CrossPoint Newsletter

Sixth Edition 10/2/2023

After a year of planning, prepping, and hard work, our newest CrossPoint church is now open and proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the people in and around Russell, Kansas! 

About four years ago, I sat down with the people of First Southern Baptist Church in Russell and shared our church’s vision for reaching rural places with the Gospel throughout Kansas. We discussed possibly partnering to restart their church as a new CrossPoint location. I walked away from that meeting unsure of the future but sensed that God was at work ahead of us. Fast forward a year and a half, and First Southern had decided to shut their doors as many churches in small places have done in the last several years. But, because of our friendship and partnership with the Central Baptist Association, the new owner, we now had an opportunity to start a brand new location in that same building. 

As all of this was happening, God was stirring in the heart of Shawn Powell. God had been working in his life, and he was beginning to ask what God had for him next. As we sat at Qdoba, he asked me, “What’s the next CrossPoint plant?” I told him about the possibilities in Russell. Just as he didn't know how God had been working in that situation, I didn't know that Shawn was from Russell and that he still had family there. A light bulb went off, and we started to dream about what could be for that church building and the city.

Honestly, this announcement could have been done in a short sentence or two on social media, but I felt compelled to share a little behind the curtain. Here is why: I believe God is already working on the next church in the next town so that the next group of people may hear and come to know Jesus. 

CrossPoint has set a goal of being 20 locations by the year 2030. Here is the tension and the beauty of goals like this: God will have to show up in a big way for this to happen. We have great people, staff, and systems, but unless God calls his people to obedience and we respond accordingly, it's all for nothing. We set the goal based on our faith in what God can do through His church. That means, somewhere in the CrossPoint family, God is working on someone to take that courageous leap to surrender their heart and life to be on a team that starts the next location. That means that some building in some city is about to become available so that the next location can worship together. That means that someone out there is sensing the call to shepherd the people of God and needs a place to lead. 

That means those someones might be you!

Please join me in celebrating CrossPoint Russell's launch and praying for the next opportunity to plant the next church.

Eric Franklin

Lead Pastor

Each Thursday at 11am, the staff at CrossPoint Hutch gathers to pray for specific needs for the church. But there are four things that we pray for every week. One of those items is a prayer for revival. It’s a prayer that God would first awaken our hearts as leaders to love his Word and submit to it more. Then, it’s a prayer that begs God to allow our people to love Jesus more than anything else in this world. And praise God, he is answering this prayer request!

Just in 2023 alone, we have baptized 60 people. That’s 60 new people who have said they love Jesus more than anything. We launched our CrossPoint Students and CrossPoint College for the fall semester and have averaged well over 200 students every week. That’s over 200 students each week who are seeking to love Jesus more than anything else in the world. Every weekend there are multiple people who want to receive Christ as their Savior for the first time. Each weekend, multiple people are following up with to help them love Jesus more than anything else in the world.

We’ve been praying for revival for years. Praise God, he is reviving the hearts of his people! When you think of CrossPoint Hutch, I invite you to pray for the four things we pray for every week in our staff prayer:

• God’s presence would be evident in our weekly services.
• God would bring revival to our hearts.
• God would save the lost.
• God would produce generous hearts from the people in his church.

Shaen Marks

CrossPoint Hutchinson Pastor

Let me first say that we should offer a ton of charity to other Christians who may have a different answer than you regarding this question. There are many God-fearing, well-intentioned Christians who will not touch Halloween with a 10-foot pole. There are also many God-fearing, well-intentioned Christians who pass out snack-sized Snickers and walk their kids around the neighborhood to collect fun-sized M & M’s. With that in mind, let me tell you how I think about Halloween and my family’s participation on that evening.

First, we should never celebrate our enemy. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . . . this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil.” Satan and his demons are our enemy. That’s who we wrestle. Therefore, there should be a great amount of discernment about what costumes we allow our children to wear. And while my neighbor’s 20-foot tall skeleton was quite impressive to look at, we should have a great amount of wisdom over the decorations we put out in our yard. Do our decorations and costumes honor the Lord (I Cor. 10:31) or celebrate our enemy?

Second, Halloween is an incredible opportunity. I am an introvert. Nothing scares me more than when my wife hands me the plate of homemade cookies and tells me to take them to our new neighbor. I’m not a great conversationalist. Knocking on someone’s door who I don’t know is terrifying. But my job is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ who makes more disciples of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19). Halloween is that one day a year I get to walk around with my kids and introduce or re-introduce myself to all my neighbors and it’s not awkward! And I get candy for doing it! Halloween is the one day a year I don’t wonder why someone is at my front door. I get to joyfully sit on my front steps and show the love of Christ and even have a conversation or two with other parents about Jesus.

Third, let’s not fight about it. Because of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul urges us Christians to walk “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” Eph. 4:2-3. If there are other Christians who celebrate the holiday a little differently than you would prefer, let’s offer grace over a very non-essential, non-salvation issue. And PLEASE, do not get in an argument or conversation with a non-Christian who celebrates this holiday too much. Darkness will celebrate darkness and we shouldn’t get mad when someone whose heart has not been changed by the love of Christ values different things than we do. Darkness will do what darkness will do.

So, go buy a big bag of candy (and please don’t buy the cheap kind-no one likes “that” house). Talk to your neighbors. Show the love of Christ. Let your house be known in your neighborhood for what you’re for and not for what you’re against.

Shaen Marks

Lead Pastor