Crossroads Church

2009 Local Outreach Involvement 

Locally, we stepped up our effort and gave financial assistance to over 200 families in 2009. We supplied Christmas gifts to 40 families through Cooperative Christian Ministry and for all the foster children in Cabarrus County. Crossroads held a party for the children and their foster families.

In addition, in 2009 we also:

• Began a partnership with Family Promise and 9 other churches in Cabarrus County. Through this ministry, we house homeless families for one week every other month and volunteers provide meals and fellowship.

• Had 60 volunteers assist Kerr Street UMC with serving and delivering meals on Thanksgiving Day to the needy in our community.

• Continued our partnership with Charlotte Rescue Mission by providing monthly support, sending a van every Sunday morning to pick up men to attend church and by sending a worship/ prayer team the 4th Tuesday of every month to lead a service at the Mission.

• Provided meals and check-in volunteers for Samaritan’s House Night Shelter for one week each quarter.

• Began a partnership with Trinity UMC in Kannapolis by serving dinner the first  Wednesday each month for “God’s Supper Table”.

• Have been providing monthly support to Bethesda Health Center (free medical clinic in Charlotte) and sponsored a Children's Health Fair in August.

• Provided monthly financial support to Grace and Mercy House in Salisbury (A transitional program), CVAN (Battered Women's Shelter) and Cooperative Christian Ministry.

• Provided a one time financial gift to the Bible Teaching Association at 2 local High Schools.

• Participated in Operation Christmas Child by collecting boxes filled with toys and items to be sent to children around the world.

• Started Sew and Sow, a sewing ministry to make blankets and cloth diapers for children in need.

We are grateful for everyone who is a part of our Crossroads Family and we look forward to all that the Lord holds in store for us in 2010! 

2009 International Involvement

• In 2009, Crossroads offered monthly financial support to 19 full time missionaries/ nationals representing 12 countries

• Crossroads' members served as Mid Term Missionaries in the Czech Republic (Joe Truesdale) and Hungary (Michael and Gail Purath)

• Crossroads' members Chris and Robyn Zickmund are raising support to serve as full time missionaries in Belgium

• Individuals/ families went on personal mission trips to 10 different areas (Brazil, Carolina Cross Connection- NC, Cuba, Denver, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Haiti, Navajo Reservation, Romania, South Africa) 

• Provided food for 3 months to a Christian School in Mexico

• Gave a one time gift to missionaries raising support to serve in Austria, China, India, Senegal and Spain

• Provided funds for Mbali, a young lady in South Africa who is raising her 3 siblings after their parents died of HIV.

• Provided a donation to help fund surgery for Miguelito, a young boy in the Domincan Republic.

2009 Trip Updates

There were 7 International Short Term Trips- Puerto Rico (2 teams), Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Ethiopia and Kenya. In the United States, our student choir team went to Peytona, West Virginia and a Middle School Mission Trip served in the North Carolina mountains. Individual trip updates are below.

Brazil

This past July, a group of 16 people participated in the final annual Crossroads mission trip to Brazil. Crossroads has been sending teams to Brazil for well over the past decade in support of the local American missionary Byron Shore. Byron made the difficult decision to return to the States for a time as a result of drastically reduced funding as well as to spend time with his mother who has recently been struggling thru health concerns.

The team this year as in past trips visited the Contagem area of Belo Horizonte visiting with local families which the teams have developed relationships with over the years and presenting the Gospel to others in the community. The team also did some painting work at the Casa de Apoio (house of hope) in ‘New’ Contagem and visited the local garlic factory where many local women have come to learn business and gardening skills that they are utilizing to earn a living. This program has been spearheaded by one of Crossroads local Brazilian friends Raquel Pontal who was instrumental in securing government assistance to begin the program which is becoming self-sufficient. We were treated to performances by the local Karate school and the local girls drum corps, both programs of the Case de Apoio and their administrator Baltazar.

We also visited one of the many impoverished areas of Belo, the Vila PTO where we enjoyed door to door evangelism and put a new roof on the local Methodist church classroom building as well as some painting. We also presented a drama and a couple group members shared their testimonies to the assembled community at the Church’s impact in the evening. We visited the downtown Belo street fair than attended service at Central Methodist. We were treated to a Brazilian Bar-B-Que and a few brave team members went for a refreshing swim at the Methodist camp outside Belo before we went to visit another Crossroads friend, Pastor Wesley at his Church in Contagem.

