A Message from Pastor Stephanie

Happy New Year! It is a brand new year and a brand new start. At Cross and Crown, we are offering you a few opportunities to jump into this new year and grow in a variety of ways.

First, do you want to grow in your walk with God? We will soon begin a new adult book study during our Sunday morning Bible Study/Sunday School hour (approximately 10:30 - 12). Over six weeks, we will be reading Beckoned: Hearing God's Call to Deeper Faith, which I wrote and published last year. These books are offered free of charge to our congregation (one per household), so please sign up at church or get a hold of me and let me know if you need a copy. You can read the description and reviews here: https://www.amazon.com/Beckoned-Hearing-Gods-Deeper-Faith/dp/B08X7YLLYS/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1614709213&sr=8-2

Each week, we will discuss reflection questions that are designed to help you think carefully upon your own life and journey of faith. I believe in this study, you will see with fresh eyes where God is beckoning you into a deeper relationship.

Second, do you want to grow in your financial awareness and health? We are excited to offer Financial Peace University at Cross and Crown. A few years ago, Eric and I were stressed with student loans from four graduate degrees between us and two children either in college or nearing college. We took a Financial Peace University class at a church near our home, and found that the plan to pay off debt was far easier than we had imagined it would be. We became debt-free, taught our children these principles, and now want to pay forward the financial wisdom we learned. Please join our FPU class at Cross and Crown starting Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Click this link here for more information and reach out to me with any questions: fpu.com/1143973.

Third, do you want to grow in your commitment to service? We offer lots of ways you can give and serve those in need. We partner with Rancho Cucamonga Family Resource Center, a local food pantry. Each month we collect one type of food and deliver as much as we can to the pantry. In January, we bring out as much peanut butter as possible. Please see the list at church of all of the food we collect throughout the year.

We also partner with Central City Lutheran Mission, a men's shelter in San Bernardino, which helps men with a variety of educational and job training needs. Look for periodic collections of food and supplies for the mission. We also go there two Fridays per month to help serve fresh groceries to the San Bernardino community. Here at Cross and Crown, there are many other ways to serve. We ask for everyone's assistance to make ministry thrive. Can you read a portion of scripture during worship? Do you like to sing or play a musical instrument? Are you handy with small maintenance jobs or outdoor lawn or flower care? Would you be willing to help with technology, social media, assisting the pastor during worship, or altar care? We will train you for any and all tasks, and every bit of service is so appreciated.

Finally, do you want to grow in the ways you love one another? Your very presence at worship is not only an act of love to God, but also an act of love to each another. People love to see your smiling eyes, even when your smiling mouth is covered with a mask. They love your words of peace and comfort. They love being a church family, where everyone is a beloved relative. We are all church together, and we are all treasured. Please do know that your presence ministers to everyone, and this ministry helps others make it through another week.

I encourage you to reach out to me with any pastoral care needs, with any questions or concerns, and with any ways you might want to get more fully involved in the life of the church in this coming year. Happy New Year from Cross and Crown! May God abundantly bless you with love and joy in 2022.

God's Peace,

Pastor Stephanie

I'd like to offer a special greeting to those members of our Cross and Crown congregation who are not worshiping with us in person yet, out of an abundance of caution with the Covid, or the possibility of being exposed to Covid, or any other personal reason at this time. We love you and remember you in worship weekly. You are still very much a part of our congregation, and we are so glad to call you our church family. Whether in the same building, or connecting with worship and our community online through our Youtube channel, please know the human spirit knows no bounds, and the Holy Spirit holds us all together in the great Body of Christ. May you feel that peace and love that belongs to us all. Please do reach out to me if you would like to talk, or if I, or we as a church, can be there for you in any way.

In Christ''s love,

Pastor Stephanie

From Pastor Stephanie

Did you know that if you feel sadness, grief, or extra stress around the holidays, you are not alone? Feeling out of sorts, blue, or even deeply grieving is a normal occurrence at the time of year. Maybe you miss a loved one, maybe you are struggling with your current family or financial situation, or maybe you feel lost at the close of a year, especially when the days are darker and colder. For whatever reason, please know that pastoral care is always available to you. If you would like to talk with me confidentially about anything at all, if you want a listening ear, pastoral support, or even the rite of confession and forgiveness, just give me a call or text or send me an email. We can set up a good time to talk. I can be reached at 951-207-9164 and prstephanielape@gmail.com. You are most certainly not alone. God loves you, and so does your church family.

Cross and Crown Lutheran Church

Cross and Crown Lutheran Church in Rancho Cucamonga

A Message from Pastor Stephanie

From Pastor Stephanie

Pastor Stephanie published in Living Lutheran

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