The year was
1998… remember it? The film Titanic won a record 11
Oscars, and Michael Jordan and company won their 6th NBA
title. Apple computer released the iMac. Microsoft countered
with Windows 98. Exxon bought Mobil for $73 billion. And a
couple of college buddies founded this quaint little
technology company: Google. Boy, it would have been nice to
be in on that sweetheart deal.
Well the good news is… you were in on a sweetheart deal:
CrossPoint. In 1998 CrossPoint Community Church launched
right here in your community. Nottingham Country Elementary,
to be exact. Palm Sunday. April 5. Katy was still small.
Westgreen stopped at Kingsland, with green grass filling the
stretch to I-10. The I-10 expansion wasn’t reality, and
neither were Seven Meadows, Grand Lakes or La Centerra.
But there were people in the community looking for a
different kind of church home. Those people came together
and formed this life-changing faith-community. Now granted,
it wasn’t an Exxon-Mobil type acquisition and it didn’t draw
a Titanic-type crowd. We scrambled for set-up crews who were
willing to unload a trailer early Sunday mornings. We hung
flyers in the community for “Sunday morning band gig.” And
there were Sundays we suspected Jesus must be coming back
soon because the worship crowd sure was small.It was those Sundays, though, that people like the Imms and
Walkers and others banded together and hung tough, believing
that God was doing something really amazing. They gave of
themselves in sacrificial ways. They invested dollars and
energy and prayer. And most of all, they invited. They
invited their neighbors who were new to the area and their
friends who didn’t have a church home. They invited them to
worship and be a part of a new community church. All the
time hoping but never guessing God would build a ministry
that would make a real difference in Katy. But that’s what
He’s done.
Over the past decade, our Creator has created an accredited
preschool program that now serves over 250 families. A
beautiful Life Fountain and Plaza where loved ones are
remembered and all ages are baptized. A sports ministry and
summer camp and Fall Festival that minister to 1000’s of
families every year. A facility at Westgreen that is used
throughout the week by scouting groups and home school
groups, and a disc golf course and hike and bike trail that
are gifts to this neighborhood. He’s added another worship
campus at SevenLakes High School where we are able to create
a community church for that community. And He’s given us
community partnerships with Pregnancy Help Center and Breath
of Life Clinic so that we can make a difference early on in
families.
All told, He’s built a ministry that proclaims the message
of our loving Creator God and the incredible gift of His Son
Jesus Christ to over 1000 people a Sunday. It is this
message of Jesus and His cross that have changed life after
life and home after home. Through Jesus and His cross, this
church—your church—is changing this community—for good, for
eternity!
So yes, in 1998 the Chicago Bull were building a basketball
dynasty… but God was building a faith-based dynasty…planting
the ancient truth of Jesus in this modern sound wrapping. A
truth that reminds us we cannot earn God’s love or deserve
God’s love. He simply gives it to the world through His Son
Jesus. Amazing.
Thank you God for the past ten years! Thank you for giving
us the direction to grow and expand. Thank you for the
courage and resources and faith, for the people who
sacrificed and the people we touched. Thank you for the
homes we impacted, and the families we restored, all by the
power of your name. For our plans are small and flawed, but
by your Spirit you’ve built one heck of a community church
here at CrossPoint.
And in the decade ahead, where will God lead? The future is
God’s so our vision is not perfect. But we do see God
leading us to create more CrossPoint campuses around the
Houston metro area and beyond. All with the singular goal
that communities would know of God’s great love in His Son
Jesus. |
