Church History

 North Penn / Crosspoint Baptist

 

 

 
The first worship service of North Penn Baptist Church was held in the home of Tom and Nan Gerth on Sunday, November 12, 1967 with 13 people in attendance.   On December 12, 1967 the first Sunday School was held with 13 people present.  
 
On December 31, 1968 worship services were moved to the Seventh Day Adventist church in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, which was purchased shortly thereafter. In September, 1969, the church called Glen Rydall as the first full time pastor.
 
 
 
In October, 1969, the Women’s Missionary Union and the Men’s Brotherhood held their first meetings.  By November, 1969, their second year of operation, the total membership was 54.  After functioning as a mission of the Buxmont Baptist Church in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, for 15 ½ months, North Penn Baptist Church was constituted on March 16, 1969, with 22 charter members.  
 
On May 9, 1969, the Articles of Incorporation of North Penn Baptist Church were recorded and sealed at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania.  May 21, 1972, was the last worship service for Pastor Glen Rydall.
 
 
On November 5, 1972 the church called Rev. Richard Heaney and he served as pastor until 1975.   In 1976 Rev. Orice Hartman came as interim and served until 1977.   In January, 1978, the church called Rev. John McIntyre and he served as pastor until May, 1987.  In 1980 there was an average of 26 adults and children riding the bus to Sunday School as the church had an active bus ministry.  Pastor McIntyre established a strong Sunday School program. 
Under Pastor McIntyre, the church paid off the mortgage on the Orvilla Road property and began in earnest a building fund program to purchase land on which to build a larger more adequate building.  In 1987 the church raised $33,000 towards this goal.  After Rev. McIntyre left in 1987 the church called Rev. Nathan Pulling as interim pastor.

 

On October 11, 1987, at a special business meeting the church called Rev. John Hackworth as pastor. Under his leadership the church began a prayer ministry and began participating in community outreach programs. In addition, he led the church to purchase the current Allentown Road property on September 29, 1989, after many months of prayer and seeking.

 

Originally 19 ½ acres, the property consisted of a house, two sheds and a barn. Over the period of 1990-1991, the church farmhouse was renovated. During that time, the congregation met at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School on Sunday morning, while holding Sunday evening and Wednesday services at the farmhouse on Allentown Road.  In November of 1993, the Sunday morning service was moved to the farmhouse on Allentown Road as well. Since the purchase of the property, 4 acres have been sold, leaving the congregation with 15 acres of land.

 

In August of 1994, Pastor Hackworth resigned to accept the pastorate of another church body. The church called Fred Bell to serve as pastor in 1995; however, five months later, he resigned as pastor. In February of 1996, the church called Rev. Mark Dooley as pastor. He began his duties on March 31, 1996.
 
From September of 1996 - August of 1997, the church met at the North Penn Senior Center in Lansdale. The additional space enabled the church body to grow in attendance during that time, however, due to financial constraints, the church body returned to the farmhouse on Allentown Road beginning September of 1997.

 
During this same time period, plans were made for the development of the Allentown Road property.  In April of 1998, the church adopted a three-phase plan for seeing this property developed.  Phase one was called "Melting the Mortgage," an effort to eliminate the existing mortgage on the property.   At that time, the congregation owed approximately $120,000 on the property.   Over the following 18 months, however, the Lord enabled North Penn Baptist Church to completely eliminate that debt.   Phase two, entitled "Finding the Funds," then began in earnest.  
 
The Planning committee of North Penn Baptist Church investigated many options.   Funds continued to accumulate in the building fund, and in November of 2000, a Capital Funding pledge campaign was conducted, with excellent response from the church body.   This enabled the church to proceed to phase three, "Raising the roof."  Through the use of volunteer labor from other Southern Baptist groups, the church began the building process in earnest during the spring and summer of 2001.

 

 

 

A sanctuary seating approximately 180 people, along with 7 educational rooms, a kitchen and a fellowship hall were constructed.   Dedication of the new building was held December 2, 2001.   Approximately 240 people attended the dedication service, which included eleven baptisms and a time of fellowship and open house afterward.  While engaged in the finding the funds phase of construction, North Penn Baptist Church also was involved in planting a new congregation in a low income government subsidized housing complex. 
 
The church plant was known as Cutting Edge Church.  Approximately 15 people went from North Penn Baptist Church to assist in this endeavor.  Cutting Edge Church met at the Meadow Glen community room, then later the Souderton Senior Adult Center and eventually the Harleysville YMCA.  In January of 2004 they called Rev. Ronnie Duncan to serve as their pastor.  He led them to constitute as a Southern Baptist congregation and to change their name to Church in the Valley.  They began to reach out beyond the area of the residents in the housing complex and began to see approximately 40-50 people in attendance.

 

 

  

During the spring and summer of 2006 North Penn Baptist Church and Church in the Valley began to pray about the possibility of coming back together.  After sensing the leadership of the Lord in this, the two congregations merged beginning in August of 2006 and became Crosspoint Baptist Church with Rev. Dooley serving as the Senior Pastor and Rev. Duncan as the Associate Pastor. 
 
The congregation has the stated vision of:  To make spiritual impact in our community, nation and world by developing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  Six core values under gird this vision: purpose, prayer, peace, people, praise, and progress.  Our prayer for the years ahead is that, until Jesus comes, we will continue to be a people who make spiritual impact in our community, nation and world.