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Welcome to Cross Roads United Methodist Church 3146 Saltwell Road, Huntington, WV 25705 (Church) 304-522-7434 (Child Care) 304-525-6547 |
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Celebrating Over 125 Years!
* * Please note * *
All services at CRUMC have been suspended until further notice.
You may listen to recorded messages under the
“Recorded Services" tab on this page
and also on Face Book.
All services at CRUMC have been suspended until further notice.
You may listen to recorded messages under the
“Recorded Services" tab on this page
and also on Face Book.
From the Bishop (May 31, 2020):
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I woke up on this Pentecost morning – hoping for better news in our nation – but that was not to be. The unrest across this nation has continued for almost a week now, with protests and protesters who are urgently seeking justice, being overridden by reports and acts of violence, and rioting. I have wrestled with what to say following the story and videos of the arrest of George Floyd and the report of his death. I have written many times now about my grief and anger in the midst of unjust actions, the sin of racism, the sin of treating people as objects instead of persons of sacred worth. I have wondered: What more can I say?
George Floyd’s death was wrong. The violence being perpetuated in a number of our cities is wrong. The destruction of property – which also destroys even more of the limited job employment opportunities that the pandemic has not yet taken and destroys some of the very service centers and markets where the most marginalized in our communities can get food, shelter, clothing, and medical care – is wrong . Racism is wrong. Violence perpetuated and encouraged against any group of people is wrong. The manipulation of people and gatherings that seek to help give a voice to the marginalized and the disenfranchised by turning protests into destructive riots is wrong. Keeping silent in the midst of all these things is wrong. I groan with the Spirit of God and all of creation at this moment. All of this that is happening – the disregard for human life – racism – a host of other isms - a pandemic where all people do not have equal access to medical care – systems that continue to act as if some are more valuable or better than others – is not what I believe God had in mind when God’s Spirit swept across what was formless and void and brought forth life. All of this, I believe, is not what God had hoped and prayed for when on that first Pentecost, the barriers were broken and all people were enabled to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ in their own languages, within their own cultures. This was not what God had in mind when God’s Spirit birthed the bringing of people together – creating community in the midst of difference where God’s Spirit was poured out upon all flesh and all could hear a message of hope, of life, and be called to a vision, a vision of working and sharing together - prophesying, dreaming dreams, rejoicing. And so, I groan. I bring my anger, my frustration, my fears, the injustice I see and the pain I experience and lay it before God, knowing that even as I bring all this to God, God has been grieving, groaning, and lamenting – even before I realized it was right so to do! The Good News is - God is here and God will not stop being here! Yes, yes, yes – the church is essential! Pentecost birthed the Church so that God’s message, the message that God so loved the world, and all that comes with that message … would continue to be unconditionally shared for all time so that people for all time could find their way to transformation and new life. In these turbulent times, in these uncertain, and anxious times, in these times when perhaps many have forgotten the purpose of why the church exists, Jesus is once again trying to gather us together just as a hen tries to gather its brood under its wings. Please, please, please - would you have it? Will you, will I, allow God’s Spirit to gather us? God’s Spirit is moving! Christ’s light is present! Will you and I proclaim, testify to the Good News so that the wind of God’s Spirit and the light of Christ might make its way through the cracks – move through the openings no matter how small - to bring us to a new Pentecost experience? Will you and I allow the Spirit of God to capture us once again and move us to witness and testify in all the languages and ways God is seeking to muster through us, to both hear and proclaim again the Good News of Jesus Christ? Will we continue in the work and ministry of proclaiming the work of Justice in constructive, life-giving ways? Will we commit ourselves once again to the power of working together, the gift of God’s variety, difference, and color of all the people God created in God’s own image? And, will we be bold in sharing the hope and the truth of God’s power to transform, redeem, heal, forgive, and bring new life to both individuals and communities? May it be so. |
A message from the Bishop:
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Dear West Virginia Conference Members and Friends,
I continue to be thankful for your faithfulness and dedication to your ministry and mission with all God’s people! I am thankful for your commitment to the essential services you provide to your communities and beyond by creatively providing worship, bible studies, prayer groups, and community services to care for those who need food, shelter, clothing, medical care, help with bills and transportation. Thank you for adapting to these times of COVID-19 by offering virtual, on-line, drive in, and telephone opportunities for worship, study, prayer, and visitation. Thank you for finding ways to continue your community services by changing processes so that we do no harm by maintaining at least 6 feet of physical distancing, using masks, sanitizing, washing hands, making deliveries in some cases, and encouraging the most vulnerable among us to stay at home. I praise God that Christ’s Churches in the West Virginia Conference have never been closed. The church is the people and the Church of Jesus Christ is alive and well in West Virginia and has adapted to offering our essential services in new ways that extend our reach for Jesus Christ, that do good, that do no harm, and have helped all of us to stay in love with God. God’s Pentecost Spirit continues to move through us, giving birth to new ways of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the many re-launch teams that are working with and through the re-launch guidelines to help each congregation prepare for and determine when and how each one will resume in person worship and continue to do no harm seeking to follow the biblical mandate of Christ - to love one another. Not every church will resume their in-person gatherings at the same time, nor should they. Each community is different. Each congregation has a differing number of people in vulnerable categories, each church building is different and can hold differing numbers of people and maintain the physical distancing space of at least 6 feet, each church will need to develop its own plan for sanitizing and cleaning after the use of rooms and spaces in each building. And, we cannot leave those persons behind who need for us to continue our on-line, drive in, or phone presence even as we begin to think about re-launching the use of our church buildings. Our guidelines help congregations think through these matters and many more. The guidelines and several relaunch resources are on the Conference website wvumc.org. Your Superintendents, your Bishop, and your Conference Staff stand ready to help you work through your questions as you engage these guidelines. There has been much conversation about re-launching and “religious leaders have been directed to take the lead in protecting their people because we love our people and want to keep them safe.” It is out of love that our re-launch guidelines have been developed. It is out of love that we have given guidance for safety precautions, sanitation, and encouraging sensitivity to vulnerable age groups and those with pre-existing medical conditions so that they and we do not potentially put these persons in harm’s way. It is loving to pay attention to public health guidelines, local officials, and our church guidelines as you consider how and when to re-launch the use of your church buildings for study, prayer, worship, and community service. It is vitally important to remember that re-launching in person church gatherings does not and cannot mean resuming all our activities as we were doing them before this pandemic, as if there is no virus. We must thoughtfully, prayerfully, and carefully attend to public health, the common good, and the well-being of others as part of our witness and mission of Jesus Christ. |