After a morning of shopping at the central market in downtown we traveled to our friend Dr. Carlos Church in Florestal. We spent the next four days with Dr. Carlos’s Church visiting various communities where we have developed close relationships over the years; Boa Vista, Waterfall of Souls, Gameleira and in Florestal itself. We presented our drama and shared testimonies every evening at the impacts held in these communities. While we were in Florestal we gave a new coat of paint to the soccer ‘field’ at Dr. Carlos’ church.

We were also blessed to be re-united with a praise group of young adults by the name “Future of the Nations”. This group lent their talents three years ago and has returned to help the Crossroads groups ever since. They have all committed their lives and efforts to children’s ministry and over the past three years estimate they have ministered to over 10,000 children in their home State of Brasilia. They credit their ministry decision to the Crossroads group they first worked with in 2007.
The final stop on our journey was a new Recuperation House far outside of Florestal, where we again presented our drama and testimonies as well as gifts to those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. The team was greatly blessed by their experience and where a person would return as often as possible.
 

Ethiopia

On Aug 6 – 16, 2009 a group of 7 from Crossroads left Concord, NC headed for Ethiopia. We were going to join up with 40 Ethiopian boys and about 20 Ethiopian leaders to be a part of soccer and sports camp partnering with a group called Sports Friends. Sports Friends is affiliated with SIM mission agency. During our trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia we also teamed up with a missionary from Peru who would join our group in Dulles Airport. The trip to Ethiopia is long and took about 24 hours total to get there.

After arriving in Addis we were met at the airport by Bruhanu; he is the Sports Friends leader in the country of Ethiopia. We were fed dinner at a local restaurant and then brought back to the SIM guesthouse that is used as a hotel and home for missionaries and their guests. The next day we spent time adjusting to the new time zone and seeing parts of the city including Mother Theresa Orphanage. This is an orphanage that is home to children with aids. We spent a little time with Mike Rodgers also who is a missionary along with his wife and 5 children at Camp Langano where we were heading.

The next day we started heading to Camp Langano. We were able to attend a church service in Addis before we left and were surprised to find out that the pastor was a man that we had briefly met in Frankfurt, Germany 2 days earlier while we were changing planes. He was not only the pastor of this church but also related to one of our team member’s (Jamie Reavis), small world isn’t it. So now we were finally off to Langano which is a 3 to 5+ hour drive from the city.

After arriving at the camp we were put into Dorm like cabins. Tours were given of the camp and we met and participated in activities to get to know the camp staff. The next day (Monday) the campers would arrive and would be there for 5 days. The 40 camp boys were from 12 to 16 years old and would be divided into 8 teams of 5. Each member of our team was teamed with one of these teams as well as 2 Ethiopian leaders (1 Sports Friends level 4 leader and 1 interpreter). Each team was given the name of a country that participates in World Cup Soccer. We were USA, Germany, Spain, England, Ethiopia, Argentina, Brazil, and France. When the campers arrived we met them with our countries flags and singing a welcome song (Enquan Dena Metachu which means may your time be a fun time) in Amharic language.

During the 5 days that the boys were there each day was structured pretty much the same. There was devotion time with the leaders in the morning. The boys all spent time doing stretching and exercises before breakfast. There were cabin checks after breakfast and a brief time emphasizing character and each day using a different trait (trust, unity, honesty, serving others). We went to the soccer field and did team building, played games and then team play between each team/country. The team play was played as a tournament with the two winners playing each other for the championship (Germany vs. Argentina); Argentina winning. There were lessons from the Ethiopian leaders each day that were biblical based with skits, and each day tied to the character trait of the day. All of our meals were shared together as teams as well as activities. There was a time for swimming in the lake when all the boys were encouraged to participate. Many had never been swimming before.

The Ethiopian leaders challenged the American team members to a soccer match on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. We played well each day but lost both times (the Ethiopians were very good and had players from their national team). During the afternoon each team broke off and spent time doing crafts and had a bonding time that we each gave testimonies and learned about the boys on our teams; we shared letters from kids at home with the boys and used this time to pray with them. The boys were allowed free time to play Ping-Pong and foosball too. On the last night the boys were there (Thursday) there was a time of sharing Christ’s love. More than half of the boys made decisions for Christ and accepted Him as Savior. That night there was a big feast for the campers, staff, our team and some from the community. Each day was very full and left little down time. On Friday when the boys boarded their bus to head to all corners of Ethiopia, there were many tears shed. When they had come together 5 days earlier they were strangers from different towns and villages. When they left they were friends with a common bond of Christ’s love.
 

