We trust this teaser video will whet your appetite for more XTM Toronto 2010 footage coming soon on TCC TV!

TCC TV | XTM Toronto 2010 – TEASER from The Cross Current on Vimeo.

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Here are a few testimonials from several first-time XTM attendees who joined us in TO:

Recently, myself and 3 other team mates went on a evangelism training in the down town streets of Toronto at Younge and Dundas. This particular training was with Cory and his team, the Cross Current. This was an experience of a life time. Planting seeds in the Lord’s field with not only Cory and his team but other evangelists, it was the best day I think I ever had in my life. The glorious day brought forth people to Christ, as He won them over from the grips of darkness, or just telling the gospel was enough to fill any Christian. This evangelism thing I think is my calling. And by experiencing this with Cory and his team allowed myself to see, hear and feel this. I was born to be used by God to set the captives free and this day that He enabled me to experience was not only a taste of that type of work for the Lord, but it was a command by the Lord saying, for me to do this and this is what I’ve been called to do. Praise God. (Solo Dei Gloria) ~ John B.

The harvest is ready but the laborours are few. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Handing out tracts in downtown Toronto reminded me of the urgency of the gospel. Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I am a lost sinner saved by grace. Praise be to God for is only Him who can water the soil in a person’s heart and bring them to repentance. (Romans 8:1) ~ Mike B.

May 15^th 2010 is a day that will have a lasting effect on my life and Christian witness. The XTM team has made it to downtown Toronto! As the team prepares to engage the culture in a cosmic battle for lives, I was full of fear at the prospect of witnessing to people about Jesus Christ. Well who won’t be?  Right? Let me share with you a few of the things God showed to me during the day in Toronto. In 1 Corinthians 2:3-4 Paul writes “I came to you in weakness and fear with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive works, but with a demonstration of the spirits’ power…” Even Paul was filled with fear just like I was but spiritual rescue is completely a God thing!! God showed this to be true to me throughout the day as I talked with people. As I spoke, the words came with an ease and a flow that I normally don’t have. The Holy Spirit was speaking through me and I was in awe after each conversation. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”  John 6:44.  Hod showed me that He will do the persuading we just do the presenting.  As the Gospel was presented in Toronto I met a range of people from those who were hardened to the Gospel to those who had a humble heart and spirit and were receptive to the Good News of Jesus Christ.  God convicted me that I needed to be faithful in presenting the Gospel and praying for these individuals and leave the rest up to Him. ~ Duane C.

When I signed up to go to Toronto with the Cross Current in May, I knew that I would be challenged, and I sure was, but not how I thought I’d be.  I was faced with my own pride, self-consciousness and fear, but I was challenged to be bold and to trust.  Be bold because what am I really afraid of?  And trust because I’m not an eloquent speaker with the art of persuasion, but I do have the truth, and, in spite of me, God will use His truth to speak to people.  All that He requires of me is to be faithful and obedient. ~ Ange S.

What a great day. I was terrified as usual but when I gave this fear up and relied on the truth that the Holy Spirit is in control. I have become use to going out with others on the streets but being on my own was a real stretch. I found that I was not alone in my apprehension. Everyone was nervous but anxious to get out and shared the truth of God’s gospel. I was amazed at the atmosphere on the street. We have been blessed in Canada with freedoms that other brothers and sisters in the Lord do not have. I feel that we need to take advantage of this before it is gone. The level of hurt and despaired I witnessed was disturbing. The need is truly great in preparing the ground (prayer) and planting the seed (witnessing). Despite this I have found that one of the greatest blessings is the privilege of sharing the gospel to the lost. I find it hard to explain but say but I believe it is the “Joy of the Lord”. ~ Bill D.

We thank God for each and every witnessing warrior who helped make XTM Toronto such a fruitful team mission!

Until the nets are full,

Cory

Left: The XTM Toronto 2010 mission team

We praise God that He allowed thousands of lost souls to receive Gospel tracts and hear the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ through one-to-one witnessing and open air preaching.

We are also very thankful for the new team members who joined us on the mission. We trust that God will honour your faithfulness by using this experience to catalyze you into a life of greater humility and boldness for Him.

In reflection of what God did in us and through us this past weekend, I want to briefly share a very encouraging word that I received from the Lord during my “download” time with Him yesterday morning…

God has really been stirring in me a humility and hunger to be more faithful in open air preaching. So I am (again) making my way through the book of Acts to study the subject of preaching in more detail.

