CHRISTMAS OFFERING
FAITH STORY
G
rowing up, from the little
I knew of Jesus, I thought,
This guy is not going to
love me, I’m not right for Him.
Jesus wouldn’t choose to be in a
relationship with me. Although I felt
like there was something bigger than
me, I was cynical about religion. I had
made too many mistakes.
Each year CPC sends its Christmas
Offering out of our walls and
into the city. This year we are
supporting Lighthouse Covenant
Church, the recent church plant
of Pastor Dee McIntosh, former
missions pastor at CPC.
I
felt a calling to pastor a church
back when I was just sixteen—
but I didn’t know what that
expression would look like! I had no
tangible examples of women pastors,
and I didn’t even understand what
“church planting” was. But now I am
stepping out in faith—following this
call with my husband, Cecil.
But when my two girls were very
young, my husband and I felt moved
to look for a church community.
Soon after coming to CPC, I started
feeling very connected to John
Crosby’s preaching. He said that
Jesus actually wants to have a
relationship with me because I’m
broken. My brokenness is what He
died for and sacrificed for. It’s part
of the greater story.
The heart of Lighthouse is to cultivate
followers of Jesus Christ. My dream
is to build and grow a congregation
of believers who live out the Gospel,
who pursue and embody shalom, who
share God’s love and transform our
community.
We chose the Northside of Minneapolis
for many reasons—one of which is
simply that this is home to me, and
especially for Cecil, who was raised
on the Northside. This community
reflects the diversity—in experience,
culture, race, and socio-economics—
that I wanted our church to embody.
This offering is more than just a
financial gift—it is the start of a real
partnership between two faith
communities. Inner-city churches
have a hard time being financially
stable; many close down. And
suburban churches often help support
them monetarily, but there’s no real
relationship, there’s no trust, there’s
no conversation about reconciliation.
But with Lighthouse and CPC, we
hope to redefine that partnership. I
worked at CPC; half of my launch
team has a touch point with CPC.
I kept learning about Jesus on
Sundays, but personally, I started
really struggling. I felt the weight
of being a mom and a wife, working
Dee and Maggie on the Sankofa Go!Trip.
We have a trust relationship already
built in. And what I want is for this to
be a reciprocal relationship. CPC can
help fuel the start of Lighthouse with
the resources we need right now. But
Lighthouse can bring diversity, the
ability to converse with a different
demographic about race and the pursuit
of justice, compassion, and mercy. And
as Lighthouse becomes embedded in the
Northside community, building trust and
How to pray for Lighthouse:
Church planting is hard and incredibly slow. Please pray
for discernment for Dee and her team as they determine
what steps to take and for the ability to be flexible to
the needs of this new church and the community they serve.
How to Give to Lighthouse:
Mark your check “Christmas Offering.”
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ADVENT 2016
|
CPC LIFE
relationships, my hope is that CPC will
gain the ability to serve the North since
they have an advocate in Lighthouse.
I am incredibly humbled that the
CPC community is investing in
Lighthouse. I’m so thankful for
the heart and compassion and
faithfulness of the CPC community!
—Dee McIntosh
MAGGIE’S EXPERIENCE ON THE SANKOFA GO!TRIP
On the Sankofa trip two Christians—one black person and one
white person—are paired up on a bus trip through the American
South. I was super nervous about going on this trip—I didn’t want
to say or do the wrong thing. It was the most humbling experience
I’ve ever had, and it was life-changing.
Dee always said that the trip is not about guilt but about
learning, pushing through tough conversations, and still
showing up. I learned that the storyline from slavery to today has
not changed that much. It might look different, but the narrative
still exists. This trip helped all participants to open our eyes to one
another in raw, humbling, and ultimately reconciliatory ways.
The next Sankofa Go!Trip is
March 16-19 (workshop day is March 2).
Sign up by December 15 at cpconline.org/serve/far.
full-time, and trying to figure out,
Who am I? What do I want our family
to be? For the first time I prayed for
help. It was so obvious how God
came into my life in very real ways
from that point on (and looking
back, I recognize all the other times
He was trying to reach me, as well).
I began to job-share, and as the girls
started to get more independent, I
thought, Gosh, I have this extra time
now. How can I be a better servant?
I used to think if I didn’t know the
Bible in and out, I couldn’t be a
good disciple. But when I attended
CPC’s Pursuit class, I learned that
all His followers can serve, and I
felt particularly called to the areas of
justice, compassion, and reconciliation.
I started volunteering with local
missions opportunities, so of course
I got to know Dee McIntosh (former
Pastor of Local Missions). She later
invited me to the Justice Conference
and the Sankofa Go!Trip. Now, I
grew up in a predominately white
community, I live in Edina, and I
work at Target. For the first time
in my life, I started challenging
myself to recognize my own cultural
context in order to gain a deeper
understanding of others.
Because of my involvement in CPC
missions, my relationship with Dee has
become so multi-faceted. Two years
ago I’m sure she was like, “Who is this
girl?” But she’s become my spiritual
mentor, my friend, my pastor. When
Dee told me about starting Lighthouse
Church, I wanted to support her with
my skills in communications and
marketing. When I look forward, I’m
excited to think what CPC and Lighthouse can do together.
Years ago I was in a small group, and
I remember a woman saying it wasn’t
quite the right group for her anymore
because she needed new challenges in
her faith. And I remember not understanding that at all—This is such a fun
group! I thought. But now, I’m starting
to realize that the more deliberate
and disciplined you are—learning
about Jesus and growing in faith and
developing honest relationships—the
further you go.
—Maggie McCracken
CPC LIFE
| ADVENT
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