In the fall of 2004 a group of men met at the home of Jim and Amanda Schroeder to study the Bible and to discuss the possibility of launching a new christian work in Indian Mills. As the fall progressed so did plans and through the generosity of the owner the use of the bank building at the corner of Indian Mills and Oak Shade road was secured. Cleaning, decorating, planning and purchasing items for our first meeting dominated the latter half of 2004.

Pastor Jim was charged with planning the worship services and at first our only option look to be for him to play guitar to lead the music. Of all of the prospects of launching the church, this one concerned the group the most. Jim approached one of his long time friends, Thad MacFarlane about coming to lead worship. Thad agreed to come “for a couple weeks until you get things worked out”.

On the first Sunday the group huddled in prayer before the appointed hour. How exciting it was to see the small parking fill with vehicles and people join us for that first Sunday. The worship went well and the children loved church. After the founding group cleaned up and gathered at the end of that first Sunday it was decided we needed to buy more chairs. Now it seems every Sunday the church gathers and celebrates new friends coming to join the family. It remains a highlight of the day to watch the cars arrive and the family walk in to worship.

The Bank Building was a great place to start. The children occupied what had been the teller’s station with Brian Stahre and others creating a great experience for them. We could hear them having a lot of fun through bulletproof glass and other sound deadening materials we put up to no avail. The sanctuary was in the lobby area. Brian Gardner ran the sound and video. Thad and Amanda Schroeder led the singing. Heather Gardner led the nursery which met in the old breakroom. Ken Long and Pastor Jim started each service in prayer in the basement – they had camp chairs and a baby monitor so they could tell when the music was finished and would head up the stairs.

We held events, ice cream socials, youth lock-ins, barbeques, easter egg hunts, missions events and had a great time growing together. After nine months there was no longer any space, even with adding a second worship hour.

The opportunity arose to move to an office building just down the road at 457 Oakshade Road. We believed the Lord to provide the rent needed, signed the contract and began renovations inside. As we closed that first year it was in our second facility. There are many memories from our time in the Oakshade building but none more precious than the two house builds that were completed on that parking lot. Coffee houses, youth events, Peanut Butter and Jelly making celebrations, Bible studies, Easter egg hunts, weddings, baptisms and dedications were some of the other memories made in that facility.

As 2007 came to a close it was clear that again we needed to look to a different physical location to meet our needs. Space for worship, nursery and children’s ministry had been exhausted. The elders met and informed the landlord that we would be leaving the facility as of the end of June 2008.

The church rallied around the cause as preparations were made to move to Seneca High School and at the same time give Pastor Jim time to study for the bar exam as he had completed law school that December. More and more people stepped forward to serve in ministry and the church grew deeper as well as numerically when faced with the challenge. Brian Gardner, Jim Gooch and Bob Schroeder were pivotal leaders in securing and at times building the items make the move to Seneca.

On June 29th 2008 Crossroads Church met for the first time at Seneca High School. Each Sunday morning a dedicated team of volunteers set up and minister to our community. It is a sight to see and quite a long way from five or six people exhausted but happy as they watched cars pull away from the old bank building on that first Sunday.

Crossroads is a church that has experienced its share of hardships, setbacks and struggles along the way. Hopefully the church and this history will be an encouragement to any who prayerfully accept God’s call to begin a work in their community. Please contact us if we can be of service to you.