Facing a Crossroad in Life

Cross Roads is a small town near where I grew up in southeastern, Pennsylvania. I served as a groomsman for a high school friend of mine at the United Methodist Church in this town (Cross Roads UMC.) I always thought it was interesting that during an important crossroad in his life, he was married in a town named, Cross Roads.

Here at First UMC in Lancaster, Ohio, we have the new Crossroads facility which is also a place for people who are facing those crossroad moments in their lives. In my first three months here, I have experienced several special moments of how God is using this facility to be a blessing to others.

Here are just a few examples:

• A couple of weeks ago, we baptized a little baby boy at our Crossroads Wednesday worship service. It was a special moment to see members of our church who regularly worship at our downtown church to make a special effort to attend this service and surround the parents of this child with a community of love and support.


• During a meeting with community leaders, they told me how grateful they are that we open our facility to groups in our surrounding area. One person said, "We've heard people in our community share many positive comments about how crossroads has been a great addition to Lancaster."


• Before I even moved to Lancaster this past summer, a couple from this area told me that even though they do not attend the church, they often come to our Wednesday fellowship dinners because of the great food and fellowship. They told me, "You're going to love the meals on Wednesday evenings at your new church!" They were right!

I give thanks to God for how our crossroads facility is being used for the benefit of the people in our community. It's exciting to think about how God will continue to use this vital resource to be a blessing to others for years to come.

The mission statement of Cross Roads UMC in Cross Roads, Pennsylvania reads, "A church that you can call home."

I'm glad that we can say the same about this facility as well.
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