As we celebrate 20 years of ministry and mission as a church, we asked the church to share some testimonies of how the Lord has been at work as they have engaged in life at Crosspoint.

Be encouraged by what Steven and Lauren Sauder share below…

The Sauder’s arrived at Crosspoint at the beginning of 2017, shortly after returning from six years in Thailand. Lauren makes fun of me because I drug our family to a dozen or more churches in the area when we first moved back. Then we narrowed it down to three or four and attended each for a month or so, before landing at Crosspoint. I had grown up in the area and had heard a lot about many of the churches, but wanted to get a good feel for what was actually out there before settling our family for the long term.

One of the more memorable things that put us over the edge was Lauren’s first experience with a women’s bible study that had been advertised with childcare included. She arrived and dropped off our two kids under 5, only to realize that Dave and Erik were providing the childcare for the ten or so kids in attendance. Seeing the head pastor and associate pastor laying on the ground playing with little kids, feeding them snacks, and changing diapers was enough to convince her of the sort of servant leadership being modeled here.

I distinctly remember people I knew from the community or from childhood getting baptized on some of our first Sundays at the church. I am ashamed to admit that I was stunned to see many of them up there because of my history with them or their families. It was so humbling to hear the stories of how Jesus had radically changed their lives. I was genuinely struck by the power of the gospel to unite such a diverse group of people under the banner of Christ. Unfortunately, churches are too often confined to certain racial, social, or economic groups… particularly in small towns.

This was the type of church we wanted to be a part of! Real, genuine people who were learning together to follow Jesus despite their brokenness. It is a little bit messy. It is a little bit gritty. It’s a lot of work! This is not the type of place you just show up and consume. It is a place where people link arms and work together to see the good work of the kingdom happen. We came back from the mission field wondering what “normal” life was going to be like. It has been an unexpected blessing to be a part of genuine ministry to the unreached right here in Central Illinois.

It has been an in incredible privilege to be a part of the elder team for the last couple of years. I so appreciate the six other men on the team. Their love for the Lord, His church, and this community are never in question. It is a group of broken men who desperately need the gospel, just like those they are leading. But, they each love and serve sacrificially. It was so encouraging to see all the complementary gifts on display as Dave was on sabbatical for the last few months. It was a true picture of the body of Christ as the plurality of leadership shined and many others in the congregation stepped up as well.

Our kids have really flourished at Crosspoint along the way. They each have a number of their classmates and families who attend regularly and more who are coming all the time. They love inviting their friends and are proud of their church home. Growing up in the area, I was fortunate to attend church with many of my school friends. This type of community for them to carry into school and the likemindedness of other families is something we hoped for. The two oldest are planning to get baptized soon and are learning well what it means to be a part of a church.

Finally, I just want to say that the genuine warmth and love from the first time you walk in the door at Crosspoint carries over through the years. Last year, we lost Lauren’s father under very difficult circumstances. So many people were praying, asking how they could help, and sending meals. We honestly did not cook a meal for two months. This was an not only an incredible gift to us, but also a powerful testimony to our extended families as they saw the church in action.

Happy birthday Crosspoint! We are blessed to call you home. We are blessed to serve alongside your members. We are thankful for Jesus and the gospel being at the center of all of it! “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10