Crossroads History
In February 2000, a group of people met in the conference room at Tulsa National Bank to
discuss the possibility of beginning a new church in the South Tulsa area, taking into
account the "Crossroads" area of South Tulsa, North Bixby, East Jenks and West Broken
Arrow. Through much prayer, discussion and mutual consent the decision was made that the
Lord was indeed leading the way in this effort.
On Sunday, April 9, 2000, Crossroads Fellowship met for the first time in the band room
at Oliver Middle School in Broken Arrow and constituted as a church. As the church grew,
a new place for worship was prayed about and sought. After seven months, the congregation
moved to KWHB-TV47, one of Tulsa's local Christian stations, and met there for worship
from December 2000 through March 2001.
Before ever beginning, the church's founding pastor, Larry DeLay, sensed a leading from
the Holy Spirit to pray about someday locating a church family inside the Champions
Athletic Complex at 10808 South Memorial. The principle that he saw from Scripture was
that the people of the Bible were "marketplace ministers" taking the love, the message,
and the ministry of the Lord with them every day, wherever they went, and in whatever
personal venue their life happened to be involved. Since Pastor DeLay had sons that were
involved in athletics, he believed that God was telling him that Champions could be a
tremendous outreach tool for a very large and mobile segment of society. But, he also
believed that Crossroads Fellowship could be used to train its members to see and do the
same thing wherever they were, utilizing the same principles of "marketplace ministry"
in their own lives.
At the end of March 2001, the Lord used a conversation to open a door to Champions that
only He could have manufactured. So, Crossroads Fellowship began worshipping at Champions
on Sunday, April 1, 2001, and has been meeting there each Sunday and Wednesday ever
since.
Along about that same time "cell groups" were beginning to form. A "cell group" is a
small Bible study ministry group; a TOUCH (Transforming Others Under Christ's Hand)
group that meets once a week whenever and wherever the Lord provides the opportunity.
It capitalizes on the principle from the early church in Acts that "they met daily in
the temple and from house to house" and they encouraged everyone to discover who they
are and how they can connect with others and be used of the Lord in their own personal
traffic pattern or marketplace.
The purpose statement is one that we hope everyone will read, memorize and adapt to
their own personal lives: "Crossroads Fellowship exists for the purpose of crossing the
hurting hearts of humanity with the healing touch of God's hand."
|
