Our son Nathan is on a one year internship with Urban Promise, a ministry “that exists to proclaim the love of Jesus, and to express it through the spiritual, social and educational development of children, youth and families living in government housing.”

July 2011
Hello Everyone,

I am back in Toronto and I am so glad. My new roommates are a British guy who is pretty much a stand-up comic, and a Canadian dude who just finished a year at Culinary College (he made the most amazing vegetarian pizza from scratch), so you could say I am pretty happy with them. I have completed a week of camp and its amazing. The kids are absolutely adorable, and reasonably well behaved. Continue reading update from Nathan

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AJAX — Town approves agreement to develop southwest corner of Harwood Avenue and Bayly Street. A Mel Lastman Square-type public space and six towers containing more than 1,800 residential units are slated for the southwest corner of Harwood Avenue and Bayly Street in a deal between developers and the Town of Ajax passed at a council meeting on Thursday. Read full article here.

[May 30, 2011]
On the weekend of May 28 and 29, Crossroads Church practiced “being the church” in our community.
We cancelled our Sunday service for community service!
Everyone was encouraged to find some way to serve others. Continue reading Being the Church

[May 20, 2011]
On Thursday May 19th, BCF held its annual Arts Night.
This was an opportunity to showcase the God-given talents of the students, and to encourage them in using them.
The program was planned by Rhonda Kirkpatrick – the music teacher and member at Hope Fellowship Church in Courtice (her husband Alan has spoken at Crossroads before) – with great contributions from the staff and students.
The evening was well-planned and delivered, with each presentation following promptly after the other. Continue reading Arts @ BCF

[May 15, 2011]
Every year we give people an opportunity to pledge their support for the coming year.
We present a draft budget and ministry vision, and ask everyone to prayerfully consider how much they are able to commit in support of that vision.
For the last few Sundays we have been reviewing our vision, and being reminded that the Lord calls each one of us to be actively involved in His mission somewhere.
For some that means Crossroads, and for others that will be elsewhere. Continue reading Pledge Sunday

[May 10, 2011]
Crossroads belongs to a fellowship of churches called the Christian Reformed Church (CRC).
As part of this organizational structure, we belong to a regional group of CRC churches (called ‘Classis’) that extends from Ajax to Kingston, and north to Lindsay and Peterborough.
At it’s May 10 meeting, the Classis approved a request from Crossroads Church for a mission grant that totals $30,000 for the next 5 years. Continue reading Grant Approved

[May 4, 2011]
Every Sunday our sound team sets up our audio equipment for our worship services.
They have done an amazing job, especially lately as the equipment has started to show its age.
We are working with the school to upgrade our equipment and theirs, each sharing the cost of the equipment we would normally use. Continue reading Improving Our Sound System

[April 28, 2011]
On Easter Sunday we were able to witness the baptism of Lisa and her son Andrew.
They came to Crossroads through the invitation of Lisa’s friend Michelle.
They have been a part of our community since January 2011. Continue reading The splash of God’s love

This coming Sunday at Crossroads (July 18) Pastor Lisa Vanderleek will share a message from Luke 4:3-37. The message is entitled “The Onion Sermon”. As Jesus began his ministry, different people had different reactions to his message. Some rejected him right away. Others were amazed by his teaching, and still others recognized him as the Son of God. Just as an onion has layers, so too does our life of faith. We have layers of rejection, amazement and recognition as we discover the person and message of Jesus of Nazareth. How do you react to Jesus, or to His message?

This coming Saturday 10 youth and 3 adult leaders will be going to St. Catharines (otherwise known as Niagara Serve) for a weeklong youth service event. I am excited, and thankful to be a part of this team. This is my 15th SERVE experience, and I have seen God work in amazing ways in all the participants, those served, those leading the site, the youth and adult SERVE-ants. The social time, worship time, motivational speakers, faith-stretching experiences, service opporunities – all surrounded by fun, laughter, and God’s Spirit touching the deep places in our hearts.

Please pray for the team, and for all the others involved in Niagara SERVE. There will be aroiund 50 youth plus adult leaders. Pray also for the Host Team as they work out all the details. Pray for a life-changing experience. The youth going from Crossroads are: Esther Andringa, Zach Biel, Tabitha David, Brandon Hong, James Roberts, Danielle Roberts, Janelle Sennema, Zach Vanderwel, , Cody Walton, Scott Yoshikuni. The adult leaders are Sue Crossman, Norm Sennema and Ralph Vanderwel.