April 2025 Crosscurrent
April Newsletter
PREACHER'S PART
Dear Siblings in Christ,
It’s the Little Things
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
— Matthew 6:25-34
Taking notice of the little things requires a shift in attention. The routine and mundane often fade into the background, only drawing our focus when something stands out. As we have journeyed through Lent, reflecting on Awe and Wonder, I have found myself reexamining familiar places, taking new routes, and stopping to notice things I have walked past a hundred times.
The same can be true of our faith. No matter how settled we feel in our beliefs, there is always room to grow, expand, and examine what we believe and why. Often, our faith is shaped by childhood Sunday school lessons, a sermon we once heard, the theology of a beloved hymn, or even cultural narratives that shape our understanding of God.
What if we took another look?
How much deeper would our love of Jesus be if we allowed ourselves to rediscover Him with fresh eyes? What if we truly saw the needs of those around us—those often overlooked, those on the margins, those outside the church walls?
What if we looked again to see them?
As we prepare for Easter and the retelling of the Resurrection, let’s make room for reexamination and renewal—in our faith, in our understanding, and in how we engage with the world around us. May we open our eyes to the small, holy moments. May we recognize the sacred in the ordinary. And may we see, with fresh wonder, the little things that reveal the presence of God.
With love and blessings,
Rev. David Petty
It’s the Little Things
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
— Matthew 6:25-34
Taking notice of the little things requires a shift in attention. The routine and mundane often fade into the background, only drawing our focus when something stands out. As we have journeyed through Lent, reflecting on Awe and Wonder, I have found myself reexamining familiar places, taking new routes, and stopping to notice things I have walked past a hundred times.
The same can be true of our faith. No matter how settled we feel in our beliefs, there is always room to grow, expand, and examine what we believe and why. Often, our faith is shaped by childhood Sunday school lessons, a sermon we once heard, the theology of a beloved hymn, or even cultural narratives that shape our understanding of God.
What if we took another look?
How much deeper would our love of Jesus be if we allowed ourselves to rediscover Him with fresh eyes? What if we truly saw the needs of those around us—those often overlooked, those on the margins, those outside the church walls?
What if we looked again to see them?
As we prepare for Easter and the retelling of the Resurrection, let’s make room for reexamination and renewal—in our faith, in our understanding, and in how we engage with the world around us. May we open our eyes to the small, holy moments. May we recognize the sacred in the ordinary. And may we see, with fresh wonder, the little things that reveal the presence of God.
With love and blessings,
Rev. David Petty
“My grandkids had so much fun at the Easter Fair last year - is St. Paul’s doing it again this year?” Of course we are! Jesus has risen and that makes Easter a time for celebration.
Who: All children (and adults too!) are invited whether or not they are church members, visitors, friends or relatives.
What: It’s a fun Easter celebration with holiday and seasonal activities and crafts for all ages. (Did we mention we will have live baby chicks again?)
Where: St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 2111 Carlton Avenue, 80909.
When: April 20th - Easter Sunday, of course! The activities begin right after the morning worship service with an egg hunt and fellowship time.
No matter what church holiday is celebrated, Jesus IS the reason for the season. Join St. Paul’s welcoming family in celebrating the reason THIS year!
Who: All children (and adults too!) are invited whether or not they are church members, visitors, friends or relatives.
What: It’s a fun Easter celebration with holiday and seasonal activities and crafts for all ages. (Did we mention we will have live baby chicks again?)
Where: St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 2111 Carlton Avenue, 80909.
When: April 20th - Easter Sunday, of course! The activities begin right after the morning worship service with an egg hunt and fellowship time.
No matter what church holiday is celebrated, Jesus IS the reason for the season. Join St. Paul’s welcoming family in celebrating the reason THIS year!
Message from Pastor Donnie Sturgill
Some aspects of our culture expect seemingly absolute conformity. Depending on the setting, we are expected to speak the same, think the same, believe the same, behave the same, look the same…the list goes on and on. Such cultures expect those on the “inside” to be cookie-cutter people who are willing to even give up part of their identity so they don’t “make waves.” There’s no room for descent.
Sometimes we need to make waves, not only within secular institutions, but also in the church. The church needs the diversity of ideas including varying theological beliefs. The church needs to be a “safe” place where our differences can be expressed without fear of being ostracized.
