There’s a new church in Waynesburg that has taken on the mission of the 21st century with a cheerful nod to neon and a happy dose of rock and roll.
Don’t be surprised that it calls itself a campus. For the mostly twenty to forty-somethings and their kids who come to hear the Good Word in a contemporary setting, Crosspoint, an Assembly of God ministry with a campus in Carmichaels and now Waynesburg, is bringing them back to the fold with a coffee bar, camaraderie and an ear for understanding the problems of the present that parishioners – and the rest of us – face every day.
Recharging faith to meet the needs of the times is as American as apple pie.
Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian ministers once rode their charges into the wilderness to preach the gospel of self-determination. Settlers felt free at last to earn their own heavenly rewards by humbly following the teachings of the Bible. The Good Book became the Wikipedia of the day, to be consulted for the wisdom of the Word. The early nineteenth century brought revivals as settlers gathered to replenish their faith and start new denominations. By the 1890s a new sense of personal relationship to the Word began to emerge, found in the message of the Pentecostal. When the flawed disciple Peter, who thrice denied Jesus, was overcome by the Spirit that came like a great wind, a new chapter in American belief was born.
That personal choice to directly connect with God has now found its place in modern Christianity. Crosspoint Waynesburg on 265 Elm Drive opened January 3 and attendance is at 60 and growing. Crosspoint Carmichaels turned the dance studio on 550 W. George St. into a campus in 2007 that now has more than 400 members. Pastors Josh Coss and Andy Gump will share campus sermon duty and members are free to campus hop as the spirit moves them.
The outside of the steel sided building that the campus shares with rehab center OSPTA looks 21st century industrial. But the inside has been transformed with the talking points of faith made modern. The Trinity has become triangles dancing happily on every wall, there’s a cross beside the words “helping kids discover their value” on the wall leading to the Sunday School rooms. Most arrive early to drink coffee and socialize, then head into the chapel at 11am to take their seats. Purple neon arrows point upward behind the pulpit as the band begins to play.
Later, I listen to the live stream sermon at home and am struck by the points Pastor Andy draws from Matthew about coming unto the Lord as little children, to shed the burdensome habits of a lifetime to allow for a spiritual restart, to find Grace in the realities of everyday life. When we talked on the phone, Andy told me of all the amazing, serendipitous connections that lead Crosspoint and himself to Carmichaels and then to Waynesburg and many small amazing steps that are the adventure of a lifetime, best shared with friends. Andy and I go back a long way – as a GPO – Graysville Parent Organization regular, I remember him in my daughter’s class at Graysville Elementary in the 1980s, a tall quiet kid with an easy smile who didn’t elbow his way into the pecking order of the playground. Now he’s onstage telling it like it is, with a rock and roll band backup. Way to go, Andy!
Check out Crosspoint Waynesburg on Facebook and see what’s going on.