Xtraordinary Fellowship

Sometimes we think of the elderly as something that we can just discard. Heck sometimes we are so ingrained in that mindset we just don't think of them at all. But what if a church that is primarily composed of young Christians, both young in age and the faith, were to reach out to a group of elderly people using cutting edge technology as the means of delivering the message? What would happen, would it go well? Would it be received well? Or would those who are a little older and more mature balk at the idea? These are all great questions that recently got an answer at the very first service of a new church plant called Xtraordinary Fellowship!

As many who read this blog know Crossroads Fellowship has entered into a cutting edge church planting concept using live worship coupled with video sermons to reach unreached people groups around the world. In reaching those unreached people groups we have also included those who may have previously been evangelized, but are now a part of the neglected masses. One such group of people is those that spend the latter days of life confined to a nursing home.

Derry Martell is very new in his faith in Christ, but the call of God to take the message to the nursing home in which his mother lives is something that he not only heard, but answered. God challenged Derry that even though he was a relatively new Christian, that he could in fact be empowered by God's Spirit to reach a group of neglected people with the love of Christ. The eldership of Crossroads Fellowship recognized that call, and held a special ceremony of commissioning for Derry just one day prior to the first scheduled service. The very next morning Derry was off to the home for his scheduled service.

I would love to say that everything went smooth as silk, but rather there was a scheduling conflict that got Derry moved from 10:30am to 4:30pm. When Derry came back he had dinner with the group, and after dinner at 4:30pm everyone went back to their room for a nap instead of coming to church. However Derry would not allow himself to be discouraged, but rather he asked for another time to be scheduled. So on Wednesday, September 17 2008, Xtraordinary Fellowship was born.

Derry used track music, and the video sermon that was taped live at Crossroads the week before to bring the church to those who could not go to where the church gathered. There are forty residents that live in the facility that Derry is ministering to. Seventeen of those forty came to the very first service. Derry got just shy of 50% of his target group to respond on the very first service. Not only did seventeen show up, but what was even more amazing is that a large number of them lingered after the service encouraging Derry and telling him how much it meant to them to be ministered to in this way. It seems as though they did not want the time to end.

So maybe, just maybe, God is able to use technology to plant churches. Derry is not a qualified teacher of the word, and so his Pastor, which is me, teaches the word via video. Yet it is the heart of Christ that the people see in Derry that has brought them, and will bring them back as Derry seeks to introduce or re-introduce them not only to Christ, but to the family of churches that Crossroads Fellowship is a part of. So please welcome our newest church plant, Xtraordinary Fellowship, into the C&MA and the Crossroads Fellowship family of churches. To God be the glory!