The Crossing church prepares for expansion project
The Crossing on Route 1 north of Lewes is preparing to expand its church and construct another building nearby to accommodate its rapidly growing congregation and youth faith programs, a church leader said.
The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a preliminary site plan for the project at its Jan. 21 meeting.
“In November 2024, in response to continued growth in regular attendance and ministry participation, the elders and staff of The Crossing committed to expanding the church’s facilities to better serve both its congregation and the surrounding community,” according to a Jan. 26 statement.
The project, expected to begin this summer, will cost $6 million to $10 million, said Jeff Clark, who chairs the church’s building committee.
The congregation of the nondenominational church has nearly doubled in the past three years to reach between 550 and 600 members, Clark said. The church website cites projections of continued population growth in Sussex County as driving expansion.
The 20-year-old church at the corner of Route 1 and Oyster Rocks Road can seat 300 to 350 people, Clark said.
Planned upgrades to the sanctuary include more seating in an expanded balcony and on the ground level to increase capacity to more than 600 people. A larger foyer will create space for a welcome center, fellowship gathering areas, a café, and rooms for prayer, counseling and nursing mothers.
The Crossing’s kids ministry areas for children age 11 and younger – adjacent to the main sanctuary – will be renovated and expanded. Improvements will include new classrooms, updated restrooms and better security.
Campus improvements include expanded parking and a new porte-cochere drop-off at the sanctuary to improve accessibility and traffic flow.
A 17,000-square-foot building, which will primarily be used for faith and fellowship programs for middle school and high school youth, will be erected a short distance north of the church building.
It will include worship space for more than 200 students, along with classrooms, discipleship areas, staff offices, a catering kitchen and pantry, and a gymnasium with an adjoining stage.
“That’s the sign of a healthy church, when you have a young church population," Clark said. “The youth programs at The Crossing are vital. That is where the growth is occurring at a rapid pace.”
There are 60 to 70 middle school and high school students in faith programs, and the number has been increasing steadily, said Austin Garrett, who has been teaching that age group since 2019.
They come from a wide area, including Milton, Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Milford, Georgetown and Greenwood, he said. The number of younger children is similar, Clark said.
Garrett, the father of 2- and 4-year-old children, said he is looking forward to the construction project.
“We have some space, but this [planned building] more adequately fits our needs right now, while giving us space to grow into,” he said.
The new gymnasium will also accommodate table seating for weddings, fellowship meals and community events.
The expansion project will foster more fellowship among church members, Clark said.
“That new space allows us to be there to support each other more and enjoy that fellowship time,” he said.
Work will begin with construction of the new building, Clark said. Once it is completed, seats for 400 people will be provided in its gymnasium for services during the two years the church is closed for renovations.
The Crossing has come a long way since its founding. It began in a home in Milton in 1982, Clark said. Its first church structure was built in 1987 across Route 1 from the current church near Hudson Fields, he said.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
