CINCINNATI — Crossroads, one of the Tri-State’s largest churches, celebrated a major milestone Sunday by giving away $2.5 million to dozens of area nonprofits over the next 25 weeks.
The Oakley-based church, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, made the surprise announcement Sunday.
City Gospel Mission, Jeevan Adhaar, and Restavek were the first to receive a portion of the $2.5 million, each receiving $100,000. Other local, national and international recipients have already been selected and will be announced in the weeks to come.
Crossroads first started in 1995 and now has 10 branches across Ohio and Kentucky. They've impacted countless people on a personal and spiritual level over the years, but outside of services, Crossroads says it's prioritized serving those in need in our community.
Just last weekend, they packed 3,000 boxed meals for kids who can’t access food as easily this summer.
Internationally, Crossroads also helped build the largest AIDS hospice in South Africa and to combat sex trafficking in India.
At Sunday services, Crossroads provided free t-shirts ahead of the surprise announcement.
“Twenty-five years ago, 11 friends got together and they just wanted church to look different for people. They wanted to have an option for their friends and we never would have imagined that god would do the things that have happened,” said Terry Phillips, Crossroads multisite director.
For Phillips, the real celebration is about the people involved with the church.
“God has done unbelievable things to change people’s lives. We never imagined that it would be what it would be,” Phillips said. “We never imagined that it would grow into something big that would be happening all over the place and yet at the same time feel small, personal, and something that people could enjoy and be a part of.”
