Claire Miller
Reporter
October 22, 2004
After 11 years, Crossroads Missions will no longer have an office on Milligan’s campus.
CJ Strange, Crossroads fieldwork coordinator for Kentucky, said the move to Louisville will take place Nov. 1. “I’m the only person that’s not there right now,” she said. “It has been a process for several years.”
The organization became an official business in 1993, but its roots at Milligan date back to 1989. Strange said this was the date Crossroads founder, Rob Minton, began taking his classmates at Milligan to Mexico for missions trips.
In its early years, Strange said that student volunteers were what kept Crossroads going. Milligan graduates helped Crossroads by bringing their youth groups on trips, and the administration backed the group by giving it free office space.
Since then the organization has grown. Strange said 702 people went on Crossroads trips to Mexico and Arizona in 2004. Approximately 30 of these were Milligan students.
Junior Tori Markiewicz was the 2003 summer intern and student leader for Crossroads. “I don’t think I would have known about it if Crossroads wouldn’t have been so close,” she said. “I really feel like a vet with Crossroads.”
Markiewicz said her experience with Crossroads taught her about human nature. “I’ve learned that college students are very apathetic, and it’s a struggle to get them excited,” said Markiewicz. “But it’s so rewarding when they come on the trip, and you see them grow closer to God and open up their eyes.”
Freshman Jennie Powell described herself as the current Milligan contact for students. She was also an intern for two months this summer, along with senior Matt Mueller.
“For me (the move) is kind of sad because I’ve grown up with Crossroads here,” said Powell, who went on missions trips with Crossroads during high school “We’ve always departed from Hopwood.”
“I don’t necessarily know if it’s going to be harder,” Powell said of motivating students, “as long as we’ve got enough publicity and let everybody know how it’s going to work.”
Powell said campus minister Nathan Flora will be involved with Crossroads. “He’s going to be the head of leading Crossroads here,” she said.
“My hope,” said Flora, “is that it will continue to be a student-led effort, and it will be open to all students.” The campus minister says he hopes his involvement will be like it is in Vespers, with students being the primary leaders.
Flora said he “will be giving attention to making sure there are missions opportunities,” primarily through Crossroads.
“Campus ministry has gone through various phases,” said Flora. “At first, I took on chapel, then Vespers. Then came the resident chaplains. Missions is a new phase.”
“We still plan to keep our relationships tight with Milligan,” said Strange. “What’s exciting about it is the potential for Milligan students…and how (they) will step up now.” Strange said students will need to be, “more aggressive, have initiative because we won’t be right here sliding things under their doors.”
The missions group has partnered with Team Expansion, a long-term missions group, to share office space. Strange said one reason for relocating was the large amount of traveling Crossroads does, along with the interaction with churches in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. “Louisville is closer to churches, airports and bigger cities,” she said.
“In some ways, the end of a legend has come,” said Strange. “It began with student servant-leadership. It’s a sad thing for us to leave, but it’s exciting at the same time.”