I embrace the diversity of the people who are the church we call St. Paul’s. We don’t always agree, but we are United Methodists, united in loving God and neighbor. As long as we are of the same mind to follow the two greatest commandments, our differences only make us stronger.
While some of our differences might appear to be large, within our Christian faith, they are often insignificant. I have a fun metaphor to make my point. WARNING: the image below might be disturbing for some people.
I took this picture from one of the commentaries I use to research for my sermons. As you look, it quickly becomes apparent that I am unconcerned when my lines stray into the text, but does it really matter? Can you still read the text? Even if you can’t, I can and was still able to use the underlined text to help me write my sermon. Even though there are those among you who would never highlight text as I do, we can still accomplish the same goal as long as we are united in our goal.
I pray we continue working together, embracing our differences, and learning from each other so St. Paul’s will continue to build a legacy of loving God by serving our neighbors and each other.
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10
~Pastor Donnie
Sometimes we need to make waves, not only within secular institutions, but also in the church. The church needs the diversity of ideas including varying theological beliefs. The church needs to be a “safe” place where our differences can be expressed without fear of being ostracized.
I embrace the diversity of the people who are the church we call St. Paul’s. We don’t always agree, but we are United Methodists, united in loving God and neighbor. As long as we are of the same mind to follow the two greatest commandments, our differences only make us stronger.
While some of our differences might appear to be large, within our Christian faith, they are often insignificant. I have a fun metaphor to make my point. WARNING: the image below might be disturbing for some people.
I took this picture from one of the commentaries I use to research for my sermons. As you look, it quickly becomes apparent that I am unconcerned when my lines stray into the text, but does it really matter? Can you still read the text? Even if you can’t, I can and was still able to use the underlined text to help me write my sermon. Even though there are those among you who would never highlight text as I do, we can still accomplish the same goal as long as we are united in our goal.
I pray we continue working together, embracing our differences, and learning from each other so St. Paul’s will continue to build a legacy of loving God by serving our neighbors and each other.
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10
~Pastor Donnie
April Mission Focus - Crossfire Ministries
“We Give God all the Honor and Glory”
By Leslie Miller
Founder and Assistant Operations Manager
God is always the center of all that we do and we give Him all the honor and glory. I would like to share with you some of the things that God is doing at Crossfire. We continue to grow by 20 to 30 new families each day. With the grocery prices rising, I do not see the need decreasing, but only rising in the next few years. 22,077 unique individuals received services in 2024. We just passed the 15,000 families registered in our data base. In 2024, we distributed 3,692,426 pounds of food, gave away 4860 Bibles. And $414,528 in credits were used in our Thrift Store. To help us accomplish all of this, we recorded 106,222 volunteer hours. We average more than 80 on-site volunteers each day, including grocery service, processing, drivers, warehouse, intake, office, carts, and others. We have volunteers join us from all walks of life—retired, homeschool groups, youth groups, community service, families. Our parking lot overflows most days, so we are exploring all options to ease the space problem. One thing we are currently doing is shuttling our volunteers every 15 minutes from a nearby church parking lot who have so graciously allowed us to use.
We so appreciate all the prayers and support from our churches. We could not do it without help from the community. Thank you Saint Paul’s, for loving us here at Crossfire.
We will be honoring Saint Paul's at our 9:00 morning meeting Tuesday through Thursday, May 20, 21, and 22. We would love for the pastor, staff or interested church members to come one of those days to represent Saint Paul’s, be introduced, and prayed for. We would also love to conduct a tour of the building for you to see what we do. In fact, I would be honored to schedule anyone, any day for a tour. Please call me anytime to make arrangements.
I will close with two comments made guests and one by a volunteer:
“I am overwhelmed by what we receive. My family has been able to save about $300 a month by getting groceries at Crossfire. The prayers I receive when I am there getting groceries have gotten me through some very dark days.”
“I lost my job recently and got behind on my bills. Thank you for helping me with my utilities and groceries. We have lights and heat because of you.”
“Volunteering at Crossfire has given me purpose. I enjoy serving and showing love in our community.”
