Our History
Understanding the history of our church gives us a better understanding of where God has led us, and where God is leading us. Our history reveals a number of “spiritual markers.
Our church originally was founded on January 21, 1952. The first members were all from Arkansas. These transplanted Southerners came to Michigan to escape hard economic conditions, and find jobs in the prosperous auto industry. Not finding churches like those they had left, a group of them in 1950, led by Franklin Nicholas, rented a church building at 1526 Church Street in Ann Arbor. They constituted as Harmony Missionary Baptist Church on January 20, 1952. Shortly thereafter, the church was led to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention. Harmony thus became the 7th church in the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. The church’s affiliation with the SBC caused many Southerners to join the church when moving to Ann Arbor.
God was not satisfied to establish the church as a congregation for transplanted southerners. In May 1956 the church purchased property on Pontiac Trail, and entered a fifteen-year effort to build. This initial effort failed when the State of Michigan bought the land to build the Highway 23 interchange. In 1958, the church purchased an old church building on Fountain Street, and changed the name of the congregation to Memorial Baptist Church. Attendance reached 76 in November of 1959.
The search for land continued, and in 1961, the church purchased the present Packard Road Campus site at 2580 Packard Road. The property owners expressed an intentional desire to sell this 3-acre plot to an “evangelical church” to reach the community of Ann Arbor for Jesus Christ. In anticipation of building, the church changed its name to Packard Road Baptist Church. This location near the University of Michigan campus was the beginning of the metamorphosis of PRBC away from being a church primarily for transplanted Southerners to one appealing to the university community and to Ann Arbor natives.
Under the leadership of Rev. Tom Bloxom, a building program was begun and by 1969 was well underway. The first unit of the current building on Packard Road was dedicated in May 1970 at a cost of $175,000. The church grew in its new facilities under the leadership of Rev. Bloxom and Rev. Michael Clingenpeel. In 1984, Dr. Paul Calmes assumed the pastorate at Packard Road. Under Calmes’ leadership the church built a $1 million addition, almost a third of which was provided by labor donated by church members and carpentry crews from 11 churches across the SBC. Paul Calmes resigned in 1991, and Dr. Gary Hardin was called as pastor in 1992. Gary guided the church into a future directions growth planning process and the church adopted a multi-campus, multi-congregation vision for its future.
In 1997, the church changed its name to Crossroads Community Baptist Chuch and a new campus was started at Lincoln Middle School in April 1998. Soon after three more congregations were added to the church; the Hispanic congregation led by Rev. Bill Montalvo, the Deaf Congreation led Rev. Del Granger, and the Japanese Congregation led by Rev. Toshi Miyazaki. In 2001, Dr. Hardin and Rev. Matt Adams resigned to take positions in other churches. In June 2002, the church called Dr. Paul Arnold to be the pastor of the Packard Campus of Crossroads. In August 2002, the church called Rev. Clark Cothern, a former associate of the church, to become the pastor of the Lincoln Campus. After a leadership retreat in September with the new pastors, the leaders discerned a new revelation to revise the original vision of multiple congregations. The Lincoln Campus became a new church, Living Water Community Church, and Crossroads refocused its efforts on ministering in Ann Arbor.
After almost eight years in which the church started the Washtenaw Upward Basketball and Cheerleading ministry, the Care-giving Ministry, and other community outreach efforts (Art Fair Booth, Saturday Night service), Pastor Paul Arnold resigned to enter into hospital/hospice ministry as a chaplain. The church is focused on the Greatest Commandment (Love God, Love Others) and the Great Commission (disciple-making) and we are seeking God's leading to find a new Senior pastor.