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Ezra deserves some face time since he doesn't appear in the installation this time out.

My photography will be on display this First Friday (July) at Crossroads Coffeehouse, so we’ve been printing and matting photos all week, which is much more difficult than, say, changing your desktop wallpaper.

When you have a art installation, you’re also supposed to have an Artist Statement. Some artists hate artist statements because “I’m a sculptor/painter/sketcher, not a writer!” Not me. I had a great time drafting an artist statement, and here it is. If you’re in Kansas City’s Crossroads District on First Friday, be sure to come by (310 Southwest Boulevard).

Artist Statement (draft, anyway)

I take pictures the same way I make compliments, which is impulsively and from the hip. My favorite shots yell at me to make my index finger click. They’re somewhat belligerent, like my three boys. In my favorite pictures, things are usually fighting each other. Often, life is fighting decay.

I’ve always taken pictures, used to spend hours in dark rooms, enjoy taking pictures, will always take pictures. For better or worse, I’m not a Photoshop pro. The colors and light you see are the colors and light I saw–and are why I took pulled the trigger.

Like a lot of people in downtown KC, I’m not a fan of disposable culture, much less urban sprawl and disposable cities. When I look at old masonry, I see brick chic and wish I could live in a warehouse. When I walk through a junk yard, I see cars I would drive if I could fix them.

I love renovation and it drives my work. Surprising twists of scene. Salvaged alleys. Everyday resurrection. More things can be saved than we realize. There is more hope for us all than we think.

[Ariel James (AJ) Vanderhorst is married to Lindsay and daddy to Aidan, Asher and Ezra. Other than taking pictures, he is good at writing, basketball, and taking flak. He is a pastor at Crossroads Church in the Crossroads District, downtown KC (CrossroadsChurchKC.com).]

Like a typical Midwestern town, Kansas City takes winter hard. People drive at 5mph, downtown is abandoned, and complaining about the weather becomes the favorite pastime. Decks lose their paint, cats get thin, and cars become rusty, like my update-writing skills. Therefore, I’m writing this long-overdue update to celebrate Spring and push a single prayer request your way.

After starting informal services in the Arts Incubator last November, we rolled forward looking to put sustainable rhythms in place. A few months into 2010, we’ve figured out how to throw good services that take little upkeep–which is important, since, as a team of about 15 people, we don’t have a ton of resources to invest. Currently, we’re preaching through Ephesians, which is an amazing letter about how God’s people can live everyday with the power of Jesus’ resurrection (Happy Easter!).

We’ve jumpstarted our Core groups (2-5 men or women) and City group (dinner, Bible, prayer) for 2010 and continue to connect with downtown friends and networks. The Crossroads Community Association, Downtown Neighborhood Association, and pickup sports continue to be favorites.

As a baby church, Crossroads is in the same interesting developmental stage as our 8-month-old son Ezra, who is crawling effortlessly, wants to walk, and occasionally falls on his face.

We’re happy to be where we are, putting down roots in KC, and learning to share the gospel with our words and lives. It’s good to crawl, especially in Spring. At the same time, growing is on our mind.

In the next several months, we’d like to see our team continue to expand. Recruiting Jesus-followers who love other people, love downtown, and want to be part of a risky adventure has been a challenge. These are the players who, when you find them, you immediately ink them to a lucrative 10-year deal. (It’s just an analogy, we’re broke.) We want to find a few more, because starting Crossroads has been thrilling but not easy–and the game will continue in this vein.

We’re also happy to see some of our friends pursuing an interest in Jesus. He’s the best ending we can envision for any story. Therefore, we’re always are excited to see people entering our circle and wrestling with the gospel–and we want it to happen all the time.

As we leave Winter in the rearview mirror, pray that we’ll cooperate with God’s Spirit, who is actively working to restore KC and introduce people to Jesus. Pray that we’ll continue to actively participate in Jesus’ plan for our city, and that God will send more people our way. Go ahead, pray. I mean it, right now. Thanks.

