WinterJam Concert Postponed!

The CrosStone group will not be attending the WinterJam 2010 concert tonight, as the concert has been postponed until March 3, 2010, due to the snow.   We hope you will all take the opportunity to stay safe and warm at home, and have a great evening with your family. Play a game, watch a movie together (complete with popcorn, of course!) or just do whatever your family likes to do.

Remember our lesson about creating “margin” in our lives?  Well, God just created some for you!  Take advantage of it, and enjoy the evening.  See you Wednesday!

Soup Kitchen Outreach Cancelled

The CrosStone outreach to the Oasis Soup Kitchen, originally scheduled for Saturday, January 30th, has been cancelled due to the predicted heavy (for our area!) snowfall. When talking with the director of the ministry, she assured me that she did not wish to endanger any of our students and that the ministry has a backup plan in line so that the hungry will indeed be fed. We will reschedule our service just as soon as they have another opening.

CrosStone Upcoming Events

The weekend of January 30th and 31st will be a busy one for CrosStone youth.  On Saturday, we will serve lunch to the homeless at the Oasis Soup Kitchen in Portsmouth.  Please meet us at the church at 10:00 and we will drive to the soup kitchen together and prepare to be the hands and feet of Christ as we serve others.  If you haven’t already turned in your permission form, please call Debbie Carlucci @ 546-1067 and leave a message letting us know you will be attending.   After we prepare, serve and clean up from the lunch at Oasis, we will stop at a local fast food restaurant and have lunch together.   Be sure to bring your lunch money!

On Sunday, January 31st, we will meet at the church at 3:00 to head out to the Winter Jam 2010 concert at Norfolk Scope.   The cost is $10 (cash) at the door.   We will return to the church between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m.  Invite your parents, siblings and friends–all are welcome!

This is always an amazing concert, so plan to be there!  To find out more details about the concert, go to www.hearitfirst.com/WinterJam/default.aspx.  

Hot Chocolate + Cookies + Friends = Warmth on a Cold Night

I can’t believe its been three weeks since we were last together at our CrosStone Christmas party!  It will be great to see everyone tomorrow night.  We’re looking forward to kicking off the new year with challenging ourselves to extreme growth in our relationship with God.  Top that off with cookies and hot chocolate, and we’re in for a great night.

CrosStone Christmas Party

Just a reminder that the CrosStone youth will be having their annual Christmas party on Wednesday, December 9th, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.  Continuing in our tradition of “Christmas Around the World”, this year’s celebration will highlight Christmas in the Philippines.    Having the Parroco’s heading up the event will ensure true Philippine authenticity in our  festivities and cuisine!

The only things you need to bring are an expectancy of a great night and a small, wrapped gift for the gift exchange (valued at approximately $5.00).

Please plan to arrive on time so that we will have plenty of time for feasting and celebrating the birth of Christ!  Looking forward to seeing all of our CrosStone Youth at the party!

Nor’easter didn’t put a damper on CrosStone Outreach!

Our church family should be very proud of our CrosStone students.   In the midst of a dreary, rainy afternoon, fifteen smiling, cheerful CrosStoners arrived at Chesapeake Commons ready to serve the elderly residents.   They assisted residents in filling out “What I am thankful for” leaves to decorate a Tree of Thanksgiving, which we made as a reminder to these seniors that they do indeed have much for which to be thankful.  Many acted as waiters, serving food to those who attended the dinner, as well as delivering meals directly to the apartments of residents who were physically unable to attend.  Others prepared and served beverages, and at the end of the event, the kids helped with the cleanup.

I was priviledged to stand back at times, just watching the interaction of our youth with these seniors.  They were polite, respectful and in general brought great joy to these residents, many of whom do not have much occasion to spend time with young people.  I watched as our youth talked and laughed with residents, helped them with walkers and wheelchairs and took care of anything else that they saw was needed.  Over and over, I was called aside by residents expressing their gratitude and pleasure at having our young people come out to assist them with their Veteran’s Day/Thanksgiving dinner.   This morning, I was called by the manager of Chesapeake Commons requesting copies of pictures that I took so that they could be published in their monthly newsletter.

What can I say, other than, “Well done, CrosStone students, well done!”

CrosStone Outreach Reminder

Just a reminder to all CrosStone youth of our Wednesday, November 11th, outreach to the seniors’ community of Chesapeake Commons.  We will meet at the complex (located at 116 Gainsborough Square, just off Battlefield Boulevard, two blocks south of Chesapeake General Hospital) at 3:30.  We will help set up, serve and clean up for an early Thanksgiving dinner for the residents.  We may also have the opportunity to deliver meals to residents who are unable to attend the dinner.  In hopes of leaving them with a visual reminder of all their many blessings, we will help them decorate a “Tree of Thanksgiving” for which many of you helped make the decorations last week in our CrosStone meeting. 

Once we are finished with our outreach, we will go out to eat together (at a local fast food restaurant–no money required–it’s already covered!) before returning to the church by 7:00 for a movie night. 

We’re looking forward to seeing you at Chesapeake Commons!  If you’ve lost your permission form, I’ll have extras at the site and your parents can sign them as they drop you off.

Upcoming CrosStones Events

The CrosStones youth have heartily accepted the challenge to raise enough money to provide FIVE Thanksgiving baskets for the Greenbrier Church Thanksgiving Outreach to Geneva and Chesapeake Mobile Home Park families.  Remember to bring in all of your loose change (folding money accepted too!) each week as we try to “turn on the light” in the lighthouse Mrs. Stacy made for us!  We are also planning to help pack the baskets and deliver them on November 24th.  Let’s see if we can get 100% turnout for this event.

The CrosStones Fall Retreat is just about here!  Make plans to be with us and have a great weekend with your friends out at Triple R Ranch in southern Chesapeake.    There will be plenty of activities and awesome teaching as we enjoy a beautiful fall weekend at Triple R.  The cost is $70, covering all activities and accomodations for the weekend (Friday night, October 23rd through Sunday morning, October 25th).  Sign up soon, and be sure to invite your friends!  Permission forms are available in the CrosStones Room.  Call Jeff and Debbie Carlucci (546-1067)  or email questions to dlcarlucci@msn.com.

CrosStone – January Update

This month at CrosStone, we are focusing on what it means to have authentic faith in Christ.  Last week, we  met Iris Aryan, who described in great detail the difficulties of life as a Christian teenager in Iran.   Mr. Roy will be teaching this week, and I’m sure he’s got a great lesson lined up for us!

Be sure to mark your calendar for January 28th.  We will be having an “all play” event in which we will learn about life in the persecuted church in China.  We will experience firsthand the culture and  food of China, and participate in an activity that will teach us what it is like to be an “underground”  Christian.   You don’t want to miss this night!  This is a great time to invite a friend to come to CrosStone with you.

Lastly, we are having a brief meeting this Sunday, January 25th, at 10:30 a.m. in the CrosStone room for all junior high aged kids.   Please try to make it!

See you at CrosStone!

Guest Speaker Iris Aryan This Week at CrosStone

This week at CrosStone should be a GREAT night! As a part of the Global PEACE Conference, our guest speaker for the night will be Iris Aryan who, along with her husband Tony, is a missionary to the Muslin world. She will be sharing with us about the ministry that she and her husband are performing, and we will have the privilege of praying for her as only we CrosStoners can!!! Come expecting to be blessed and to be a blessing!

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