Cross America

On Saturday, April 27, six members of our congregation, the Independence Riverview UMC, went to Kokomo, IN to the Cross America venue.  Cross America is the vision of a man and his wife to reach every home in the United States with the salvation message.  The building opened and the ministry began on March 17, 2018.  Last July we toured the facility, ate lunch at their snack bar and worked the afternoon putting together cross packets.  It was so much fun and fulfilling as we prayed over the packets and prayed for the persons who would be receiving them.  We took the message back to our congregation and it was decided we would make Cross America one of our mission outreaches.  Our 47918 zip code is a fairly large area of 2610 homes. Funds had been collected since last July and we had $1440 which was enough to do the Attica and Pine Village zips.  The packets are a bulk mailing and the cost of each one is approximately eleven cents.

When we arrived at Cross America on April 27, we went right to work praying and putting cross packets together. It was such an exciting time and we decided we would like to sponsor Attica, Pine Village, Williamsport and West Lebanon zip codes.  The cost ran over what we had to spend and so a call was made to our treasurer.  She said, go for it!, we have enough money and so that is what we did.  We wrote a check for $2181.82  which paid to mail the salvation message to 5740 households!!  The balance of the amount will come from our mission fund.  Our group of six put together over 2000 packets that day.  The rest will be made by volunteers who come to Cross America every day just for the purpose of putting the cross packets together.

How exciting that a little church of 20-25 active members is able to spread the Gospel to so many persons.  We are humble when we say  we are only the willing vessels to be used by God.  We pray that hearts are being prepared to receive  the Living Word, lives will be changed and persons who accept the message will spend Eternity with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  To God be the Glory!