Crosswinds A Congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Sunday Worship 9:00 & 10:30am
Crosswinds Monthly Newsletter November 2014
Crosswinds Presbyterian Church seeks to be a joyful Christ-centered community on a journey to grow
spiritually through prayer, study, worship, and service to glorify God.
Lend-A-Hand is assembling We Care
Packets, and socks are needed.
We Care Packets are hygiene kits that are
given to shelters in the valley. The packets
consist of all new merchandise, and the items
are as follows: one pair of crew socks, one
washcloth, soap, one razor, a toothbrush and
toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and
a comb.
Our goal is to assemble 1,000 We Care
Packets, so we have designated Sunday,
November 2 as Sock-It-To-Me Sunday!
Please donate a package (or two or three)
of white men's crew socks!
(New Socks Only Please)
We Care Packets Assembly
November 11, 10:00 a.m. All ages are invited to come help assemble the
We Care Packets. It is a fun, meaningful way
to spend the morning!
[[Advent ConspiracyAdvent Conspiracy]]
Did you know that more than 40% of
Americans are so stressed by the Holidays
that they would just as soon skip Christmas?
Hectic schedules and unrealistic expenses can
take the joy right out of the holiday season.
If you wait for Advent to prepare for
Christmas, it is too late! The Advent
Conspiracy is a four week worship series to
help congregations engage in authentic
Worship and Giving at Christmas.
November 9, Spend Less By spending wisely on gifts we free ourselves from the anxiety associated with debt so we can take in the season with a full heart.
November 2, Worship Fully Christmas marks the moment where God’s promise was fulfilled. and love took form. It is a moment that deserves our full attention.
November 16, Give More We know what you’re thinking. “Wait, didn’t they just say spend less? The most memorable gift you can give to someone is yourself.
November 23, Love All It all boils down to love. Love from a savior. Love to a neighbor. By spending just a little less on gifts we free up our resources to love.
Thanksgiving Heritage Potluck
November 23, 12:00 p.m.
As a form of Thanksgiving, we will remember our past and
invite everyone to bring a dish from your ethnic heritage to
share with the congregation.
Maybe it’s a grandparent’s recipe, a favorite from your
childhood, or maybe it is from an adopted culture!
Just bring a dish and join the fun!
Giving Thanks Sunday
November 23
Collecting food for Desert Mission Food Bank
“Research shows that children who grow up in poverty are more likely to
suffer from a range of physical and mental diseases as they age, and
even may expect a shorter life span.” [The Lucile Packard
Foundation for Children's Health, May 8, 2013]
The food Crosswinds collects doesn’t just fill empty stomachs - - it changes lives - - think about
that. Over the years, Crosswinds has given tons of food to local food banks throughout the
valley. We will never know how many people’s lives are better today because of those gifts, but
we know they made a difference. No child in America should be suffering because of a lack of
nutrition, especially at Thanksgiving.
This year Crosswinds is providing all the trimmings!
Please bring any of the following:
Other Suggestions:
Biscuit Mix, Corn Meal or Corn Muffin Mix,
Stuffing Mix, Marshmallows, Instant Mashed
Potatoes, Dessert Mix, Pudding, Gravy Mix, Flour,
Sugar, Brown Sugar, Packaged Pecans
Or other items of your choice
Canned Items:
Fruit, Green Beans, Corn,
Sweet Potatoes, Broth,
Pumpkin, Evaporated
Milk, Cranberry Sauce
November Birthdays
Peggy Reed
Nichole Campbell Devin Leming Rick Campbell
Doug Sapp
Do you want a free Advent Calendar?
It comes with the free one year subscription of the Presbyterian Today.
This special offer is limited to this email appeal
and is only valid for new subscribers who live in
the United States, and subscriptions must be made
online at this site: https://www.cambeywest.com/
subscribe2/?p=PTM&f=gegs2014
If you prefer, please call the church and we will
register for you!
Message from Michael
A couple of weeks ago my message was on the
need to give. Instead of a sermon on giving to
the church, my message was to model Christ,
who:
Emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave,...he humbled himself and became
obedient to the point of death - - even
death on a cross.
(Philippians 2:6-8)
I concluded the message saying that I believed
that if Crosswinds strived to give of ourselves
through service to Christ, and if we met
regularly for worship, finances would take care
of themselves. I truly believe that is true, and
I would love for that to be the financial
campaign for next year, but I have learned a
few things over the years:
The act of pledging is a valuable spiritual
discipline. It requires families to look at
their financial situation (that alone is
valuable), and prayerfully consider how they
will support Christ’s work at Crosswinds - -
both through giving to the general fund or
the building fund.
