Crossview Covenant Church
Annual Report

July 2021 - June 2022

Dear Church Family,

I Corinthians 9:9 says, “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The last couple of years have been challenging in the church world but GOD IS STILL FAITHFUL! As I think about our ministry year this past year I have a mix of emotions. 2021-22 was the year we came out of the effects of Covid on churches. In many ways, it was a time to look at who we are and in some ways who we have become and move forward. The Fall of 2021 was spent leaning into that reality and right-sizing our church to our new state of being.

As we entered 2022 we started to see the fruit of that hard work as we began to see signs of healthy growth across the board. Sunday morning kids’ ministry started to grow again and continues to see new families. Our student ministries began seeing some really good and healthy growth. One of my highlights was at the end of the ministry year as we saw almost 30 people go to the Texas/Mexico border on an intergenerational mission trip. We are seeing the fruit of a Christ-centered community that is working hard to share the gospel and bring hope to the hurting.

Grace and Peace,
Brad Jackson, Senior Pastor

We worship together and invite others to join us - In-Person and Online!

Our aim on Sundays is to create an inspiring worship experience that is both guest friendly and encourages people toward next steps. Here are some of the ways we measure that goal: people invite their friends and family; people take next steps; the environment is volunteer empowered; people come back. During the ministry year we did a series called FOR, where we talked about how God is for us and in turn how God is for the city and world around us. We saw over 1300 people show up for our Christmas Eve services. We restarted with great energy our greeter and usher ministries. It was a great year and we look forward to what God has in store.

The psalmist tells us that “the heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (Ps. 19:1)

For thousands of years, believers have been gathering to worship God. Whether in homes, in the streets or in cathedrals, the church gathers every seven days because this rhythm was established by God as something we need. Our worship gatherings are designed to be a place where God is worshipped and our friends are comfortable coming to explore faith in a God who loves them and sent His son to save them.

We believe that every person belongs in a smaller community

Doing fun things are so much better with friends! From a Twins trip, Grill out Groups and weekly small groups, Crossview is not a boring church. I am so grateful for our 30+ Small Group Leaders and 37 Grill Out Group Leaders. I love watching our diversity and growth. In 2021, we had retired men, Moms, The Marriage Course and Alpha. We added Life’s Healing Choices, a 3rd – 5th Grade girls’ group and a St Peter Small Group. We have seen two small groups multiply to 5. God is on the move!

We serve in our church, city & world

Ministry at Crossview just wouldn’t happen without the hundreds of volunteers who serve God by serving here, near and far, or at church, in the city or world. The Apostle Paul wrote this truth: “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it,” (1 Corinthians 12:27). We continue to be the Body of Christ at Crossview!

Over the last year volunteers opened doors and welcomed people on Sunday mornings, led worship, delivered meals and care packages, prayed with those in the hospital, cared for children in the nursery, ran soundboards, cameras and broadcast equipment so people could worship in person or at home, prepped meals with the Wooden Spoon, cared for those experiencing homelessness with Connections Shelter, mentored Confirmation Students, and MUCH MORE. This church family faithfully served others out of our deep love for Jesus.

We are also grateful for our Local Ministry Partners. We regularly partner with 13 organizations in town helping to provide our community with healthy food, housing and car care. We reach out to young people at MY Place, international students with Bridges and prisoners at Shakopee women’s prison. This year we have helped fix the roof at the Thrift Store, care for residents at Monarch Meadows and memory care residents at Generations Child Care and Memory Care Center. We also partnered with Park Mobile Art Studio in St Peter. God is FOR all of these people in our midst and we are grateful for opportunities to join God in serving.

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it,” is a biblical truth that we hope everyone at Crossview can embrace no matter who you are, where you been and what you have done. You are invited to be a part of making Crossview be the Body of Christ.

We prioritize ministry to the coming generations for the future of the church

Crossview Kids

We are passionate about connecting kids to Jesus, and we do this by creating environments where kids feel safe, praying for them, and encouraging them to come back and bring friends. The nextgen team had a focus to build relationships with kids and the Word of God. Kids were encouraged to bring their Bibles and learned how to look up Scripture. They also had opportunities to memorize Scripture and apply it to their lives. We saw ministry engagement jump up to 99 kids. This was possible because of faithful volunteers who believe in the mission and passion of creating safe environments where kids get to know Jesus more!

But it didn't stop there! The kids this last year also had the chance to connect to Jesus through an in-person Vacation Bible School. Press Play VBS was a hit with over 113 kids registered and 18 kids making a commitment to following Jesus. This was a great start to doing VBS again after the pandemic. Church family, please know that your faithfulness, financial support, volunteering, and prayers continue to make a lifelong impact on the kids that come to Crossview. Thank you! And this mission continues as there are more kids and families in our city who need the hope of Christ.

Crossview Students

When it comes to our volunteers and youth at Crossview, one goal we had was to keep the student ministry consistent. During the summer of 2021, we met every week with 10-15 students. We noticed that this started off in the fall of 2021 much strong with a weekly attendance of 40+. We also had 5-7 students identified as student leaders and they would come early to set up, check in students, and welcome new guests. The youth shared their ideas about various activities that they would like to do like boardgame night, lock-in, dodgeball, etc and we noticed both an increase in leadership and in engagement.

