As we prayerfully walk through our Rooted season, we reflect back on the Lord’s faithfulness over the history of Crosspoint. He has always been faithful for that is who He is. May this encourage your hearts.

The Lord has been FAITHFUL in the forming and the growing.

In the fall of 2000, God began to birth in the hearts of Dave and Heather Steinbeck, a calling to plant a new church in their hometown that would show and tell of the gospel of God’s grace. Over the next few years, a launch team formed and grew, New Life Christian Church in Morton became our sending church, and Jeff and Angie Hegstrom stepped out of their role at New Life and Jeff became our first Lead Pastor.  

On August 24, 2003, Crosspoint began gathering on Sundays in the Lakeview Shopping Center. By God’s grace, we outgrew the storefront and moved our Sunday morning service to Eureka Middle School on Easter 2006. Throughout those early years, the Lord was forming and growing His church to serve as a witness to the area of the world that He providentially placed us into for such a time as this.  

The Lord has been FAITHFUL in the leading and providing.

Jesus is the Chief and Good Shepherd of His church. He is ultimately the One who we joyfully follow and trust in, for His leadership is always true and for our good. From Crosspoint’s beginning to present day, He has been leading and providing for His church. From the donated labor and money for us to remodel the storefront in 2003, to the graciousness of the school district allowing us to rent the middle school, to the faithful servants who set up and tore down for 6 years as we met there, and countless other ways.  

And then in 2010, the Lord opened up a door for us to pursue the purchase of the former Vermeer property. In the spring of 2011, we walked through a capital campaign called NEXT.  And He provided yet again through giving wisdom, creativity, unity, skills and gifts in His Body, and an overflowing spirit of generosity among His people to allow us to both purchase and remodel the location. Where He leads, He always provides. In May 2012, Crosspoint moved into its new location and it was evidence of the Lord providing more than we could’ve asked for or imagined as a young church.  

The Lord has been FAITHFUL in the rejoicing and grieving.

Romans 12:15 instructs us to, Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Life in the family of God has both seasons. We have rejoiced in salvations and baptisms, in children being born, fostered and adopted, in marriages beginning and being strengthened, in reconciliation of relationships, in healing from disease, and in abundant evidence of spiritual growth in lives.  

And we have grieved together when fellow brothers and sisters in Christ have fallen asleep in this life, over suffering as a result of sin and living in this fallen world. Together, we have sought to hold fast to the Lord in trouble, knowing He has overcome the world, and He is a God of all comfort, and uses His Body to be a source of strength to one another. In both our rejoicing and grieving, we live with living hope, faith and love, thanks to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His promised second coming.  

The Lord has been FAITHFUL in the decrease and increase.

Since 2003, we have had seasons of both decrease and increase as the Lord sovereignly shepherds His church. For instance, from 2012 to 2017, during the first five years at our current location, over 100 individuals, representing well over 20 households that called Crosspoint home, moved out of state. In 2020, we walked by faith through the pandemic, alongside the global church.  And while our average attendance might’ve decreased or plateaued during these times, the Lord was faithfully sustaining and strengthening His church. 

We have also had sweet seasons of increase. For instance, while we gathered at the middle school, the Lord grew His church not just in size (from an average of 130 to more than 275 on a Sunday), but relationally, in our devotion to Jesus and our love for one another. His Body was built up, amidst a time when we had no ‘permanent’ location. And over the past 5 years, the Lord has caused growth again. Since 2021, our Sunday attendance (children + students + adults) has increased by 60% (roughly 12% per year). Right now, we are averaging 345 people gathering together on Sundays.

The Lord has been FAITHFUL in the partnering and sending out.

Through the years, it has been a joy to see the Lord open up partnership opportunities with other gospel centered, Jesus proclaiming churches and ministries. We have been blessed to send out brothers and sisters to be full-time missionaries, to financially and prayerfully support local church plants like Partridge Point (Metamora) and Shepherd’s Gate (Peoria), to join with Ethnos360 in reaching the Kuyu people of Papua New Guinea, to support impoverished children worldwide through Compassion International, and to partner with other local and global ministries. We are blessed to be a blessing, pursuing a Kingdom mindset; our goal is not to bring Crosspoint glory, but to bring our King of Kings glory. 

In 2019, the Lord opened the door for us to partner together with Christ Community Church in Gridley and Community Bible Fellowship in El Paso, in the planting of Redeemer Community Church in Minonk. By God’s grace, alongside three other households, we sent out one of our pastors, Erik and Bree Johnson, and their family, toward this new work. Being a church plant ourselves, it is a joy to see that come full circle and to be involved in planting new churches.  

Even as the Lord has sent out, He has brought in through faithful, available, and teachable servant leaders and members of His Body who serve for the glory of Jesus, the Head of His church. He has raised up vocational staff and pastors, elders, teachers, community group leaders, worship leaders, caregivers, disciplemakers and on and on. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 has and is coming to pass, Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good. 

The Lord has been FAITHFUL in our past and in our future, and FAITHFUL to finish what He has begun.

Philippians 1:6, I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.  

Hebrews 10:23, Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.