The Story

Have you ever felt intimidated reading the bible? Not sure how it all fits together? From start to finish the Bible is written as a story to be told to all of humanity. All the pieces fit together but so many times we don't know how. For the first time ever we are starting a 10 week bible study for anyone who has ever wanted to understand the entire bible.  God has gone to great lengths to rescue his  lost and hurting people. That is what the Story of the Bible is all about, God's great love affair with humanity.

 During these 10 weeks we will be reading a book called 'The Story' which is the bible written as a story. From the time of Adam and Eve to Abraham and the nation of Israel to Paul's missionary journey to the time when John is exiled on Patmos and Revelation is written and everything in between. Each week another part of history will be shared by either Dr. Bill Dogterom, Dr. Bill Gaultiere and pastors Sean Kappauf and Patrick Detken.

•        Date: Begins -April 26th and continues for 10 consecutive Thursday's through June 28th

•        Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm

•        Where: The Crossing Campus in the Loft

•        Cost: $20 includes the book  The Story or $10 without the book

•        Childcare is not provided

·         This study is for anyone (from non-believer to seasoned believer)

·         Register for The Story

We hope this experience gives you the confidence to share with the world how His story intersects with YOUR story and has created a NEW story.

Information for Mens Retreat - March 16-18

We are getting more and more excited as the 2012 Men’s Retreat – MPOWRD – grows closer. It’s right around the corner! The theme is MPOWRD where we will learn what it means to be fully EMPOWERED - ‘MPOWRD’ through God’s power and not our own and how we can be fully dependent on God every day no matter what’s going on in our life! We are so excited that 150 men will be experiencing the mountains at the Forest Home Retreat Center with many recreation options: walks, hikes, rock climbing, game room, zip line, miniature golf, and much more (weather permitting)!!

Times: Registration begins Friday at 5pm at HORMEL HALL. Dinner is Friday at 7pm. Program starts at 8pm in Hormel Hall. Retreat ends on Sunday at 11am.

Place: Forest Home, 40000 Valley of the Falls, Forest Falls, CA 92339, www.foresthome.org

When you get there, you will find someone at the welcome station until 10pm directing you to Hormel Hall. If you arrive at Hormel Hall between 5:00-10pm there will be someone there to help you. If you plan on getting there later please let us know so we know how to direct you and get you the key to your cabin. Every cabin is about 3 minutes walking distance from our main meeting place.

What you get: Friday – Sunday Experience, lodging, 5 meals, incredible worship, small group time, great teaching, and recreation free time, plus time to engage with other men from The Crossing.

What to bring: Dress warm. It will be cold low 20’s and high 50’s. As of now it could rain or even snow on Sunday (not much) so dress accordingly. Bring your bible, pen, flashlight, toiletries, warm shoes or tennis shoes that can work with mountain terrain, warm jacket and/or coat, alarm clock, some ear plugs just in case, a pillow, sleeping bag or bed linens, a towel, umbrella and some playing cards (optional) Again, make sure to bring your bedding or a sleeping bag/pillow, if you forget they will rent you out some bedding for $20.

Snacks are ONLY allowed in the cabins, if they are stored in an air-tight plastic container. (Even if they are already packaged). Bears can be intrusive, if they smell food, so make sure you prepare accordingly.

Group Leader: You will be receiving an email and call from your group leader who will make sure you have a way to get up to the retreat and answer any questions you may have. If you have not received a phone call from your group leader you can email me at pdetken@thecrossing.com If you need to carpool talk with your group leader. If no one can carpool from your group email Ryan Argue at Ryan Argue ryanargue@firstteam.com. He is organizing this piece and will know how to help you. Also, there are a few guys leaving after 5pm who need a ride so if you are leaving after 5pm and have a few space let us know.

Driving? For those of you driving, if you have chains BRING THEM. If you have 4 wheel drive you won’t need chains. However, if you don’t have them you don’t need to go out and buy them. There may be a few spots that are slippery coming down the mountain but you can drive down without chains, you’ll just need to have your car in a low gear. Directions to Forest Home From The Crossing: Click Here Try leaving early on Friday, traffic on the 91 on Friday can be crazy. Check here for directions to Forest Home.

Cabins hold 10 people to a room and most likely you will be rooming with the people in your small group.