If you have questions or would like to get involved in a risky plan to see Jesus’ kingdom grow in the Crossroads, West Side, Downtown Loop, and City Market, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Peace!

CrossroadsChurchKC.com

Crossroads Facebook Page

Asher, Lindsay and Aidan in the construction zone

Lindsay and I can sum up 2009 in one word: Construction.

About a year ago we began planting Crossroads Church with four people, no money, no home, no church location, and a dream to see a gospel community take root in post-Christian downtown Kansas City, MO.

In the past year, God slowly and steadily pulled together a team of about 15 people who love Jesus, love other people, and are willing to invest their lives downtown.

After numerous conversations with pastors and leaders, we formed partnerships with a handful of churches who committed enough money and support for our family and the baby church plant to make ends meet.

After months of home-searching, negotiating, and number crunching, God opened the door for us to move out of my in-laws’ basement and into an ideally located home by downtown. (We’ve been remodeling ever since; the current look is exposed-electrical-wiring-chic.)

And after several volunteer projects in the Arts Incubator, a landmark gallery and studio building downtown, the director invited us to hold informal church services there free of charge. We started weekly Sunday night services in November 2009.

At times, we felt like we were choking on clouds of construction dust. When we paused and got perspective, we realized that God’s been slowly hammering a foundation for Crossroads into place.

Moving into the first quarter of 2010, it’s hard to imagine that God will switch things up too much this year. Our immediate goals are to continue building our team, line up several more church partners, roll forward with our informal services at the Arts Incubator, and keep serving downtown.

And ultimately, as people who love Jesus and work to keep him at the center of our lives, the best thing we can envision for our friends downtown is that they experience the liberating goodness of the gospel as well. We invite you to keep praying with us for these goals.

God kindly got a lot done in a short time in 2009, and as we move into 2010, we have lots more work ahead of us.

We’re looking forward to more times of worship, more remodeling, more team players, more parties, and, most important, more transparency and generosity in our lives that will result in conversations, invitations, new friendships, and more serving. We trust that God will use all this to steadily move more people toward life-changing faith in Jesus.

Thanks for walking alongside us in this adventure. We covet your prayers, and we’re also always good for a coffee and catching up. If you or someone you know might be interested in what’s happening with Crossroads, get in touch. As we move ahead, we’ll do our best to keep you posted.

In the last month, we witnessed the collision of three wonderful things: NCAA basketball season, coffee weather, and our kickoff services at the Arts Incubator in downtown Kansas City. God has a great sense of timing.

It was about this time in 2008 when Lindsay and I began taking serious steps toward planting Crossroads Church. We began with two people (four if you count Aidan and Asher) meeting in our loft apartment with slim resources, no backers, and a dream to see the gospel take root downtown.

In the year that followed, God did some amazing things. We’d like to take this Thanksgiving to pause and take a look in the rear view mirror.

In the last year…

God began sending us people who love Jesus, love people, and are happy to serve downtown. This team came from across KC and out of state, and is still growing–last month we were joined by Ajay Goforth, a talented worship leader who also happens to share my initials. If you feel the tug to get involved, get in touch.

After eight months of agonizing negotiation and lots of prayer, God moved us into a big Brick House (yeah, that’s what we call it). Now our family is within walking distance of downtown, meeting neighbors, throwing parties, and using this place as a staging area for our team.

Through lots of prayer and conversations over coffee, God led us to a handful of generous church partners who share our passion to see Jesus’ kingdom grow in KC. Crossroads wouldn’t exist without their prayer, financial help, volunteers, and friendship. If your church could get involved in some way, shout–we are praying for several more solid partnerships for 2010.

Finally, and most importantly, God has helped us build relationships downtown (neighborhood associations, art galleries, friends and neighbors). In a post-church, post-Christian culture like ours, cynicism toward church gives way to friendship very gradually. We’re blessed to have a growing network of people that we’re serving alongside, and we’re here for the long haul, communicating the gospel with our words and deeds.