Thank you and blessings from us at Crossfire,
Leslie Miller
719-650-4336 (cell)
By Leslie Miller
Founder and Assistant Operations Manager
God is always the center of all that we do and we give Him all the honor and glory. I would like to share with you some of the things that God is doing at Crossfire. We continue to grow by 20 to 30 new families each day. With the grocery prices rising, I do not see the need decreasing, but only rising in the next few years. 22,077 unique individuals received services in 2024. We just passed the 15,000 families registered in our data base. In 2024, we distributed 3,692,426 pounds of food, gave away 4860 Bibles. And $414,528 in credits were used in our Thrift Store. To help us accomplish all of this, we recorded 106,222 volunteer hours. We average more than 80 on-site volunteers each day, including grocery service, processing, drivers, warehouse, intake, office, carts, and others. We have volunteers join us from all walks of life—retired, homeschool groups, youth groups, community service, families. Our parking lot overflows most days, so we are exploring all options to ease the space problem. One thing we are currently doing is shuttling our volunteers every 15 minutes from a nearby church parking lot who have so graciously allowed us to use.
We so appreciate all the prayers and support from our churches. We could not do it without help from the community. Thank you Saint Paul’s, for loving us here at Crossfire.
We will be honoring Saint Paul's at our 9:00 morning meeting Tuesday through Thursday, May 20, 21, and 22. We would love for the pastor, staff or interested church members to come one of those days to represent Saint Paul’s, be introduced, and prayed for. We would also love to conduct a tour of the building for you to see what we do. In fact, I would be honored to schedule anyone, any day for a tour. Please call me anytime to make arrangements.
I will close with two comments made guests and one by a volunteer:
“I am overwhelmed by what we receive. My family has been able to save about $300 a month by getting groceries at Crossfire. The prayers I receive when I am there getting groceries have gotten me through some very dark days.”
“I lost my job recently and got behind on my bills. Thank you for helping me with my utilities and groceries. We have lights and heat because of you.”
“Volunteering at Crossfire has given me purpose. I enjoy serving and showing love in our community.”
Thank you and blessings from us at Crossfire,
Leslie Miller
719-650-4336 (cell)
Pastor's Discretionary Fund
Each communion Sunday thereafter we will have a basket for those who feel called to give above and beyond their pledge. This "second-mile" giving will help fund the pastor's discretionary fund, which helps meet community needs as they arise, such as gas, lodging, clothing, etc. Feel free to bring your spare cash and change to help make a change in the lives of those in need.
Hospitality
Potlucks
What wonderful music we have enjoyed over the last year! Thank you, Dominick, Nathan, Bryan, Cynthia, Choir members, Bell Choir Members and musicians! Let us come together on Sunday, March 2nd to recognize our Music Department at a Potluck following church. Hospitality will provide a cake and beverages. Please bring a dish to share that serves 10.
Palm Sunday Potluck will be on Sunday, April 13th. Put the date on your calendar now.
What wonderful music we have enjoyed over the last year! Thank you, Dominick, Nathan, Bryan, Cynthia, Choir members, Bell Choir Members and musicians! Let us come together on Sunday, March 2nd to recognize our Music Department at a Potluck following church. Hospitality will provide a cake and beverages. Please bring a dish to share that serves 10.
Palm Sunday Potluck will be on Sunday, April 13th. Put the date on your calendar now.
The Church Mouse
The Church Mouse
The Church Mouse
“Our God of all grace,
who called you to his eternal glory in Jesus Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
I Peter 5: 10
Through the Storm
Winter snow and ice storms may stretch into the spring, offering one last blast of bitter cold. A late burst of freezing temps can kill fragile blossoms and snap icy branches with bitter winds. Some trees will buckle under the weight of heavy spring snow and lean toward the ground, burdened by the unexpected, unreasonable storm. They will require assistance in their restoration, someone to brush the remaining snow away and sometimes to stake them upright.
You, too, may experience a late, unexpected storm. Things seem to be going well in your life, and then suddenly, you hit a wall, overwhelmed by your responsibilities, weighted by countless burdens, unsure of how you’ll keep going.
This is when God, our perfect and loving Gardener, will sustain and restore you. His grace is more than sufficient to keep you alive and fruitful. Don’t be frightened when spring snows come. The Lord is with you.
who called you to his eternal glory in Jesus Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
I Peter 5: 10
Through the Storm
Winter snow and ice storms may stretch into the spring, offering one last blast of bitter cold. A late burst of freezing temps can kill fragile blossoms and snap icy branches with bitter winds. Some trees will buckle under the weight of heavy spring snow and lean toward the ground, burdened by the unexpected, unreasonable storm. They will require assistance in their restoration, someone to brush the remaining snow away and sometimes to stake them upright.
