Welcome to Cross Way United Methodist Church

I saw the sign and a friendly person out front who waved. I had driven past this sign several times... surely a ‘real’ church doesn’t meet in a school gym?! Today, I decided to give it a shot. I walked into a school gym and was greeted by two ladies. They said how grateful they were to see me and shared they had actually been praying to God, for someone just like me, to come walking in the doors that day. One of them sat next to me throughout the service explaining what we were doing in the course of the worship service.

Afterward, I found out the person giving the message was not the pastor; Cal was out of town. I thought, if it is this good when the pastor is gone, how wonderful it must be when “the mystery man” is here. Following worship, I was invited to lunch by two families. I politely declined as I had other plans that Sunday following worship. The final word of the day was: “Can I look to meet you next week, same time and place?”

I did show up the next week. I had found my church home.

This is the short version of how I found my church home at Redeemer UMC in Kingston, WA. You better believe that one day’s experience changed everything. The fact you are reading this “from your pastor” is a direct result of what each person did that day to welcome me. Someone made a place for me.

What we are doing each week at Cross Way is vital to the Kingdom of God in ways we cannot even imagine. The person walking in the doors may very well be the person God is trying to call into ministry among us at Cross Way or across the country.

I challenge each of us to pray for the people who are walking in the doors each week. For each person to somehow know God is reaching out to them at Cross Way. Pray that when they get there, we would be the answer to their prayers to find a place they may know God, neighbor, and self.

See you Sunday!

Life for our communities is fast pace. Our work and play in life are scheduled, our days can start at 5am and end with a child or grandchild's activities at 9pm. Our lives can be full to overflowing. Intentional time to take a deep breath and take account of the direction of our lives may seem like a luxury. As followers of Jesus, such seasons are offered to us for our growth, spiritual and emotional wellbeing and as part of our growing life with God.

Lent is a season where are given an opportunity to do just that. Take some intentional "luxurious" time with God, to see if our life's goals are actually being expressed with the way we live and make adjustments that help us reach God's best for us. We kick off the season of preparation for Easter, Lent, next Wednesday evening with an Ash Wednesday service. Traditionally Christians around the world "give something up" for Lent, in other words they pick a time where they abstain for a period of time (say one day each week for 7 weeks) from food, media/tv, etc in order to create time with God and refocus life upon God. This year we will be focused upon giving something "bad" up for lent.

We will kick off Lent Wednesday March 5 at 6pm (Providence Lake Pavillion) with the imposition of ashes. I have included a short description below explaining what we do and why we do this I hope for your well being you will join us and find a way to observe Lent as we journey toward the Cross and the Resurrection our Christ.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.

Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of worshipers. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship. Historically, ashes signified purification and sorrow for sins.

It is traditional to save the palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday service to burn to produce ashes for this service. Sometimes a small card or piece of paper is distributed on which each person writes a sin or hurtful or unjust characteristic. The cards are then brought to the altar to be burned with the palm branches. The ash cross on the forehead is an outward sign of our sorrow and repentance for sins.

- Adapted from The United Methodist Book of Worship, UMC.org

“So is it God, Jesus and the spook or what?”

“Is he just another one of the ‘good guys’ God has used over the years in our world? Buddha was a good guy, I suppose Mohammed was too. What's the difference?”

A few of the many questions I have been asked by both “Churched” and “Un-churched” folks.

Wondered why we worship Jesus Christ? This week, we will begin exploring who Christ is and why it matters to us in our daily lives.