Our Heart for Crossroads
Sunday, July 17, 2022 marked a significant milestone for our church family. Not only was that day our largest gathering to date with 86 total people, including 34 guests, but we started meeting in our new home at the Crossroads Community Center. Every family finds significance in their home. A church family is no different because, as the American proverb reminds us, “Home is where the heart is.” Our heart is now drawn to the Crossroads Neighborhood of Bellevue because we call their community center our home. We are so excited to gather there as a church every week, to meet new people at the nearby local hangout spot, and to be a faithful witness for God in and from this new home. Let me share a few stories that highlight what God is already doing as we move into the neighborhood.
First, God used this process to bring our church closer together. When change can be hard, I’m grateful to God that everyone was able to transition from CBC into the new location. In other words, no one stopped coming to Anthem because of the new location. Originally I was looking at a different area in Bellevue until members of our church got more involved, and found this location that better aligns with God’s vision for us. Now when I enter our new facility, I’m reminded how God used our fellowship to find His place for us.
Second, there is no better location to engage the increasingly diverse population in our city. I remember in 2013 when my seminary friend reported that 54% of the Crossroads Neighborhood were foreign-born residents. When research shows that people seeking God most likely go to a church within 15 minutes from where they live, we are gathering in an ideal location to welcome the foreign-born population living there. And we’ve already had a few foreign-born residents walk into our weekly gathering because they saw our sandwich boards and were interested in finding a church.
Third, this location gives us another way to love our city. The city liaison, who I serve with in BDAN, attended our opening. He shared how loved he and his partner felt, and how diverse our church is, which encouraged him. His comment reminded me how significant it is that we meet in a public location because the city wants to bring diverse people together, and our ethnically diverse church is a testimony of the power of the gospel to unite people together in Jesus. We’ve already had a few opportunities to pray for and to encourage the city staff working there, which is another way our church can be a faithful witness for God.
Pray for us as we settle into our new home. Pray as we explore ways we can bless the nearby senior center and to look for ways to reach teenagers by working with Vasti from Bellevue City Life, who has a heart for this neighborhood. Pray for our friends in the community center, who faced some challenges they have not experienced in 20 years. Pray we can be an encouragement and blessing to them. Pray for the foreign-born residents, who visit us, that they feel loved by us, and connected into our community. Pray for unity as our church grows so that we we continue to build a healthy church family as we welcome new people into our faith family.