone in the church family to help keep the church informed about church life and news!

The success of this new informational tool is entirely up to you. Will you use it?

I encourage you to check the site daily. Add it to your daily news feeds (click the link at bottom right). If you don't know what that is, there is a cool info link to click. This "news feeds" option works better if you have a web browser other than Internet Explorer. I prefer a new brlwser called "Flock." I have added the link for Flock to the links section. Try it. It's free!

Again ... if you have news ... you have to let me know. God bless.

Pastor Geoff

Posted by Geoff Baggett at 8:25 PM | | Comments