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| Monday, July 14, 2008 |
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Former Southside Church Site Becomes Crossings Satellite
Church of God - General
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By Carla Hinton, Religion Editor
Originally published on July 12, 2008, in The Oklahoman.
Crossings Community Church, one of Oklahoma’s largest congregations, has opened its first satellite church to meet the needs of a growing south Oklahoma City Hispanic community.
Marty Grubbs, Crossings’ senior pastor, said the satellite, Crossings Communidad Christiana, is in the former Capitol Hill Church of God building, 3120 S Harvey. He said about eight Hispanics had been meeting at the building, but that number has grown to about 80 since Crossings opened the satellite in early June.
Grubbs said the satellite church has its own Spanish-speaking Crossings staff and leadership team, Salvador and Delia Hernandez and Roberto Sanchez.
He said Crossings acquired the Capitol Hill Church of God building after finding out that the fairly small congregation planned to close its doors and sell the worship center to a nondenominational group. Grubbs said Crossings has always felt connected to the south Oklahoma City church because the 105-year-old ministry birthed Shartel Church of God, which, in turn, in 1959, birthed Westridge Hills Church of Christ, which later became Belle Isle Community Church, which eventually became Crossings.
“We consider Capitol Hill kind of our ‘grandmother church,’ so 105 years later, we’re going back and taking care of Grandma,” Grubbs said.
Grubbs said he visited the church building and found it in good shape and debt-free, an important aspect since Crossings, as a general practice, does not acquire debt.
In mid-June, Crossings chartered a bus and brought the Capitol Hill congregation to its sprawling church complex at 14600 N Portland, where members of the smaller church were feted and treated to a lunch. Grubbs said the event celebrated Capitol Hill Church of God’s decision to give their church building to Crossings. He said Crossings is financially responsible for the building and committed to its upkeep and maintenance. Additionally, Capitol Hill congregation members have been assured they can continue to meet at the south church building.
“At one time, they had up to 500 members,” Grubbs said of the Capitol Hill congregation. “The church congregation had dwindled to about 50 people, and they couldn’t keep the church up, really.”
Grubbs said Crossings Communidad Christiana is in keeping with his church’s vision to serve the community at large. He said the northwest metro area is already well-served by Crossings and many other “great churches in town.”
He said the new satellite is an effort to reach out to an area that is perhaps not so well-served. Grubbs said other organizations have recognized that need, as well. Integris Baptist already was planning to open a free medical clinic at the Capitol Hill location, and those plans are still under way.
Grubbs said he and other Crossings leaders are considering opening another satellite church at the Crossings Community Center housed in a portion of the former Wal-Mart store on Hefner Road in The Village.
Meanwhile, Crossings, with a membership of 8,500 to 9,000 people, is in the midst of an $11 million construction project that includes a new 500-seat chapel for additional church services and functions such as weddings and funerals. Also, Grubbs said the church’s atrium area is being expanded to make it more of the fellowship hall it has become over the years. The project is estimated to be completed by summer 2009.
© Copyright 2008, The Oklahoma Publishing Company.
Reprinted by permission. |
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