In September 2021, we reformated our confirmation program. Out of the pandemic, we learned that students needed more opportunities to build relationships and by interviewing students we also learned that they needed more time to develop their faith. That is why our programming went from 1 one year program into a 2-year program. We added a confirmation retreat at Lake Beauty along with confirmation being a 2.5-3hr Sunday experience with a lesson, group work, serving at church and attending the worship service, and turning in sermon notes. Our first year welcomed 19 students with 13 students at the Howard Drive campus and 6 students at the Rosa Parks campus.

5Cs Preschool

5Cs celebrated its 50th year of ministry – having opened in 1971 as a new weekday preschool ministry to our community. Over these past 50 years, the aim and focus have remained the same: we love children, and we create an environment where they feel loved and safe and are given the building blocks to build a strong foundation before they go on to Kindergarten. The children grow physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually as they are connected to Jesus – and they have a lot of fun!

Through the past 50 years, there have been over 6200 children attending and 97 staff have served. This ministry continues to make an impact on children but also on those families that have come to Crossview and become a part of our congregation because of the first-touch experience with 5Cs.

We reach out with the hope of Jesus:
Crossview-Rosa Parks

Crossview Rosa Parks keeps growing. On Christmas Eve, 2021 we had 77 people attend. On Easter Sunday, April 17, we had 98 people. In April, average attendance reached 72. During the summer, we hosted 6 outdoor services and hosted our first baptism service. We baptized two boys. This fall, average attendance is 79. Kids ministry and student ministry is expanding. Confirmation added 7 new students this year, effectively doubling the confirmation class at Crossview Rosa Parks. Kids ministry was averaging 11 students in the fall of 2021. This fall, we are averaging 15 students in kids ministry. Giving at Crossview Rosa Parks is also expanding. $115,000 was giving in 2021-2022 fiscal year. Year to date giving in the 2022-2023 fiscal year is up $11,000 from last year. That’s a 43% increase year over year for the same time period.

We lead with grace, humility, trust and joy

Nominating

Each year the Nominating Committee prayerfully seeks out and recommends to the congregation candidates to fill various elected positions within our church leadership. In 2021, open positions included the At-Large Council Members, an at-large Missions committee member, and an at-large Nominating committee member. Nominating also recommended Deacon candidates to the church council for appointment. The committee focuses on candidates who love the Lord, are of Godly character, have the gift of leadership, and are willing to invest in Kingdom work. Through prayerful discernment, names are brought forth to fill the positions. God continues to supply our congregation with faithful, humble, and dedicated members willing to serve in leadership.

Human Resources

Our Human Resources Committee provides guidance and accountability for the human resource functions for church employees. The Committee is grateful for the ongoing guidance provided by Pastor Brad Jackson. In the past year, HR:

Assisted in Pastor Brad’s review and ensured that staff reviews were completed
Provided support through various personnel changes
Provided approval through hiring processes

Deacons

The Deacon Committee serves as a liaison between the church and the financial needs of our community. We help church members in times of financial strain, but we also encourage church members to seek out people in their lives that would be blessed by financial help.

This past fiscal year the Deacons supported 12 individuals and families with specific financial needs. The previous year we served 20 individuals and families. The needs may occur as a result of many circumstances including job loss, unexpected repairs/medical bills, or family emergencies. We have supported families through plumbing and air conditioning crises, as well as helping with utility bills when they just couldn’t make ends meet. We have helped with car repairs, and we want to give a special shout-out to Greg’s Champion Auto for helping us help people in need.

Lincoln Community Center did receive a special gift for needed items for the center from deacons as a result of fewer personal need applications. 2021’s income for deacons was $25,209.

The area of Pastoral Care has been active this past year. We have the honor of assisting with funerals, premarital counseling, weddings, baptisms and dedications, care bags for encouragement, visiting folks who are sick, healing from surgery, grieving and celebrating. The Lord provides consistent opportunities to walk alongside people in all different stages and ages of life. The Deacon Committee exists to prayerfully manage benevolence funds for distribution amongst people in emergency financial need. Current members are Laura Bowyer, Dan Esslinger, Jay Douglas, Sheila Hall, Jenny Mountin, and Thomas Delgado. Meetings are conducted the 3rd Tuesday of each month and are attended by the committee members, Pastor Brad, a Church Council member, and Libby Englehorn. Sunday morning Front Porch volunteers are functioning well in their ministry roles. These amazing volunteers are responsible for making the coffee, preparing and serving communion, greeting at the doors, ushering, praying under the cross and cleaning it all up after church. There are new volunteers and they are enjoying serving the Lord in these capacities.

We want you to know that we are all in this together, as one body, so please contact us if you need help (there is a link on Crossview’s homepage). We would not be able to provide this ministry without your generous donations. Thank you from the Deacons and all the individuals and families that you have blessed this year!

Stewardship

Fiscal Responsibility: The Stewardship Committee monitors the financial and other assets of the church. One of the ways we ensure that we are adhering to best practices is through annual audits, and through the use of an outside bookkeeping firm, Belay Solutions Group, experts in church and non-profit finance who are serving over 500 clients across the country. The audit of our 2021/2022 financials is available by request in the church office.