Right: Ange shares the Good News with a fast-talking Torontonian

As I made my way through the first couple chapters this morning, I was immediately struck by Acts 2:5: “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven”. While I fully understand that this is particularly a Jewish context, I really believe that the Lord wants to use this verse to encourage our team concerning our trip to Toronto this past Saturday.

Left: Cory breaks the sound barrier open air preaching with the help of Mike the “mortified” missionary (under the sheet)

Do you realize that Toronto is now being called one of the most multicultural cities in the entire world right now? Have you ever thought about the fact that with every tract that was passed, every one-to-one that was had, every open air message that was preached, we were actually part of a worldwide witness? Just think of how many nations heard the Good News of Jesus Christ this past Saturday just because God empowered a little team of holy hooligans to preach His Word?

Right: Cameraman and evangelist Brad Young confronts two young men about the weightier matters of life, death, and eternity

WOW! I don’t know if that hits you like it hits me…but praise the Lord that He is still saving people from every nation, tribe, and tongue in these last days!

PS: Click here for more great pictures of this mission!

For His Glory,
Cory

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Bad Cop/Good Cop…on Good Friday?!

What better day of the year to share the Good News than Good Friday? But, unfortunately, the two policemen who moved us off a public street corner this past April 2nd didn’t share our enthusiasm for preaching the Gospel to the lost of London, Ontario.

Our team of twelve seed sowers hit the streets of our hometown with a simple plan: pray and preach. After sharing the Gospel one-to-one with several people downtown, we busted out the soapbox and began open air preaching. Cory McKenna was the first to break the sound barrier, preaching a message called “What’s so good about Good Friday?”. Tom Woodburn stepped up next, opening the Scriptures to share the true meaning of Easter. However, it was when Jeff Mardling began preaching that we were confronted by the “Bad Cop/Good Cop” tagteam.

“Good Cop” told us that we had to move because we were blocking foot traffic on the sidewalk, which we were not. When that angle didn’t work, “Bad Cop” abruptly announced that we were actually breaking a municipal noise by-law, despite the fact we were not using any form of amplification. Though we knew that our rights as Canadian citizens were being violated, we humbly assured both policemen that we respected their authority and would comply with their request to move, so as not to corrupt our witness for Christ.

Watch what went down on video

As this is the second time we have been moved off public property for preaching the Gospel, we are currently seeking legal counsel and will soon be providing comprehensive training to local missionaries on municipal, provincial, and federal laws pertaining to Gospel preaching in Canada.

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“With Outstretched Arms”: Taking the Gospel to the Jew First

Why does God’s Word say that the Gospel is to the Jew first, and then to the Gentiles? Why was Paul the Apostle willing to give up his salvation for the sake of the unsaved Jews? Many Gentiles seem to forget that Jesus was a Jew. In fact, nowhere was the link between God’s redemptive plan and Jesus more clear and powerful than in the suffering servant passages in the book of the Jewish prophet Isaiah.

Do you know that more Jewish people have come to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) in just the last two decades than in the last two millenia? This special series of TCC Radio will reach out to the Jews with the Gospel and help Christians learn how to reason from the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit of God to reveal Yeshua’s true identity to the Jewish people.

Maximize your witness with your loved ones using our Producer’s Notes and Listener’s Resources for this series

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TCC TV Pilot Episodes

Join The Cross Current “In the Studio and On the Street” for this pilot series of encounters in everyday evangelism!

In Part 1, we take you into the studio of Grace 105.9 FM in London, Ontario to talk about witnessing with Pastor Norm Millar of Harvest Bible Chapel. In Part 2, you will experience an encounter in “wireless witnessing”; a Gospel conversation from the studio to the street via cell phone in real-time with a non-Christian!

The clips are raw, the conversations are real, and this is what happens when we step out in faith to share our faith together.

Watch these pilot episodes of “The Cross Current” TV program

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Important Donation Information!

Will you pray about planned giving towards our cause of local missions in Canada?

There are still several ways to give to TCC. However, at the request of several current monthly ministry supporters, we have recently set up an Automated Funds Transfer (AFT) service to securely transfer your tax deductable donations between your bank account and TCC.

For more information on setting up AFT with TCC, please call our office at (226) 663-1822 or email us at admin@thecrosscurrent.com.

