Crossing Church's new facility in Wever gaining traction

WEVER – “Making this region the hardest place to get to hell from”.
The very blunt ideology is at the heart of the Crossing Church in Wever. The former Grace Bible Church has a new look, a new smell, a new feel, and it's open for the business of Christ.
Pastor Ji (J-eye) Ramatowski said the group opened the doors to the non-denominational organization on Dec. 24 after spending the previous 91 days renovating the fledgling worship center.
According to the organization’s website, Crossing Church is an independent, non-denominational Christian church started in Quincy in March of 1974. It now has locations throughout west central Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa, including Keokuk.
The church, located just off Hwy. 61 on the southwest side of Wever, looks almost completely renovated inside with fresh paint, support beams, new wood floors and an open footprint design.
The congregation auditorium has a large screen and is set up to bring music and video presentations to the worship that takes place at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Ramatowski, a former senior supply planner at ConAgra Foods, said attendance at the church since Dec. 24 has ranged from 150 to 300, but weather has impacted attendance on several Sundays.
“These are good numbers. We don’t know yet what we look like because we have some that are coming from other campuses, but we have some that were just looking for another option,” he said.
“I’ve done ministry for about 10 years at a church I was at. I’ve led worship and done youth ministry, but one of my prayers is that I didn’t want to be in spreadsheets nine hours a day. I wanted to do things that are significant for the kingdom of God for eternity.”
Ramatowski and his family had been attending the Keokuk campus of Crossing Church and was approached by leadership to take a role with the church.
The church offers bible study on flexible terms and also has upper floor space for youth programming and classes.
He said they had to dabble a bit to find out if there was interest in putting a new church in the facility.

“We did some preview services and found out that there was interest in services,” Ramatowski said.
“We have some people traveling from Fairfield, but they loved the Crossing, they loved the structure, they loved the vision and passion of the church to see people find a personal relationship with Jesus that is unapologetic.”
He said one of the visions of the church is emblazoned on display as you walk into the church that reads, “Making this region the hardest place to get to hell from”.
“That’s really the heart of our church. We have core beliefs here that support that vision.”
He said a lot of things done in church aren’t traditional, including calling the youth, “This Generation.” Along with that comes enhanced security where youth are monitored throughout the facility.
“We don’t call them the next generation. It’s This Generation. That’s what we call our kids. They are the generation and that’s one of our focuses -  to be relevant," he said.
"There are reasons churches die. They don’t innovate. This whole building is about taking risks of faith. Be willing to step out of our comfort zones, make leaders from within, and challenge people to move forward.”
Another focus is being one church with different campuses.
“You wouldn’t believe the support we’ve seen from other campuses. We had an older couple come from Hannibal that stayed with me til 7 p.m. one night putting up herringbone walls,” he said.
“They came multiple days and stayed with me late and then drove home to Hannibal after that.”
Services at the church run an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.
“We pack a lot into a very short period of time. It’s very informal. A lot of churches you come in in a suit and tie. Some of the campus pastors, they will wear a sweatshirt and a hat. We want people to be comfortable and not feel judged.”
Those interested in more information about the church can contact Ramatowski at 319-316-2671.