By Joe Kerr
Sunday, July 15 marked a milestone for the Crossing Church South Shore campus as they broke ground for its new building at 2409 East College Avenue in Ruskin.
Crossing Church Lead Pastor Greg Dumas opened the event with prayer. “Father God, You told David after he was attacked by the Amalekites, to go and recover all. We thank You for the South Shore community and surrounding communities. We pray that You will recover moms and dads and men and women and brothers and sisters; and that You will redeem them for Your good name. We declare Jesus is Lord of this land and all that rests upon it.”
Community is a central theme at the church. South Shore Pastor Hector Rivera sees their growth and the new building as God’s confirmation of the church’s strong relationship with the community.
“When God called us to South Shore, He said, ‘Love My people.’ We made that our focus.” Of the church leadership, Pastor Rivera said, “We don’t have a large staff, because we have so many servant leaders. We train, empower and release people to reach their community.”
Michael Mandarino, who gave his life to Christ in 2012, the year Crossing South Shore opened shared, “It’s a great community here. I love seeing God at work.”
Doctor Richard Rivas, servant leader of South Shore’s Iron Men and Outreach ministries said, “It is such a blessing to have a church in our own backyard, that is involved in this community.”
At the conclusion of the event, people walked the property spreading grass seed and praying for God’s blessing on the church grounds.
The first service in the new location is scheduled for Easter Sunday, 2019. More information about the South Shore campus is available at http://wearecrossing.com/southshore or by calling 626-0783.
