Crossroads has strategically entered into a number of dynamic community partnerships that allow us to work with others in ministering to genuine people needs. Here’s a list of some of the current community groups that we partner with:

Arrive Ministries provides Refugee Reception and Placement Services, Refugee Employment Services, Refugee Cash Assistance, Immigration Legal Services, ESL classes and tutoring, community development programs and other outreach services unique to various refugee populations and their needs and challenges.

Good community development requires raising up people, funds, and involvement. It’s Arrive Ministries’ desire to build awareness of the needs of newly arrived refugees, mobilize local churches and community groups to be part of the solution, and then empower both community members and refugees to build friendships and learn from one another.

Building friendships by serving the refugee community and helping refugees make Minnesota home
Our immigrant neighbors need people to help them understand our culture and navigate our systems. There are opportunities for individuals, families or small groups to invest in the lives of refugees.

Through Resources – Refugees must establish their households in Minnesota after arriving with few belongings and extremely limited resources. Churches, small groups and individuals bless new arrivals when they assist with basic household goods, furniture and other necessities.

Through Relationships – While making their homes in Minnesota, newly arrived refugees need new friends who will love them and and help them to understand our culture and navigate the complexities of our educational, medical and government systems.

Through Advocacy – People with a passion for refugee and immigrant issues can become advocates within their churches and communities by facilitating educational opportunities, recruiting volunteers, and speaking on behalf of immigrants and refugees with local organizations and policymakers.

Please partner with Arrive Ministries by praying, giving and volunteering. Together we strengthen and equip churches to serve their communities, enabling them to be beacons of hope for refugees in the life changing power of Jesus Christ.

 

Once again this summer, we are partnering with CEAP in providing essential school supplies for needy families. Please drop off donations in the barrel in the church lobby. Donations will be collected through early August. Listed below is the list of items needed in general as well as for each grade category. Thank you for being generous in your giving.

GENERAL ITEMS:

Backpacks; Lunch Boxes or Bags; 2-Pocket Folders; Pencil Cases; Colored Pencils; #2 Pencils; Pencil Sharpeners; Ball Point Pens; Erasers; Rulers; White Glue; Facial Tissue; Hand Sanitizer

KINDERGARTEN:

Crayons (16 or 24 pack); Crayon Sharpener; Glue Sticks; Tape; Scissors (Blunt Tip); Washable Markers; Watercolor Paints; Wide-Ruled Notebooks

FIRST – FIFTH GRADE:

12-Inch Rulers; Scissors (Point Tip); Composition Notebooks; Loose Leaf Wide-Ruled Paper; 3-Ring Binders; Ruled Index Cards; Compasses (with guides); Scientific Calculators

SIXTH – TWELFTH GRADE:

USB Flash Drives; CD-R or DVD+-R Blank Media; TI Calculators; Highlighters; College Ruled Notebooks; Loose Leaf College-Rule Paper; 3 Hole Punches; Tabbed Dividers; Hole Reinforcement Stickers; Staplers & Staples; Weekly Planners; Combination Locks; Locker Accessories

 

We also partner with New Life Family Services, a crisis pregnancy agency that helps moms make the right choice to protect their unborn child’s life. Each year, we join their Walk For Life event to raise funds for this important cause.

New Life operates four pregnancy center locations, known as First Care Pregnancy Center, throughout the Twin Cities and Rochester communities. Each center is equipped with social workers, nurses, and trained staff who provide free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, pregnancy-related counseling, referrals, resources and more. Three of our pregnancy centers also offer Parenting Plus, a parenting education program which allows families to earn practical items such as clothing, car seats, diapers, and more. In addition, STI testing and treatment was added at our Minneapolis location in 2013, with hopes of offering this much needed service at more locations in the near future.

New Life Family Services accepts a wide variety of new and used material donations.

Donating your gently used children’s clothing and new equipment is a practical way to support life and provide much  needed items to the families we serve.Through our Parenting Plus educational program, families complete educational activities designed to help them learn parenting skills. They then earn closet cash, allowing them to purchase items from the Clothing Closet including maternity clothes, infant and toddler clothing, diapers and new equipment.

Please reference the list below prior to dropping off your items at one of our locations. If you have additional questions, please contact the office nearest you.

Note: All equipment must be new. Clothing may be new or gently used.

Accepted Items:Clothing Closet Appeal 2

  • Diapers (all sizes, including pull-ups)
  • Wipes
  • Formula
  • Car seats (convertible if possible)
  • Pack n Plays
  • Highchairs
  • Strollers
  • Maternity clothes
  • Children’s clothing (newborn – 4T)
  • Gifts for Birth Mothers (journals, candles, coffee gift cards, etc.)
  • Gift cards to Target, Office Max, etc.
  • Receiving blankets, crib sheets & bedding (no bumpers)
  • Swings
  • Bouncy seats
  • Baby monitors
  • Potty chairs
  • Bathtubs
  • Infant carriers
  • Books
  • Toys

The mission of Freedom Christian Counseling, LLC is to assist individuals and families to mental, emotional, and spiritual health through personalized therapy and an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are excited to come alongside Dr. David Cotner.  He holds office space in our church building.

Another way that we reach out into our community is through school partnerships. We want to help our community to thrive, by investing in it. Currently, we are building a strategic partnership with Elm Creek Elementary School. People from Crossroads join the volunteer team at Elm Creek Elementary. We love to step up and help the school with its many volunteer opportunities. We look forward to helping in the cafeteria, assisting young students with their reading, helping supervise events or just busing tables during the carnival. This is one way that we help people experience God’s love in a tangible way.

On any night in Minnesota, 4,000+ youth and young adults are homeless and on their own. More than 10,000 young people in Minnesota experience homelessness every year.

Avenues for Homeless Youth provides emergency shelter, short-term housing and supportive services for homeless youth in a safe and nurturing environment. Through such service, Avenues seeks to help youth achieve their personal goals and make a positive transition into young adulthood.