By Jennifer Johnson
A hundred years ago, churches were commonly known for building hospitals, schools, universities, and community centers that served their surrounding neighbors instead of constructing buildings that served solely their own purposes. In that spirit, Crosspointe Church of Cary partnered with the YMCA to create a multipurpose facility that provides opportunities for work and recreation as well as worship. The church built the facility on its property and the Y leases space from the church and operates independently.
The YMCA doesn”t offer programming on Sunday mornings or evenings, so Crosspointe uses portions of the extended campus as needed for its weekend programming while offering a facility that serves the city in other ways throughout the week. This includes a large atrium and common area with a coffee shop featuring locally grown food, including fruits, vegetables, and herbs from on-site gardens. The café also offers cooking classes, and in addition to the usual variety of exercise classes, the facility also includes park trails, afterschool programs, a pool, and rooms designed especially for children and teens.
Profits from the restaurant are donated to local charities, dirt excavated for construction was used for landscaping, and trees cleared from the property were used to construct rain screens, baseboards, and decorative elements. While both the YMCA and Crosspointe Church have their own staffs and their own goals for the future, they”re working together to do more for their city than either group could on its own.
Author: Christian Standard
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