Kenya

A team of four traveled to Kenya to minister with Crossroads Missionary Partner, Randy Coates to evangelize unreached people in the Turkana region. They encouraged national pastors and have had the privilege of baptizing Christian believers. Members of the team preached in different churches that have been planted by Randy and his team of Kenyan pastors. There is not a Crossroads Church mission team planned for 2010.
 

Mexico

Crossroads has developed a close relationship with Mision Cerro Grande, a church in a poor area near Chihuahua City, Mexico. We purchased the land for them in 2004 and continue to support them by sending mission teams of high school students and a few adults there every summer. The teams disciple them by leading worship services, teaching Bible lessons, holding VBS for the kids, and with sharing food and clothing. The team has also developed a relationship with an orphanage for boys and Centro Cristiano Chihuaua (a Christian School and soup kitchen in a poor area). In 2009, the Crossroads team had the following praise report:
 

• Provided services and teaching for all ages at Mision Cerro Grande (Church) for 4 nights and a Sunday morning service.

• Part of our team taught English classes for children 4 mornings while the other team members painted the entire inside of the Christian school building and built desks for their classrooms.
   
• Provided building materials for a poor family to complete the home they were building. Visited them and prayed for their needs. The boy was active in the Christian school.
   
• Provided funds, building materials, and food for a boys orphanage.
   
• Built relationships with ministry leaders in Chihuahua as we served God together.
   
• 14 people accepted Christ at the services at Mision Cerro Grande. Five of them were teens that we have watched grow up.
   
• God multiplied our funds so that we were able to prepare and give away 110 bags of food to needy families, plus gave food to the soup kitchen at the Christian school and the boy’s orphanage.
   

Puerto Rico

South Africa

The mission trip to the Republic of South Africa was a 2-week trip conducted in the rural areas of the eastern province of Kwa-Zulu-Natal (KZN). This area of South Africa has the highest incidence of HIV on the continent of Africa. In the rural areas of KZN the people live in abject poverty, with the ravages of malnutrition and disease adding to the sense of hopelessness and despair. As the HIV infected die, they leave behind children who are forced to live without any means of support. These children are left to the mercy of this harsh place and many end up murdered, raped or left to starve to death. The more fortunate ones may have a grandparent that is alive to help them.

The mission team spent some its time in country ministering to the missionary family that works in this area. The team also visited schools in the area and presented the gospel to the teachers and the students in the form of skits and songs. Many children and teachers have accepted Jesus as their Savior. The monies that have been raised by the mission team and the church have built houses for those who have no shelter. Money from Crossroads is being used to build a school room in the rural village of Bhekabantu. The church is also supporting a young Christian girl whose parents died of HIV. She is raising her three younger siblings. She is a recent convert from Islam. The money from Crossroads is allowing her to get training to help the missionary family in the work that they do. On the last two trips, the team repaired wells to bring a safe water supply to villages that had none.

The teams also visit rural churches to worship with and pray for the pastors and congregations. Each time teams are there, the Holy Spirit moves in the area and light is brought into the darkness. No trip to Africa would be complete without seeing wildlife. The team had the opportunity to go on a safari and see wildlife actually in the wild! It was exciting and inspiring to see the power and wildness of God's awesome creation.

S.W.A.T. Peytona, WV

Crossroads sent a team of about 38 to Peytona in June 2009; 25 middle school and high school students (SWAT), 6 adult leaders for the students, and 6 adults as part of a construction/repair team. The Students assisted Peytona Baptist Church in leading their summer VBS. The Students were anything from assistants to the church members who were leading a specific activity to leading a small class to directing activities such as games or snacks. We saw many children come to know Christ for the first time during VBS and baptized them at the end of the week in the local pool, during which several others came to know Christ through the baptism service. The SWAT team also ministered at two juvenile detention centers, each contained around 20 inmates, where we saw two inmates reluctantly give their life to Christ at one (knowing the hardship they would suffer while there after making that decision made it difficult for them), and saw 16 come forward in mass to give their life at the second.

The construction team built a covering for the side of the church that shelters the sidewalk of the church from rain, snow and ice. The church members have let us know many times this winter how blessed they are to have that in place so they can walk into the church with out worrying about slipping on the sidewalk due to the amount of ice built up on it. There were also other improvements done to the church facilities that the students and construction team members worked on together such as pressure washing the church and installing a drainage system around the church. The construction team also did some repair work to several houses in the community.

God uses this team each year to reach out and minister to a community in need of God's love, and God always works in ways greater than we could have imagined. Thank you for your support.