This was also the year that…

• We had baby 3.0 (Ezra, born August 4). Just because we could.
• We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary (also August 4). Double party.
• We lived in Lindsay’s parents’ basement for 6 months. (Insert appropriate in-law joke.)
• We gave so many downtown tours that we lost count. All we need is a bus.
• And AJ single-handedly kept at least three coffee shops in business. But he’s not addicted.

As we look back at the last year, we’re amazed and grateful.** It’s more clear than ever that God is the one who saves us, keeps us breathing, and grows his church. Thank you for your prayers and partnership. As Crossroads moves into its second year, can we keep relying on you? Please pray:

That we’ll grow and excel in serving and befriending people downtown.

That we’ll faithfully communicate the gospel in our relationships.

That we’ll gain several more solid church partners for 2010.

That Jesus will be glorified as more people believe.

Peace,

AJ (Ariel) & Lindsay

Crossroads Church Kansas City

** Since we are sure that you, like us, are irritated by sugar-coated stories, it seems only right to point out that in the last year we have been stretched like a sprained ankle, angry, exhausted, disappointed by people, very pregnant, strung out on caffeine, covered in plaster dust, desperately praying for things not to fall apart, and very, very reliant on God’s grace which is “never without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:10). We don’t expect this situation to change much for the next 60-some years.

Jose, Lindsay and Erin tune up

October will go down as the month of church-plant-improv and changed timelines. Earlier in the church planting game, our plan was to gradually build our team until we reached a “critical mass” of at least 30-40 people, then begin downtown services with the numbers to be somewhat self-sustaining.

That plan changed when Crossroads Church Kansas City was offered the opportunity to begin meeting in a landmark downtown studio and gallery building, the Arts Incubator. After praying about it, we concluded that we should go looking for used sound equipment, describe our upcoming services as “informal,” and go for it.

In a nutshell, that’s the story of last month. Our team of 15 people stepped up to the plate and took ownership of the upcoming services. It’s been cool to see our people pool time, energy, and a lot of creativity as we get things moving. Starting November 8, we’ll be holding weekly services at the Arts Incubator, 6pm Sunday nights.

In many ways, the Crossroads District downtown is a community of start-ups—artists starting careers from scratch, small businesses beginning in empty warehouses. As our church plant takes on an even more off-the-cuff personality, we’ve been challenged to rely on faith in a sovereign God rather than in a “large launch” or a windfall of resources.  But the correlation between the roots of this church and the roots of the Crossroads area is a something we appreciate.

Last month we also launched Core groups, 2-4 men or women meeting weekly, which we see as critical in forming the Crossroads culture. By design, these groups will help us hold each other accountable for our mission—Love Jesus, connect people, transform cities—and focus heavily on prayer and Bible. The architecture for City groups (10-15 people) is being designed as well.

Midway through the month Lindsay and I decided there wasn’t enough going on (nod, wink) so we decided to move forward into the second phase of remodeling in the Brick House. This meant inviting a team of highly motivated students in to start demo on our kitchen/dining room. There is nothing like a swirling cloud of dust to make all of life seem more dramatic.

This has been a challenging and somewhat chaotic month, but it’s good to know that we’re in the right place, surrounded by a great team, strengthening our ties downtown and following God’s lead into uncharted territory.

As we continue to gear up for services and invest in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, please pray:

- That God would send a worship leader our way—we’re still looking for the right person to lead music for us long term. See our Craigslist ad.

- For more opportunities to serve. We’re looking forward to volunteering at the Leedy-Voulkous Gallery and Arts Incubator in the days ahead, and will continue to look for ways to meet genuine needs in relational ways.

- That worship services will come together. We’re moving fast, light on our feet and light on resources (ha). So when I tell friends I’m not exactly sure what to expect, I’m more than half serious.

Thanks for your prayers. We look forward to pausing a month from now, letting the dust settle, and reflecting on how God is working as we plow ahead.

This update is a little terse, seeing as it’s about 3 weeks overdue, so shoot us a note if you’d like to catch up. As always, we’d love to grab coffee or talk at more depth about what’s going on. And most definitely shoot us a note if you have a penniless but talented indie rocker living in your basement–we’ll put that guy to work.