Church: Cross Roads United Methodist Church, 6881 Church Road, Cross Roads, www.crumcpa.org, 993-3174

Pastor: The Rev. Michael G. Trimmer

Founded: 1860

Events:

Dec. 31 -- New Year's Eve party with Watch Night service

Jan. 3, 2010 --Consecration Sunday with the Rev. Mark Webb, UMC district superintendent

Feb. 14 -- Valentine's Day Sunday with luncheon surprise

April 10 -- Pot pie supper and open house

April 11 -- Rommi and Rene Kinard's Civil War-style worship and tea

May 9 -- Fanny Crosby and Victorian tea for Mother's Day

July 11 -- Jubilee Sunday with state Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township

Summer -- 150 years of hymns and stories weekly and special music by former pianists and organists

Sept. 12 -- Sunday breakfast and worship in Hershaull Park

Oct. 16 -- Homecoming dinner and reunion worship using liturgy and hymns from 1960 anniversary service

Oct. 17 -- Homecoming worship service

Nov. 7-9 -- Wesley's Rules for Discipleship revival services with Milton Loyer as John Wesley on Nov. 7

Dec. 31 -- New Year's Eve party with Watch Night service

History:

In the mid-1800s, young men from Cross Roads attended Methodist evangelistic meetings in New Holland and later Wrightsville. They returned home and gathered for Scripture reading and prayer, inviting a local Methodist preacher, the Rev. John McKinley, to speak.

The group grew and decided to build

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a church. John Hershner deeded land for the first church May 25, 1860.

The building was later torn down and the present church built in 1898. An educational building and fellowship hall were dedicated in 1949.

The church's present name dates to the 1968 merger of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches.

Fifty-three pastors have served the congregation. The church has shared a pastor with Prospect United Methodist Church in Gatchelville since 1955. Worship attendance averages 70 people on Sundays.

As a member of the Cross Roads Ministerium, the church shares community worship and outreach with the Round Hill Presbyterian, Hopewell Presbyterian and St. Paul (Rinely) Lutheran churches. The churches jointly own and operate Hershaull Park's building and picnic grounds at 7677 Church Road in East Hopewell Township.

Among other mission projects, the congregation supports missionaries Mark and Deirdre Zimmerman in Nepal and Lowell and Claudia Wertz in Tanzania.

Cross Roads UMC earned the nickname, The Potato Church, by supplying potatoes for the Children's Home in Mechanicsburg for 60 years.

During 2010, members and friends of the congregation will be encouraged to participate in a yearlong mission project taking up monthly food collections on a theme for local food banks.

Worship is at 9 a.m. Sundays, followed by Christian education classes at 10:15.

Source: Church records