Unintentional but Powerful
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Being very
intentionally unintentional is the key to growth at Cross Creek
FMC (Palmyra, NY) where Pastor David Prince shepherds a flock that
serves this largely rural community with more than 20 ministries. All
this in spite of the personal challenges he and his family face.
Linda Prince
was diagnosed with an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis soon after
their daughter Jessica’s birth eight years ago; 13-year-old Jake
is retarded. (Although once declared “non-educable,” Jake and
his parents have recently discovered once-hidden abilities and new ways
to communicate.)
Palmyra is
home to the long-running Hill Cumorah Pageant, where every July there’s
a huge influx for the Mormon production, with many adherents knocking
on doors to share their beliefs with the locals. The people of Cross Creek
FMC confront the confusion by presenting truth — to some 1,000 at
their annual August pig roast.
“We
intentionally avoid handing out tracts and going door-to-door,” says
Prince. “We just want to show people that Jesus has real answers
for real life.”
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Prince is
one person who knows this from the heart. “We could lose hope,”
he says of his family, “but our hope isn’t found here. We look
for the day when Linda doesn’t struggle with pain and Jake can verbally
say, ‘I love you.’ In the meantime, we keep our eyes on the
finish line.”
The church
holds three services weekly and is developing a cutting-edge Gen-X ministry.
Also targeted are those once burned by church. By responding to real-life
needs, providing connectional/relevant music and activities/ministries
based on the targets’ demographics, Cross Creek is able to draw the
lost back into the fold.
As newcomers get to know the Princes, they see a family in crisis that finds all it needs in the arms of a loving Lord … and a congregation that’s embraced the reality of that truth. Their powerful testimony isn’t intentional on their part, either. As Prince says, it’s God-given.