You, too, may experience a late, unexpected storm. Things seem to be going well in your life, and then suddenly, you hit a wall, overwhelmed by your responsibilities, weighted by countless burdens, unsure of how you’ll keep going.
This is when God, our perfect and loving Gardener, will sustain and restore you. His grace is more than sufficient to keep you alive and fruitful. Don’t be frightened when spring snows come. The Lord is with you.
Communion for the Homebound
St. Paul’s members- we need your help. If you know of anyone in our St. Paul’s family who is homebound, in a nursing home, or unable to come to church for a while, please let me know their name and phone number. I will be happy to contact them and see if they would appreciate having communion brought to them. Lu Petersen, 597-2824.
April Birthdays
Don Zimmerman 4/1
Rusty Lindell 4/2
Rachel Petty 4/2
Molly Carpenter 4/3
Daphne Sturgill 4/3
Kim Looney 4/3
Polly Cox 4/3
Brooklyn Cartier 4/3
CLM Twinkle Gordon 4/4
Rachel Ford 4/5
Laurie Gabriel 4/8
Anne Sater 4/9
Pat Fleeman 4/11
Lisa George 4/11
Carol Lindell 4/11
Scarlett Brandt 4/13
Josh Cartier 4/13
Madge Burbach 4/14
Linda Patzke 4/15
Kailey Cox 4/20
Art Gibbens 4/21
Jeanne Marsh 4/26
Scott Mowery 4/26
Marje Swearingen 4/27
Rusty Lindell 4/2
Rachel Petty 4/2
Molly Carpenter 4/3
Daphne Sturgill 4/3
Kim Looney 4/3
Polly Cox 4/3
Brooklyn Cartier 4/3
CLM Twinkle Gordon 4/4
Rachel Ford 4/5
Laurie Gabriel 4/8
Anne Sater 4/9
Pat Fleeman 4/11
Lisa George 4/11
Carol Lindell 4/11
Scarlett Brandt 4/13
Josh Cartier 4/13
Madge Burbach 4/14
Linda Patzke 4/15
Kailey Cox 4/20
Art Gibbens 4/21
Jeanne Marsh 4/26
Scott Mowery 4/26
Marje Swearingen 4/27
April Anniversaries
Doug & Julie Coffee
April 18, 1981
44 Years
Rachel & Patrick Ford
April 19, 1997
28 Years
April 18, 1981
44 Years
Rachel & Patrick Ford
April 19, 1997
28 Years
Schedule of Weekly Online & In-Person Events
View our calendar online
Sunday
9:30a Worship & Youth Sunday School
9:45a Children’s Sunday School
9:45a Youth Sunday School10:30a Fellowship Time
5:00p Youth Group
Monday
12:00p Pikes Peak Home School Band & Symphony
6:30p Jubilee Bells
7:00p Vocal Fusion
7:30p Barbershop Chorus
Tuesday
11:00a Line Dancing
Wednesday
8:30a Wednesday Morning Bible Study
12:00p Pikes Peak Home School Band & Symphony
6:30p Sanctuary Choir
Thursday
9:30a Friendship Bible Study
5:00p Brewing Faith
Events during April!
April
4/5 Girl Scout Pinewood Derby
4/10 6:30 pm Boy Scouts
4/11-4/12 NYLT Boy Scouts
Holy Week
4/13 10:45 am Palm Sunday Brunch
4/17 @ 6:30 pm Maundy Thursday Soup and Service
4/18 @ 7:30 pm Good Friday Service
4/20 @ 9:30 am Easter Sunday Service
10:30 am Easter Egg Hunt
10:45 am Easter Fair
4/25 Stroke Screening
4/5 Girl Scout Pinewood Derby
4/10 6:30 pm Boy Scouts
4/11-4/12 NYLT Boy Scouts
Holy Week
4/13 10:45 am Palm Sunday Brunch
4/17 @ 6:30 pm Maundy Thursday Soup and Service
4/18 @ 7:30 pm Good Friday Service
4/20 @ 9:30 am Easter Sunday Service
10:30 am Easter Egg Hunt
10:45 am Easter Fair
4/25 Stroke Screening
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