Crossroads Community Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)
Crossroads Community Church began to take shape in the summer of 1994 as a church plant of the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia. Within a few months of Doug and Sandy Epp moving to Sardis, a group of eight families came together with a common desire to impact Chilliwack by reaching out. This group formed the first cell group and began to meet in the Epp home for the development of vision, ministry training, goal setting, and planning. God prepared this original group for the public launch of Crossroads Community Church on Easter Sunday, 16 April 1995.
Crossroads began as a cell church with 35 core members. It grew steadily in its first years from 70 or so to more than 150. Crossroads planted Peace Community Church when the membership reached close to 200. Peace church met in a school from 1997 to 2000. Crossroad numbers were steady at the turn of the new millennium but the church suffered losses when Doug and Sandy Epp, after 9 years, resigned in 2003. Chris Arney brought stability to the community while it waited for its next pastor. Crossroads has grown steadily since 2004 from just under 100 to just over 200. Rob Ayer has been the lead pastor at Crossroads since September 2004.
Crossroads has tried to live a life of applied theology from the beginning. They hosted both large group and home events focused on connecting to and celebrating with our community. They have hosted some great parties, have given away food and clothing (both locally and globally), have given away a car, have offered a Bible Day Camp to students during the Spring Break, and have partnered with different agencies such as Mennonite Central Committee, Salvation Army, Ruth and Naomi Street Mission, and Hungry For Life International – in support of the great things they are doing in the name of Jesus Christ.
Crossroads is governed by a leadership team (elders) made up of both men and women. They believe that vision is the ability to see. So it has been the vision of Crossroads Community Church to SEE the world as Christ sees it. They also believe that mission is the action they take in response to what they see. So it has been the mission of Crossroads Community Church to DO as Christians the kinds of things that Jesus would do based on how he might see the world. Crossroads has tried to help others where and when it can.
Crossroads Community Church is a "portable" church that has office space (shared with another church) at 44488 South Sumas Rd., meets regularly throughout the week in home care groups, and weekly at G. W. Graham Middle-Secondary School at 45955 Thomas Rd. (since September 2007) for worship celebrations and where they have their own storage container filled with Sunday morning resources.
Sunday morning worship at Crossroads Community Church has been their chance to be refreshed by the Spirit of God in community to begin their week in the world where they are the church 24-7. Their worship celebrations are a contemporary sound (choruses led by keyboard, drums, bass, guitar and vocalists) in a casual and accepting environment. They say, "We sing. We pray. We learn. We give. And we drink a lot of coffee."
Additional Information
Address: 110-44488 South Sumas Road, Chilliwack, BC V2R 5M3
Phone: 604-824-1267
Church website: Crossroads Community Church
Denominational Affiliation:
Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia / Mennonite Church British Columbia.
Crossroads Community Church Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Doug Epp | 1994-2003 |
| Chris Arney (interim) | 2003-2004 |
| Robert Ayer | 2004-2019 |
| Len Hjalmarson (transitional) | 2019-2020 |
| Kyle Dyck (interim) | 2020 |
| Gerry Binnema | 2021-present |
Crossroads Community Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 71 |
| 2000 | 73 |
| 2006 | 75 |
| 2010 | 150 |
| 2015 | 265 |
| 2020 | 100 |
| Author(s) | Robert Ayer |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2016 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Ayer, Robert. "Crossroads Community Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2016. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Community_Church_(Chilliwack,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=170277.
APA style
Ayer, Robert. (February 2016). Crossroads Community Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Community_Church_(Chilliwack,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=170277.
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