Donate to our mission in Canada

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Our Prayer Pulse for May

Let’s continue partnering together to keep our prayer pulse for TCC and the Church in Canada strong!

This month we humbly ask you, your family, and your church to remember to pray for the following:

• Xstream Team Mission (XTM) Toronto (May 15th) – this is our first local mission trip of 2010. We’ll be personally training a large team of believers from several local churches to witness one-to-one and open air preach in the largest and most multicultural city in Canada.
• Teen Challenge Training (May 12th & 19th) - Cory McKenna will be onsite at Teen Challenge Farm to teach a 2-part witnessing workshop.
• All Ontario Youth Convention (May 22nd) - we will be training a large group of youth onsite before venturing offsite to reach out to the community with the Gospel and good works.

Continue keeping a pulse on our mutual prayer needs

Bookmark our ministry calendar to continue praying for our local missions

We again thank God for you and for your ongoing partnership in preaching His Gospel in Canada.

For His Glory,

The Cross Current Team

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What better day of the year to share the Good News than Good Friday? But, unfortunately, the two policemen who moved us off a public street corner this past April 2nd didn’t share our enthusiasm for preaching the Gospel to the lost of London, Ontario.

Our team of twelve seed sowers hit the streets of our hometown with a simple plan: pray and preach. After sharing the Gospel one-to-one with several people downtown, we busted out the soapbox and began open air preaching. Cory McKenna was the first to break the sound barrier, preaching a message called “What’s so good about Good Friday?”. Tom Woodburn stepped up next, opening the Scriptures to share the true meaning of Easter. However, it was when Jeff Mardling began preaching that we were confronted by the “Good Cop/Bad Cop” tagteam.

“Good Cop” told us that we had to move because we were blocking foot traffic on the sidewalk, which we were not. When that angle didn’t work, “Bad Cop” abruptly announced that we were actually breaking a municipal noise by-law, despite the fact we were not using any form of amplification. Though we knew that our rights as Canadian citizens were being violated, we humbly assured both policemen that we respected their authority and would comply with their request to move, so as not to corrupt our witness for Christ.

As this is the second time we have been moved off public property for preaching the Gospel, we are currently seeking legal counsel and will soon be providing comprehensive training to local missionaries on municipal, provincial, and federal laws pertaining to Gospel preaching in Canada.        

Watch below what went down on video. WARNING: this footage is unedited and may contain very brief but offensive background language.

TCC TV | Bad Cop/Good Cop…on Good Friday? from The Cross Current on Vimeo.

On April 12th, five TCC local missionaries teamed up to take a roadtrip to the bi-annual “Together for the Gospel” (T4G) conference in Louisville, Kentucky. We had the privilege of joining 7000 other Christian leaders from across the world for a mind-blowing time of worship, fellowship, and teaching by several of the most faithful Gospel preachers in the world today.

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Right: Chris Wood (R) and Cory McKenna (L) connect with Pastor John Piper at T4G 2010.

Here was the synopsis for this year’s focus of “The Unadjusted Gospel”: The good news does not adjust. It’s always the same and it’s always good. Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, proclaims a message that’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. So should we.

Amen!

Check out the audio & video from T4G 2010

Here is the synopsis for this year’s focus of “The Unadjusted Gospel”:

The (Unadjusted) Gospel. That’s a topic worth thinking about for several days together with several thousand other pastors and church leaders. Don’t you think?

The good news does not adjust. It’s always the same and it’s always good. Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, proclaims a message that’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. So should we.

We hope you will join us in Louisville April 2010 to think about that message and why it’s the heart of ministry.

Please pray that the Lord will use this time of discipleship, fellowship, worship, and Gospel preaching to impact all 5 TCC team members that are here with me!

For His Glory,

Cory

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Norm Millar of Harvest Bible Chapel is the pastor of several TCC evangelists in London, Ontario. The following letter of reference was submitted as an endorsement and testimony of accountability between pastors and our evangelists.

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Re: Cory McKenna and The Cross Current (TCC) Ministry

In the fall of 2007 God lead us to begin praying for an enhanced focus and effectiveness in our church in the area of evangelism.  We realized that evangelism, like prayer, tends to ‘leak’ from church ministry.  Other areas such as worship, the word, youth, small groups, etc. all seem to be far easier to keep front and center.  But evangelism can so easily run cold.  It has been our experience over our ten-year history that if we don’t give extra effort and resources to evangelism then we will soon find little happening.

