Crossings adds digital satellite
Digital technology has opened up new paths of ministry for Crossings Community Church, so much so that the church recently began a capital campaign to expand its efforts.
The Rev. Marty Grubbs, the church's senior pastor, unveiled the new $10 million campaign during Oct. 6 worship services at the church's main location at 14600 N Portland.
Each item to be funded by Grubbs the campaign
is directly tied to the church's digital ministry.
“The digital media reality is much stronger for us than we anticipated it would be,” Grubbs said.
He said the church currently reaches between 1,800 and 1,900 people online, its music is being downloaded and many of its teaching resources are being used by other ministries through digital technology. The campaign will allow the church to create a dedicated space for recording what Grubbs called “discipleship content” like podcasts, videos, blogs, sermons, Bible study and small group curriculum and new content for other ministries like the church's LifeCare Support and Recovery. The campaign also will fund new sound and video recording and production equipment.
“We knew we were going to have to plan better with technology. This is really raising the quality and putting a team together in one place,” he said.
Children's Center
Al thought Grubbs said Crossings' newest satellite won't cost t he church any money, he said it was discussed in conjunction with the new campaign because it is a digital ministry outreach.
The new satellite will be at The Children' s Center Rehabilitation Hospital, 6800 NW 39 Expressway in Bethany, where the church will offer a weekly worship service. Grubbs said the service was requested by the center's leadership and will include praise and worship and prayer offered by Crossings' teams.
Albert Gray, the center's chief executive officer, asked the church to start the new worship service, which will begin in November. Gray said the center serves hundreds of children throughout the state and many of them and their f amilies are there f or an extended stay due to their rehabilitative needs.
Gray said the children and their families will be able to enjoy live worship and a broadcast of Crossings' sermons, which “will be a tremendous blessing.”
“We are grateful Crossings is willing to come alongside the families during their time of crisis,” he said.
Grubbs said Crossings leaders were excited when Gray asked the church to extend its reach to the center's families and employees.
“He knows us well. He knows he can trust us. What we do is very uplifting and encouraging for everybody,” he said.
New chapel for prison
Meanwhile, the pastor said the campaign also will help pay for the construction of a freestanding chapel at Joseph Harp Correctional Center, where the church has an existing satellite.
He said the church plans to build a 4,800- square-foot chapel at the men's prison, with seating for about 380 people. The new facility will allow the church within prison walls to grow. Grubbs said the prison satellite already draws more than 200 inmates to weekend services held ina building that generally seats about 70 people. The minister said he'd like to see Crossings establish future prison satellites based on the success of the Joseph Harp outreach.
Expanding in Edmond
The new campaign addresses growth at the church's Edmond satellite, 1500 W Covell, as well.
“We're shocked because our satellite in Edmond was full on the first Sunday and it stayed full, Grubbs said.
Grubbs said the church hopes to purchase land for a second satellite in the Edmond area. The pastor said he knows there are good churches along the Interstate 35 corridor like Life. Church Edmond, Henderson Hills Baptist Church and St. Luke' s United Methodist Church-Edmond and the new Crossings' satellite would be several miles further north of that corridor and probably east of there, as well.
“There's quite a bit happening in that area,” he said.