Cars at the Crossroads

One Sunday in September, for eight years now, the parking lot and lawns at Crossroads Community FMC (Temperance, MI) have teemed with hundreds of classic cars. This past year, some 2,600 turned out to enjoy the automobiles — with more than 2,000 of them attending one of the church’s three services and/or volunteering at the event.

“We were blessed with perfect weather,” says Pastor Glenn Teal. “And best of all, lives were changed for eternity. Everyone — from our children’s ministry to food services to music and media teams — did an absolutely amazing job of sharing Christ genuinely and creatively.” Not a surprise, since outreach events are second nature at Crossroads, where the denominational goal of reaching people for Christ — one soul at a time — has long been the way of things.

The annual classic car show draws exhibitors (many of them non-Christians) from all over the Toledo area and has allowed the church to forge relationships with collectors and clubs — relationships that have often blossomed into friendships. The church is widely viewed as a great organization that treats people well.

But the ministry doesn’t end when the cars drive away. Crossroads maintains a network of systematic follow-up after every outreach event, making phone calls and extending invitations to come and learn more. A large and growing number of small groups meet weekly; a midweek worship/teaching service deepens the transformation.

“Services and Sunday school only allow a person to grow so much,” says Teal. “The small-group setting provides the perfect opportunity for individuals to wrestle with truth and to take their life changes to another, deeper level.
“Crossroads Community has a big front door and consistent, effective follow-up programs,” says Teal. That way, every soul who’s won for Christ can get right on the road to knowing Him better ... and ultimately, to making Him known to others.