Finance committees find annual pledges
allow them to more wisely plan for the
coming year.
People need to be reminded of what it means
to be a member of the body of Christ, and
what it means to be an active participant in
the life and ministry of Crosswinds. People
need to understand the need.
In the coming weeks, you will receive more
information and your pledge cards. Until then,
spend some time on what Crosswinds means to
you, and how our ministries are impacting the
lives of not only our members, but people
throughout the community.
Michael
Getting
to
Know
Crosswinds
Sunday, November 9, 4:00-6:30 p.m.
Or
Monday, November 10, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
“What does it mean to be Presbyterian?”
“What does it mean to be a “member” of a
particular congregation?” “What is the
purpose and mission of Crosswinds?”
“How did we get to where we are today?”
These are just a few of the topics that will be
covered as we gather together. For more
information, or for anyone interested in
attending either one of these events, please
contact Pastor Hartwell or signup online.
A Meal will be Provided at
Each of these Events!
A Gathering
For Anyone
Interested in
Becoming
a Member
or Just Leaning
More About
Crosswinds
Welcome to the family!
During the service of worship of October 19,
we had the wonderful experience of the
Sacrament of Baptism. Tasheena
Lancucki, and her children, Freddie, Teddie,
Dolores, Alexandria and Lylliana were all
baptized.
We welcomed them into the church
universal, and to the community of
Crosswinds. Because we remember that a
person’s faith journey doesn’t end at
Baptism. I remind the church of the
promises you made “to guide and nurture
those baptized by word and deed with love
and prayer.” May we together “equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for building
up the body of Christ, until all of us come to
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God.” (Ephesians 4:12-13)
Come
Join
The
Fun
Our Angel Tree Christmas Gift
Project “Angels” Coming in
November
You can make Christmas a little more
special for families in need, and many of
them are from our immediate community!
You can be a part of this wonderfully
fulfilling program by picking an “Angel” off
our Christmas tree. The Angel has a name of
the family member, their age, and a list of
their wants and
needs. You
purchase a gift (or
gifts) for up to $25
value, and wrap it
and bring it back
to church. If you
can’t shop for the
gifts, the Mission
Committee will
shop for you.
Christmas Bells
Don’t you just love hearing
the ringing of bells at
Christmas?
The Crosswinds hand bell choir will begin
practicing at noon on Sunday, November
9th, and would love to have you playing
with us.
No prior experience is necessary.
If you can count to 4, you can play hand
bells. Contact Cheryl at 602-463-4151 or
at [email protected], for more
information or to let us know you’ll be
playing.
Crosswind’s choir is already practicing
for Christmas. Come join the fun,
every Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Instead of a Ham Dinner for Christmas,
how about a whole Pig?
Crosswinds’ youth want to buy a pig! Not to eat, but to help a
family through Heifer International.
Fill the quarter tube ($120) and a family in a developing country will receive a pig. Pigs need
little land an can thrive on crop and garden byproduct scraps. The average sow can provide a
family with up to 16 piglets a year, providing an a steady income for the family.
How can you help?
You can help the Crosswinds’ kids by bringing your quarters for the collection tube, or you can
buy your own water buffalo, heifer, sheep, goat, chicks, bees etc. And for those hard-to-buy-for
loved ones on your Christmas list, you could even buy one as a Christmas gift in someone’s
name. Keep an eye on the Crosswinds’ Zoo bulletin board. Any time friends or families
of the church buy an animal through the Heifer International program, we will add a picture to
the bulletin board. We at Crosswinds can make a difference by providing these animals to
people throughout the world, and we don’t have clean up after them.
For more information check out their website at www.heifer.org.
Wouldn’t it be nice to
buy a gift you know
won’t be returned?
20125 N 15th Ave
Phoenix, Arizona 85027
(623) 582-2018
www.crosswindspc.com
Michael Hartwell, pastor
Crosswinds
A Congregation of the Presbyterian
Crosswinds Presbyterian Church seeks to be a
joyful Christ-centered community on a
journey to grow spiritually through prayer,
study, worship, and service to glorify God.
Crosswinds Presbyterian Church
20125 N 15th Ave
Phoenix, Arizona 85027
Join us on the Journey!
“Americans have too much stuff,”* according
to a study at UCLA. The study also showed
that having too much stuff actually eats at
your time - - time cleaning, time sorting, and
time hunting for lost
items. Crosswinds
can help. Bring
your stuff to the
church and we will
sell it a our next yard
sale.
If you need help getting things to the church,