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Printable Newsletters
July 2008 Issue
Pastor Clark Richardson, Grace Church of the Valley (Aurora, Illinois)
The winter of 2005 brought a challenging season in the life of Grace Church of the Valley. At God’s perfectly appointed time our pastors were invited to spend several encouraging days with the Crossway family of leaders at the annual “Huddle.” As we did, the relational unity, abounding love and encouragement, and kindred spirit in how to go about the mission of Jesus became abundantly clear.
In the last couple of years since, as we have grown in refreshing old ministry relationships and cultivating new ones, the benefits of an official partnership have become unmistakable. It brings a continual encouragement toward the amazing things God is doing worldwide and has fueled an increase in our overall mission focus as a church. The Crossway Chapel movement is largely about what we’re calling “relational accountability” for focused goals in the church such as developing genuine relationships with those who need Jesus, multiplying groups of disciples, and training leaders for strengthening local bodies and planting new ones.
We’ve begun to see the results of purposefully “moving toward” other pastors, leaders, and local churches across the country to gain and give encouragement in the ministry battle. As I consider the movement personally, I think of it as a “dependent sharing of God’s abundance” for the growth of God’s kingdom. His grace has moved Him to pour out gifts, experiences, knowledge, and strategies among a growing number of churches that will cause this movement to sound forth the compassion and purpose of Jesus for thousands to hear and receive. It is for this purpose that we have wholeheartedly joined in. In the near term, as a church we are looking to celebrate God’s faithfulness in the past through this local body and at the same time re-launch (restart) with a new name and kindred gospel partnership with the Crossway family.
