By Bonnie Mentel
The Crossing Church has a large congregation under the pastorship of Lead Pastor Greg Dumas, with attendance reaching approximately 5,000 each week across all services. Starting back in September, The Crossing Church began offering two Saturday evening services at 4 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Over 700 people attend the Saturday services.
“We did a big marketing push recently called, ‘Make the Move.’ We are encouraging our church family to move to Saturdays because when people visit a church they usually tend to come Sunday mornings. Most of our visitors come for the 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. services on Sundays,” said Stephen Robles, director of media and technology.
In order to make room for first time guests, the church asked regular attenders of those heavily-attended services to consider coming to a Saturday service.
The children’s ministry includes classes for children (birth through fifth grade) at every service. Middle schoolers meet on Saturdays at 4 p.m. in a small-group setting and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. for a full service.
In December the church held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of an entrance off of Causeway in Tampa.
“We have a big sign out now from Causeway, so we can be regularly seen, so people can find us easier. As we exit from some of our larger services, this new entrance provides a second means of egress. It helps people get out easier and quickly,” Robles said.
The Crossing Church has several upcoming events. On Friday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m., actress Karen Abercrombie will be the guest speaker at a Single Ladies Valentine’s Special. According to her website, Karen was, “most recently seen in movie theaters around the world, playing the spicy, 80-year-old, prayer warrior, Miss Clara, in the Kendrick Brothers’ (Courageous and Fireproof) latest film, War Room.” Tickets are $10 and are available online at wearecrossing.com/valentine.
On Saturday, February 13, the church is offering a Parents’ Night Out as a way for parents to enjoy an early Valentine’s Day celebration.
“We’re extending our child care until 9:30 p.m. We’ll take care of the kids so the parents can have a date night out,” Robles said. The night is free, but advanced registration is required at wearecrossing.com/nightout. It is located at 10130 Tuscany Ridge Dr. Visit wearecrossing.com.
