from The Pastoral Team & Board of Directors

The Pastoral Team and Board of Directors at Calvary Chapel Grass Valley have recently decided to change the name of our church to Crossroads Church. In an effort to provide accurate information and promote mutual understanding, we would like to share a summary of the key issues that contributed to this decision.

First of all, several months of discussion and prayer went into making this decision. In addition to dialogue among the pastoral staff and elders at the church, we also consulted with Damian Kyle, pastor at Calvary Chapel of Modesto and regional supervisor for the Calvary Chapel Churches in central California. At the conclusion of this meeting, Damian fully supported the decision and even suggested the name Crossroads. This was before we mentioned that Crossroads was the name we had chosen! Damian’s response helped confirm our decision.

what are the key issues?

Some of you may remember that Calvary Chapel Grass Valley was originally located on Alta Street in Grass Valley. Then, in 1992, the church moved to our current location – approximately 10 miles south of the actual downtown area. Over the years, our continued association (by name) with Grass Valley has created a measure of confusion in the community. Essentially, we are a church without a city because we are located in neither Grass Valley nor Auburn. Therefore, the inclusion of Grass Valley in our name can be somewhat misleading. In reality, our church is located at the crossroads of Auburn and Grass Valley! This centralized location actually makes our church more accessible to people from the many communities in the surrounding area.

Another point of confusion is the presence of other Calvary Chapel churches in both Grass Valley and Auburn. Obviously, this is not an issue for those familiar with these churches, but among the general population it is fairly common for our church to be mistaken for one of these other fellowships.

where are we?

Our church is literally and figuratively located at the “CROSSROADS” of our community. As mentioned previously, we are located geographically at the crossroads of Auburn and Grass Valley. Therefore, the name Crossroads Church more accurately describes our actual location. Somewhat less obvious is the fact that our church is located at the spiritual crossroads in our community! In Jeremiah 6:16 we read, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you shall find rest for your souls”(NIV). As a fellowship of believers we are called by God to stand at the crossroads – at the middle ground between earth and heaven – and direct people to Jesus Christ. This is another reason we believe the name Crossroads Church is an appropriate choice for our church.

who are we?

It is important for everyone to understand that our MISSION remains the same – to see people living in a right-relationship with Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 we read, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself… and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (ESV) It is our intention to continue standing at the crossroads, between heaven and earth, as ambassadors for Christ.

Of equal importance, our MINISTRY will remain the same – we continue to be committed to the fundamental ministry priorities and practices that have characterized our church since its inception.

Lastly, our status as a member of the Calvary Chapel fellowship of churches remains unchanged.

In the coming weeks, you’ll begin to see tangible evidence of this change. The church website will initiate a new design scheme and website address starting Monday, January 14. Our new web address will be www.crossroadslive.com. For a period of time, people using the old URL (www.ccgv.org) will automatically be directed to the new address, but we encourage you to begin using the new URL when accessing the site. A banner informing the community of our new name will be placed on the corner and signage on the church property is scheduled to be updated within the next couple of weeks. Lastly, printed materials (bulletins, stationary, etc.) will also reflect the name change right away.

In closing, we hope this letter has provided some perspective on this decision. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact one of the pastors at the church office. We appreciate your prayers and continued fellowship as we move forward into the plans God has for us at Crossroads Church!

Yours in our Lord Jesus Christ…
The Pastoral Team & Board of Directors