Cory and TCC came as a wonderful and life-giving answer to our prayers.  Just as the best way to grow new leaders is to have those gifted in leadership (by God) mentor them.  So also spiritually gifted evangelists are the best ones to mentor and develop other evangelists and to help train those of us who are not gifted in this area to be consistent witnesses for Jesus Christ.

We believe that all Christ-followers are to be evangelizing and we have found that having our evangelistically gifted members sharing the gospel AND helping train and encourage all of us to ‘normalize’ evangelism has produced wonderful fruit for Christ over the past few years in our church.

Our evangelistic temperature has risen significantly which has resulted in more adults coming to Christ, more baptisms, more excitement and energy in all our ministries.  We recognize that this is all of God but we can clearly see TCC being God’s hands and feet to help be a key element in bringing this about.

Plus as a pastor I love to see people and ministries committed to the local church. Cory and his entire team are fully devoted to the local church and helping it become what Christ has called it to be practicing Acts 1:8 as it seeks to fulfill the great commission.

TCC radio ministry, TCC training classes, TCC articles and MP3’s, TCC street witnessing, and TCC mentoring and discipleship of the church people to become witnesses in their own circle of influence – whichever aspect of this ministry you chose to engage with we know will prove to be a blessing to your ministry and help advance the kingdom.

TCC is all about helping Christians to plant the seed of the gospel quickly and naturally which can then be watered through various 1 Peter 2:12 loving, kind, gracious good deeds.   Help your church become a bold witness for Jesus Christ by connecting with TCC today!

Our elder and our staff teams both join with me in recommending Cory and TCC for your ministry.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me as we would love to see more churches helped and encouraged in evangelism as our country has such a great need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Together in His service,

Norm Millar | Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel London

Witnessing Workshop | Session 1: Witnessing FIRSTS (Sample) from Cory McKenna on Vimeo.

The new TCC Witnessing Workshop DVD series is scheduled for release this fall! For the very first time, The Cross Current’s flagship training stream for unifying your church in the Gospel will be available in DVD format for small or large groups.

This DVD-based curriculum, comprised of 7 interactive sessions, will help you and your church leverage our experience in the local mission field to “normalize” sharing your faith in all your personal relationships and beyond.

This series will also be supported and supplemented by several web-based leader and member resources. Stay tuned for more information!

You reading this blog posting right now. Yeah, you! Are you a Christ-follower? Then you, too have been commanded to be His witness within the context of a community of other blood-bought believers.

So this season, we invite you to experience the power of the Gospel first-hand as we video record encounters in everyday evangelism for TCC TV and Radio during our regular times of weekly witnessing and our Xstream Team Missions (XTM)! We’ll be hitting the streets of several of Canada’s largest and most multicultural hotspots to pass tracts, preach open air, and witness 1-2-1.

Are you ready for spring and summer seed sowing? The charge Paul gave to Timothy I now give to you: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). We’re prepared and it would be our privilege and honour to equip you to be prepared too!

Click here to plan your preaching times with us using our online ministry calendar

Click here to sign-up for a witnessing workshop that is most suitable for you

We thank God for you and look forward to “leaving it all on the field” with you this spring and summer!

Keeping the Cross current,

Cory

This afternoon my heart was breaking as I watched a video update of a terrified little girl who was desperately crying for her mother and father as she lay trapped under the wreckage. The reporter made sure to share that sending a Bible through a crack in the rock was one of the first “lifelines” extended. We pray that God will show Himself strong on her behalf.

While we thank God for ALL the relief workers who are sacrificing themselves to help bring various forms of relief and rescue to the Haitian people, I would also humbly draw your attention to one particular missions organization that God has been using powefully in Haiti for a number of years called Mission Possible (MP).

MP President, Kurt Bishop, candidly shares his heart as follows:

“This is a very tragic time for Haiti. Mission Possible is doing everything we can within the limitations of communications and the scale of disaster.”

As local missionaries, it’s times like these that we can feel as helpless as the rest of the world in the wake of disaster. However, with God there is always hope. Please click here to visit and bookmark MP’s site and begin to pray for rescue, relief, and repentance of all those involved with this terrible tragedy.

In Him,

Cory