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A good metaphor for church planting would be mountain climbing or trail running. About three months into the adventure, we’re slowly getting used to the sudden changes in direction, terrain and pace. We’ve reached a point in the trail where we can look back and appreciate the view-at least for a few minutes.

In Fall ’08, networking for the gospel and team-building were the heavy emphases, and God has been at work. To keep this update short of epistle-length, here’s a wide-angle view. (If you want more details, ask us to buy you coffee sometime.) In the last month…

• Several churches have stepped forward and committed to partnering with “Crossroads Church” in 2009. These partnerships will take various forms, but they’ll all involve prayer, volunteer servants and financial support. We knew that planting in downtown KC, MO would be a team effort, so we’re happy to see these initial partners jump in-and we continue to talk with others.
• The “launch team,” or initial small group for Crossroads, is up and running. So far, this team is made up of about 10 folks-all of whom love Jesus, love people, and are willing to minister in the downtown KC context. We’ve started meeting together to get in the Bible, pray, and begin building an open, generous gospel community. This group continues to grow.
• I (AJ) enjoyed the opportunities to preach and talk about our vision at several local churches. This was great because, 1) We love meeting new people, encouraging them to be on mission, and sharing the Crossroads vision, and 2) I can use the practice preaching! We’ve had a great time on these visits, and look forward to doing some more in the months ahead.
• We’ve met some tough, compassionate, gospel-loving people. One thing about church planting-it puts you in the path of men and women who play for keeps. Some of these folks are praying about joining our team, others are simply praying for God to work through our efforts. Both are extraordinarily encouraging.

As the door is about to slam shut on 2008, we’re inspired by what God’s done in a few short months. We see each new connection or partner as confirmation that He is making room for Jesus to move into downtown neighborhoods and begin renewing blighted lives with the gospel.

At the same time, now’s the time to take a deep breath. As Christmas approaches, we’re looking forward to getting a few days rest, because the New Year will bring lots of new challenges. In the next month…

• We’ll continue to negotiate with the owners of a three-story building on downtown’s West Side. We’re about to present some creative financial scenarios…and see what happens. This building would provide meeting space, office space, and living space for our family and it’s ideally located by downtown. If God wants Crossroads to use this building for ministry, he’ll make it happen-but he may have to multiply dollars like loaves and fishes.
• We’ll begin to put service initiatives on the calendar and coordinate with local partners to begin serving downtown neighborhoods.
• We’ll continue to build relationships downtown, deliberately getting to know our (future) neighbors.
• We’ll move in temporarily with Lindsay’s parents, with plans to (hopefully) move downtown in Spring ’09.
• We’ll continue to recruit both churches and individuals who want to partner with us to see the gospel take root in downtown Kansas City. We’re excited at what God is putting together, and we know this team will continue to grow.

As we round out this year, we’d like to thank you for praying with us for the gospel to grow in the city we love. We invite you to keep praying! And let’s ask Jesus to make his presence felt in all our cities in 2009.

Joy to the world,

Ariel (AJ), Lindsay, Aidan & Asher