Groundbreaking in Kansas City, MO

Nine people lined up under a warm, sunny, Kansas City sky on Friday September 11, 2009 to mark the beginning of a new page in CrossWorld's history. The occasion marked the official ground-breaking for the new building that will become home to CrossWorld's home office team and the shared services entity that will provide administrative services. Representing CrossWorld at the ceremony were home-staff missionary - Lisa Smyth; Board chairman - JD Smith; outgoing CFO - Phil Lindner; and President - Dale Losch. Avant's counterparts to CrossWorld's team also manned four shovels. Rounding out the group, representing both organizations as the new CFO of the Avant/CrossWorld shared services, was Scott Holbrook.

In his prayer of dedication, Dale Losch reminded those present that God has never been a big fan of buildings. He didn't need one for the first several thousand years of human history. He "lived" in a tent for several hundred years during Israel's wilderness wanderings, and when finally a temple was built in his honor, it was not because of a request on His part, and it was He Himself who had it razed to the ground a few centuries later.

While God has not been big on buildings, He has always been big on the proclamation of His glory and on anything that will contribute to that end. This was the focus of the hopes and prayers offered up for this new building - that those who build it will encounter our Savior in the process, that those who work from it will manifest his glory through their unity and service, and that hundreds of thousands around the world will become worshipers of Jesus in part as a result of the work that flows from within that place.