Combined Holiday Dinner Announced

The annual combined holiday dinner celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas will be held Saturday December 8, 2018 at 5:00 pm. This year's event will be a potluck dinner so bring a favorite dish to share.

Men Making 2018 Camping Plans (UPDATED)

The Crossroads men are planning several camping events for 2018:

• First up will be the weekend of June 8-10, 2018 at the same location as 2017 near Hartstown, PA. Several activities including biking, kayaking and canoeing, fishing, target shooting, skeet, and archery will be available on Saturday. There will be a Bible study session also on Saturday. Camp will break Sunday morning to allow participants to return to Crossroads for the Worship Service.
• The second outing will be a week-long camp during mid-summer. The dates are not finalized yet. A speaker is being arranged for teaching sessions each day. Campers who cannot stay all week and are welcome to join in whenever possible.
• Another weekend retreat will be held in later summer or early fall August the weekend of September 7-9 14-16, 2018.

Several upcoming workdays are also planned to prepare the campsite as well as to build a mobile camp kitchen. The men's camping ministry is being led by Pete Keeley, Dave Ruhl, and Russ Taylor.

Women's Camping Weekend Announced

The women's camping weekend is scheduled for September 14-16, 2018 at the Adventure Bound Camping Resort. Two cabins have been reserved. Women are invited to spend one or both nights or just the daytime. Please sign up. Contact Michelle Earnhardt with any questions.

End of Summer Cookout Planned

On Sunday August 26, 2018 Crossroads will be having a church pot luck dinner at the pavilion. Dinner will start at 5:30 pm. Bring a dish to share.

After the dinner, a brief congregational meeting will be held to vote on the new proposed church constitution. All members are encouraged to attend and vote.

New Church Constitution Proposal

The Crossroads Elders have been diligently working on updating the church constitution and recently presented a final draft to the congregation. Copies of the draft document are available.

During August 2018, three Sundays have been set aside for examination and discussion of the new constitution. The Sunday School hour of August 5, 12, and 19, 2018 will be used for this purpose with the same material repeated at the Sunday Evening Bible Study of the same day. All members are encouraged to read the draft version and come to these three sessions.

On August 26, 2018 a congregational meeting will be held to formally vote on the proposed constitution.

Senior Saints Heading to Scrappers Game

The Senior Saints are inviting our church family to join them at a Mahoning Valley Scrappers baseball game against the State College Spikes on Friday August 17, 2018. Game time is 7:05 pm. There will be fireworks after the game. Premium Box Seats cost $11 each. If you want to be included, please sign up by August 5, 2018. (Payment should be made to Ron Courtney.)

2018 VBS Plans

Planning is getting started for the 2018 VBS week. It will be held the week of July 16-20, 2018 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm each evening. Mary Buchanan is leading the effort. Various volunteer positions are needed; see where you can help out.

Bible Study Series on Daily Personal Devotions to Start

From Todd Jaussen:

One of the most significant things that has impacted my life for good has been the practice of Daily Personal Devotions. I cannot overstate how this has benefited my life over the years and how God has used it to mature and strengthen my faith and walk with Him.

It can be a source of struggle and frustration for many... finding time; what to do if you do find time; wandering thoughts; reading the Bible but feeling like you are not getting anything out of it.

On Sunday March 18, 2018 we will be starting a brief series called Enriching Your Devotions. The goal behind this series is to give you the practical helps needed to have a very blessed devotional life that will bear fruit and yield years of enjoyment in fellowship with God.

Evening Bible Study is held on Sundays at 6:00 pm (except for the first Sunday of each month).

Special Congregational Meeting Set

A special congregational meeting will be held on Sunday April 8, 2018 at 12:00 noon for the purpose of confirming a new elder, Jonathan Powell, to the eldership.

A tureen lunch will follow the meeting.

Bread Making Class Announced

We will be offering a Bread, the Staff of Life class on Saturday February 17, 2018 at 10:00 am. Come experience the joy of making bread! Lunch will be included. Those interested in attending, please sign up.

New Sunday School Class Offerings

New Sunday School classes will start on January 21, 2018. Classes being offered are:

• Church History in Plain Language, led by Pete Keeley. There's an old English proverb that says "You don't know where you're going until you know where you've been." When it comes to church history there can be a lot of truth in this old adage. Understanding church history gives us a proper perspective of the course the church is chartering, and allows us to see where we as followers of Christ fit in. Having a good grasp of church history is like have a good grasp of your family heritage. If your family's heritage is rooted in America's old west you probably wouldn't want to show up at the family hoedown dressed in a powdered wig and French silk gown. Why are we Protestants and not Roman Catholic? Where do Eastern Orthodox fit in? Are they really just Protestants like us? Who determined what books should be in the Bible? What's the Reformation and is it important? These are only a few of the many questions we will explore over the next year.


• Westminster Shorter Catechism, led by Scott Graubard. This class began three years ago aimed at exploring our doctrine. Doctrine sounds scary. It simply means that we decided to explore what the Bible says and why we confidently believe what we believe. We began with an in-depth study of the London Baptist Confession of 1689 and have since embarked on a study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Baptist Version). The format of the group encourages frank and open discussion. And while the topics are deep, one does not have to be a theologian to participate.


• Understanding the Place of the Law of God in the Life of the New Covenant Believer, led by Todd Jaussen. This course will be an extension of Grace School of Ministry and previous attendance is not a prerequisite for this session. This will be an in-depth study of an important issue that has challenged the church since its beginning. How are Christians to relate to the many commands of the Old Testament such as circumcision, the dietary laws, the Sabbath celebrations, and the moral commands? What did Jesus teach His followers? How did Paul and the other apostles approach this issue? What happened when the Gentiles began entering the church? What are the implications of this for us today? How does this study impact the great moral debates of our days? There will be weekly homework assignments to prepare for our discussions.


• Twelve Extraordinary Women, led by Stephanie Russo, Jodi Kendra, and Deb Weese. Celebrated for their courage, vision, hospitality, and spiritual giftedness, it's no wonder women were so important to God's plan revealed in the Old and New Testaments. It wasn't their natural qualities that made these women extraordinary but the power of the one true God whom they worshiped and served. Their struggles and temptations are the same trials face by all believers of all ages. These women were not ancillary to His plan - they were the very heart of it. As we discuss the remarkable ways God worked in these twelve women's lives, we will be able to look inside ourselves to see how God has shaped us as Godly women.


• Children's Sunday School classes will continue.

Nursery will be available.

Adult Sunday School classes begin at 9:00 am while the children's class start at 8:45 am.