Emergency: If your spouse needs to get a hold of you have them call 909.389.2300. There will be little to no cell coverage so if there is an emergency have them call that number and they will get the message to you.

Cash: bring cash to buy a t-shirt ($15) or if you want anything from the snack shop.

Your Room: You can’t check in sooner than 5pm into your room. But registration will be ready by 4:30pm so come to Hormel Hall to pick up your stuff and then head over to your room.

Finally: We have prayed for 150 men and as of now we have 148 so if you know of a few guys who still want to go, let’s make it happen.

Can You Help? Finally, many of you have been very generous helping others out with scholarships. There is still about $1,000 that we are short so if some of you can contribute let me know.

This year, Pastor Brian Anderson from Mission Hills http://missionhillschurch.com/blog/ will be teaching on Romans 7 and 8. We are looking forward to seeing each one of you there and experiencing what God has in store for us!

Fresh BREWED Awakening

Coffee, Great Message and a time of Worship

• 6:30pm-8:30pm In The Warehouse
• $5.00 per person 
• Sign Up Link - http://www.thecrossing.com/story.aspx?storyid=427

February 27th

Special Speaker: Bianca Olthoff will be sharing a message on LOVE. If you missed her last year, here's your chance. She is funny and loves to share God's word. Bring your bible. Band: CSM

March 26th

Special Speaker: Sandie Morgan will be sharing a message on Hopes & Dreams. Sandie is the Director of Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice and teaches Women’s Studies, Family Violence, and Human Trafficking at Vanguard. She is a powerhouse ladies, come ready to be encouraged and challenged.

2012 Mens Retreat - March 16th - 18th

This year we are headed up to Forest Home http://www.foresthome.org/ up in the mountains

Theme: Philippians 4:13 "I can do ALL things through Him who gives me strength"

Speaker: Pastor Brian Anderson from Mission Hills Church http://missionhillschurch.com/blog/

Cost: $215 in February, $230 in March

Focus: We will be spending time discovering what it means to be empowered by God and His Spirit on a daily basis. We'll discuss what it means to live in and through His strength and not our own!

Title of Weekend: MPOWRD 'Empowered'

Sign up at http://www.thecrossing.com/story.aspx?storyid=443

Connections Information

We are so excited about this next season as we launch our new Connections season with all new opportunities. Connection is a place for you to connect with God and with others. Its a place to meet new people and learn how to walk out your relationship with the Lord but in community!

Groups begin the week of March 5th from 6:30-8pm for 6 weeks. Sign Up at http://www.thecrossing.com/connections . Cost for class/group is $10 and childcare is available for $30 for 6 weeks but must sign up.


Family Connections starts on Monday, March 5th

• Groups for Parents with Infants/Preschoolers
• Groups for Parents with Elementary
• Groups for Parents with Teens
• Groups for Blended Families
• Groups for Single Parents
• Groups for Marrieds (Marriage Tune-Up)

Men and Womens Connections starts on Tuesday, March 6th

• Groups for Men
• Groups for Women
• Groups for Younger Marrieds (20-30's)

Care Connections starts on Wednesday, March 7th

• Groups for Grief Support
• Groups for Cancer Support
• Groups for Anger Management Support
• Groups for Eating Disorders

New Life Stage Connection Groups

God has recently placed on my heart the need to ‘group’ people up depending on life stage or interest. For instance, I absolutely love my small group, I’ve been with these married couples for over 5 years now and one of the best parts is that we all have young kids between ages 1-9 so we share a lot of experiences together. We’ve all gone camping together, been to our kids baseball games and tons of other things. Its these common interests that have really bonded us because we GET IT! And to be honest I think many people want a place like that.

So in the new year I plan on starting new Connection groups on campus for specific groupings of people. Some of the ideas have been groups for married, newly married, dating/courting, men, women, singles, young adults, college, parents with toddlers, parents with elementary, parents with teens, blended families, single parents or people dealing with certain care needs like anger, eating disorders, grief, cancer, 12 Step for men and women, divorce recovery.My question for you is would you be interested in helping facilitate one of these groups. We need people with a heart for these areas to that would be interested in gathering people together that are going through the same things and build community. I would help you decide on a book you could use and how to facilitate the discussion. The group would be for 5 weeks.


