CRESTVIEW — A new church opening in north Crestview this morning has a startup congregation of 200 members, and plans for expansion.
Groundbreaking on Crosspoint North Crestview on Old Bethel Road occurred on Jan. 13, 2015. In December, the 19,815-square-foot church held “a couple (of) dry-run services” and another on Jan. 3, administrative assistant Erika Oetman said.
This is the second Crestview branch of the First United Methodist Church of Niceville, following the expanding St. Mark United Methodist Church on P.J. Adams Parkway. Those churches also now include the Crosspoint brand in their names.
Now, Crosspoint has set its sights on Bluewater Bay, where it recently acquired an 18,000-square-foot, two-story building at Merchants Walk.
Terry Harpool, Crosspoint North’s project manager, said all the development says something about Northwest Florida's spiritual needs.
“I have never in my life seen growth in a church like I have at Crosspoint,” Harpool said. “People are hungry for spirituality now, and we seem to have a gift for getting people into the church.”
'IT'S QUITE A SHOW'
The north Crestview campus got underway with 200 “seed people” from Crosspoint South Crestview, Harpool said.
“The important thing is to have experienced people to start up a campus,” Harpool said. “I fully expect it to increase. By next month, I expect we’ll have to have two services.”
With its modern design, including a lofty entry common area with a café and lounge furniture, the new church seeks to attract young families raised on technology, he said.
The sanctuary has moveable seating for 400 worshipers, and a stage with enough sound and light equipment to host a small rock concert.
“It’s kind of a multi-purpose room,” Harpool said. “Now, people want sound and lights. People have grown up with technology and we have to compete with that. This is an approach that works well for us. We even have a fog machine. It’s quite a show.”
'VERY MISSION-ORIENTED'
Harpool and Oetman said many young families the church seeks to attract are military affiliates.
“They want to be able to attend church while their children are in a nice, safe environment,” Harpool said.
The “Crosspoint Kids” section is colorfully decorated in a travel theme, beginning with a half-size yellow biplane rocking above an airport-themed entrance.
Kids “check in” at the lobby area's “flight kiosks," receiving an identification badge. Parents must present an accompanying pick-up slip before children are released to their care.
“We went with a travel theme because our church is very mission-oriented,” Oetman said.
Sunday school classrooms are named for different countries where Crosspoint does mission work, including China, Congo, Israel, Siberia, Ecuador and Tonga.
Cartoon murals created by Oldsmar-based Wacky World Studios embellish each classroom.
“Life’s a destination and the murals reflect that,” Harpool said.
A graphic between the two “hangars” — multi-purpose meeting rooms — reveals the biplane’s pilot.
“Our pilot is Jesus,” Oetman said, and, noting the Lord’s flight suit, added, “And it fits our military community.”
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Editor's Note: A previous version of this article included a completely different story (about CHELCO) due to a content management system error.
We apologize for the mixup if you clicked through to that article, and we hope you enjoy reading this feature about Crosspoint North Crestview's campus.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New Crestview church focuses on tech-savvy families (PHOTOS, VIDEO)