KC Church Plant News, August Update

[Crossroads Church Plant]

Is it possible the dog days of summer have already come and gone?
Since it's currently 60 degrees like October outside, I'm going to
hope for the best. But what has definitely come and gone is the due
date of our third son, who arrived on August 4 after a short, smooth,
delivery.

Ezra Keller weighed in at 6 lbs 13 ounces and 20 inches long with a
full head of dark hair. He's our tallest baby yet, so we have him
slotted for the power forward spot on the family basketball team.
Lindsay and Ezra are back home and doing well, and Ezra is already
popular with his older brothers, who argue over who gets to hold him.

Ezra's name means "rescuer" or "help is on the way," and is a head nod
to one of our favorite Old Testament heroes who braved hostility and
demonstrated great faith in rebuilding the temple and restoring
worship after Israel's return to Jerusalem. "Keller" is a Gaelic name
that means "little champion" or "dear friend" and is already a good
testament to the little guy's chutzpah.

"Little E" has of course been the highlight of the last month, but
amid trips to the hospital, arranging baby furniture, and the first of
many sleepless nights there has been lots more going on.

Crossroads Church helped with a ten-day event called "Mission to the
City." About 70 students, mostly high school-age, arrived in Kansas
City from multiple churches, ready to serve and learn about the urban
core. Our Crossroads church plant coordinated a service project on the
West Side, downtown prayer walks, several remodeling projects in our
new Brick House, and a downtown tour to orient the participants to the
urban experience and spiritual needs here.

A couple local churches, Lee's Summit Community Church and Pleasant
Valley Baptist Church, provided scholarships to the annual Leadership
Summit held at Pleasant Valley for myself and a few team members—we'll
continue to discuss and benefit from those high-caliber leadership
lessons in the months ahead.

I enjoyed chances to preach a couple times at Cornerstone Community
Church as I continue to get my preaching game in shape. Our team made
visits and presentations at a couple partner churches, Northland
Baptist and Crossroads Grain Valley as well.

On the home front here at the Brick House, we're enjoying some great
opportunities to connect with neighbors as we take walks and hang out
in front of the house. We've also started making some initial steps
forward in remodeling, as our team and some local partners have begun
to pitch in. We're increasingly grateful for the way God orchestrated
this place to live and minister.

Our team continues to meet weekly to pray, plan, eat, and get in the
Bible together. This month we got excellent news from friends Kacey
and Stephanie Nelson in Illinois, who told us they'll be relocating to
KC to join the church plant. We're praying Kacey is able to find a job
in Kansas City in the next several months.

It's good for my family to pause after another packed month and
reflect on everything that's happened. With August almost over, we're
considering what new initiatives to pursue as fall begins, and looking
for additional ways to connect and serve downtown, as we move toward
the point of holding public services. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks again for tracking the progress of Crossroads Church and
keeping us in your prayers. As wild and unexpected as the ride has
already been, we know that God will continue to surprise us in the
ways he works in the months ahead.

Peace,

AJ (Ariel), Lindsay, Aidan, Asher, and Ezra

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

P.S. You'll find some pictures of Ezra at my blog, http://arieljvan.com.