By Christopher Edmunds

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Crosspoint Christian Church is expanding rapidly in more ways than just church membership.

Crosspoint recently completed nearly $1 million worth of renovations in an effort to meet the growing needs of the church and appeal to younger churchgoers.

The renovations included a resurfaced parking lot, a covered drive-through area for pick up and drop off, a new entryway, a complete remodel of the youth building and, most notably, a new coffee shop in the main building’s expanded foyer.

The coffee shop is a new addition that Andrews said has already had an effect on the church.

“It’s really changed how Sundays typically work,” Andrews said. “Now we have people showing up an hour before service just to drink coffee and hang out. It’s a good place to build relationships.”

Andrews said Crosspoint is a contemporary, non-denominational church with typically young members.

“Our church is a young church, so we have a lot of kids and young families that needed to be served,” he said. “I would say our median age here at our church is in the 30s, which is pretty young compared to most churches in Selma.”

Andrews said the coffee shop, besides appealing to the younger crowd, fits well with the vision for Crosspoint.

“Our mission statement is intimacy with God, community with insiders and influence with outsiders,” he said. “We saw the coffee shop as a way to draw people in during the week and build relationships.”

The coffee shop is open to the general public Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to around 3 p.m. Wireless Internet access and regular coffee are provided at no charge, while proceeds from specialty drink orders help fund missions work.

The coffee served at the coffee shop is provided by Land of a Thousand Hills, a company that promotes
fair trade.

With the physical expansion of Crosspoint Church, leaders are also expanding their community influence.

Youth pastor Robby Davis said the church has started organizing more events to reach out to non-members and provide a positive environment.

“Our primary obligation is not to grow our church,” Davis said. “It’s to build a community.”

One upcoming event is a regular skate night, held every first Friday at the Selma Roller Rink. Crosspoint member Harriette Jones said the skate nights provide a fun, clean environment for everyone.

“We’re trying to reach out to the community and provide some activities for family and children in the area,” she said. “We’ve also got other events planned, like movie nights and other ways for people to come in and have some fun now that our renovations are done.”