We would begin these groups mid-February 2012 during the week. Let me know if you are interested and definitely be prayerful for our new adventure!


Contact us at pdetken@thecrossing.com if you're interested.

New FUEL: Bible Studies in 2012

FUEL: Bible Studies will be offered 3 nights (each night a different study available) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.FUEL: Bible Studies will begin on January 16,17 and 19 and last 5 weeks from 6:30-8pm. Each study is $10. You can officially sign up http://www.thecrossing.com/story.aspx?storyid=446


Monday Bible Studies starting January 16th


John (For Men Only) – To RSVP contact Marty Whitecotton martywhitecotton@gmail.com
John begins his first letter with a lengthy introduction in which he assures the readers that what he is going to tell them about, he saw, heard with his own ears, and even touched. He wants them to understand that his message is grounded in reality, a reality he himself was witness to. You will experience what he saw and how it applies into your life!

Luke (Co-ed) – To RSVP contact Jaime jhuff@vanguard.edu
Jesus as portrayed in the Gospel of Luke. Together we will learn how to use regular bible study as tool for helping us live the same kind of life that Jesus did. Our series will focus on careful study of five key passages in the Gospel of Luke. We will provide students with study tools each week, including short readings from Luke (Understanding the Bible Commentary) by Craig Evans

Tuesday Bible Studies starting January 17th

1st and 2nd Kings (Co-ed) – To RSVP contact Brett Detken at bdetken@thecrossing.com
Following God means giving Him everything you got! If you are serious about stepping up your walk with God, come and learn with us, as we study the lives of people who did,(and didn’t) trust God, and discover how that decision impacted the rest of their lives...

Ephesians (For Couples Only) – To RSVP contact Patrick Detken at pdetken@thecrossing.com
All throughout Ephesians you notice 3 key themes. Learning to sit in the knowledge of who God tells you who you really are, learning to walk in the Lords ways and then standing on the truth of God's perspective. We will be diving into this letter from Paul and how affects our relationships.

1 John  (For Women Only) To RSVP contact Nicole Romero at nromero@thecrossing.com
What does it mean to really follow God in a world full of confusion? What does a Christ-Follower look like? Inside & Out. Body & Soul. Join us as we study 1 John and explore how to live as true children of God: Loving, Bold and Free in every possible way.1 John addresses big questions like "How do I know I am a Christian?" and "How do I live a Godly life inside and out?" It also digs deep into how we can each give and receive love boldly and deeply. We think this little book is great way to study daily Christian living and get to the heart of God. We will be using either John Ortberg's 1 John study.

Thursday Bible Studies starting January 19th

James (Co-ed) – To RSVP contact Randy Clark at rclark@thecrossing.com
As united believers we could all understand a lot about James by simply reading his letter, the Book of James. Our desire is that this study on the Book of James will bless you and inspire you go deeper into God's word and be excited to pursue a deeper and more committed relationship with Jesus. James will help us reflect on wisdom, action, judgement, perseverance and patience. James 5 chapters are broken down into life lessons. Practicality crossed with proverbs. This study will be broken down both in historic and practical perspectives."


1 Peter (For Women Only) – To RSVP contact Mindy Wolford at vbwohlfy@pacbell.net

I Peter is a “letter” from Peter that encourages us as believers to have HOPE in Christ no matter what happens in our lives and to ASSURE us that we can DEPEND on the sufficiency of God’s GRACE. Peter is writing to help us understand the wonderful gift we have been given through the suffering of Christ, the blood that Jesus Christ poured out for us, and His resurrection. Our former understanding of the world is no longer valid, but a new understanding is given in God's word ~ and it is what we can rely on. What used to be our former life, is no longer, but now we have a new life. We will suffer in this world but the best suffering is because of our new way of living, according to God's word. To suffer because we follow Christ is worthy suffering. I Peter will show us how to live well in a shattered and helpless world because God will equip us to live at peace in the midst of tough times. (I Peter 2:2-3)


Titus (Co-ed For Singles Only) – To RSVP contact Ethen Thacher at ethen.thacher@gmail.com
As God's people, we are called to be holy in our character and conduct. But how do we walk that out in our daily lives? Please join us as we learn God's perspective on leadership, as well as conduct, both inside and outside of the church.Want a sneak peak of what we have planned? Click on the link below.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCkBL2DfVg