Welcome, Young Adults!

CrossTies (for people in their 20s and 30s)

Are you looking for a place that will nourish your spiritual hunger without casting you into a religious stereotype? Do you want a group that will meet your faith questions, not with pre-canned and over-simplified answers, but with the richness of Christian Tradition and practice? Are you looking for a community where all are welcome as they are and all are seeking, together, to become who they are? If any of this sounds like you, then CrossTies is a group that exists for you.

CrossTies is designed to allow young adults (roughly defined as people in their 20s and 30s) in all stages of faith and doubt to explore and nurture their relationship with God. The way we do that is to provide opportunities to engage in the practices of spiritual formation, fellowship, and service. We also seek to connect young adults with activities going on in the larger faith community. For more information, please contact the CrossTies Committee or the Rev. David Frazelle. Also, please join our Google group to stay informed about upcoming events and opportunities.

Spiritual Formation Opportunities

• Lectio Divina – Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of praying with the scriptures. In our group, we pray with the Gospel passage for the upcoming Sunday, and listen for the ways the Spirit is speaking into our lives. We typically meet on Sundays at 7:30 p.m., either outside in the memorial garden (weather permitting), or in Room 30 on the second floor.
  
  
• Compline - After Lectio, join us at 9:30 p.m. for Compline, a contemplative, candle-lit service of prayer and scripture, chanted by the Compline choir. We typically gather outside of the church until about five minutes before the service starts, and often we enjoy refreshments and fellowship together afterwards.
  
  
• NOOMA series - NOOMA, a play on the Greek word “pneuma”, or “spirit/breath”, is the title of a series of short films by the Rev. Rob Bell, a contemporary theologian and pastor. Each film explores our world from a biblical and theological perspective. In each Sunday morning session at the Chapel of the Cross, we view one film and have ample time for discussion. For more information or to sign up for the upcoming semester, contact the CrossTies Committee or the Rev. David Frazelle.
  
  
• Various other spiritual formation opportunities are provided throughout the year. In the winter of 2012 we are planning a “Fireside with C. S. Lewis” evening of storytelling.
  
  
• Please join our Google group to stay informed about these and other upcoming fellowship opportunities.

Fellowship Opportunities

• Dinners for Eight – informal, monthly, dinner fellowship groups that meet through the academic year. Participants share the responsibility for providing food, with the host family or individual preparing the main dish and the others bringing everything from appetizers to dessert. Groups are organized in the fall, and there is a second opportunity to join in January. We mix up registrants who participated the previous year, since the goal of these groups is to form community among people who might not otherwise meet. We also tend to match couples with children with other couples with children, in order to facilitate the needs of those families. They are a good way to meet other parishioners in your age group and enjoy their company while sharing a meal. Register on-line or download a registration form to print and complete. Paper registration forms are available in the parish office and dining room.
  
  
• Get-togethers of all sorts – Whether hosted at the church, by a lake, at a farm, or elsewhere, these are scheduled by the CrossTies committee to give young adults an opportunity to get to know their fellow parishioners. Again, please join our Google group to stay informed about our upcoming fellowship opportunities.

Outreach Opportunities

• CrossTies coordinates outreach activities with other groups in the church, including the Outreach Ministry Committee, the Global Mission Committee, the Habitat Partnership, and the Johnson Intern Program.
  
  
• CrossTies also organizes other outreach opportunities specifically for young adults in the parish. We focus on relational ministries that foster friendship, across social boundaries, between those “serving” and those “being served.” Please join our Google group to stay informed about our upcoming outreach opportunities.

To view photos from CrossTies events or to connect with other CrossTies members, please “like” our Facebook page. Also, if you have an idea or if there is something you would like CrossTies to do, please contact us at crossties@thechapelofthecross.org.