KC Church Plant News, May Update

[ariell...@gmail.com]

April passed in a blur, like a small town at the side of the
Interstate. What, that was April?

Looking back, here's what happened (we think ;).

Crossroads Church was invited to participate in a church planting
"Vision Tour" organized by a friend and church planting strategist,
Brad Briscoe. Crossroads was one of a half dozen church plants on the
tour, and I enjoyed the chance to drive downtown and explain our
vision to a bus-full of leaders and pastors from Kansas, Missouri,
Arkansas, and Texas. No doubt some good connections will come out of
that time.

The Crossroads team pitched in at the Arts Incubator once again,
helping the art studio building host an international conference with
over 400 attendees. We really enjoy our developing partnership with
the Incubator--a non-profit dedicated to providing low-cost studio
space to aspiring artists. Serving there is giving us opportunities to
build relationships and disarm some folks who are inclined to be
cynical toward the prospect of a new church.

We welcomed a new team member on board, Jonathan Dangers, a guy who
discovered Crossroads a month after moving to KC for med school and is
serious about getting involved. In addition, another church partner
came on board to help Crossroads get off the ground--we're looking
forward to collaborating with the Valley Fellowship team in the days
ahead.

Finally, the saga of "the building" by downtown took a surprising new
turn, as our loan materialized, appraisal came in within out target
range, and owners were cooperative. Over the last six months, this
storyline has had more twists and turns than a bad suspense movie.
Now, God willing, it looks like we will close on June 1 and take
possession a week later. We're in the process of developing an action
plan for remodeling "the building" so that we can use it as a staging
area for the church plant as we envision. We won't exhale until the
last paper is signed...but we're pumped about finally moving into the
downtown neighborhood!

We're currently raising some money for the down payment and
construction costs, so don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to
make a tax-deductible contribution (or if you'd like to propose a good
name for "the building"). A matching donor has stepped up, so anything
you can contribute will be multiplied. In the days ahead, we'll also
be looking for volunteer labor and donated materials as we work to
retrofit this place.

That's a snapshot of what's happened in the last month. Thanks for
your prayers, and please continue to pray that the gospel will be
evident in the lives of everyone on the Crossroads team as we build
friendships openly and generously with the people in our lives who
need Jesus.

Peace,

AJ & Lindsay

http://CrossroadsChurchKC.com
ariell...@gmail.com