By Morgan Mizell

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Six months ago, Crosspoint Church started a renovation project that spread throughout the building.

Andy Blair, pastor since late February, said the children were the driving force behind the updates.

“We are all about children here at Crosspoint,” Blair said. “There is nothing more important to us than kids.”

The remodeling helped create multiple areas for all ages of children.

“We had open spaces and areas that were dated,” Blair said. “We took an old closet area and created our nursery and toddler rooms.”

Most of the materials, other than the paint and carpet, were donated.

“We had people who donated pallets, old wood, tin and bricks,” Blair said. “It is all reclaimed, just like us.”

The atmosphere inside the building is comfortable. The coffee area, “Crosspoint Grounds” is a key feature in the casual redesign.

Members come early to have coffee and mingle in the space that was once a snack and smoothie bar when the building housed a fitness center nearly a decade ago.

“We are trying to convey the message that we are a casual, caring, contemporary church,” Blair said. “We want people to come as they are, have coffee and worship with us.”

The larger rooms in the back are home to the recreation area and the high school rooms.

“We are still developing these areas,” Blair said. “We hope to have the rooms completely ready for the kids to have worship services, play video games and just fellowship together soon.”

Eight years ago, the building opened its doors to the community as a church after being home to Highland Health Club for decades.

“We have changed a lot of the space,” Blair said. “We hope to turn one of the racquetball courts into an indoor play area similar to the ones you see at McDonalds.”

The space is useable beyond the many functions of the church.

“We want the entire community to feel welcome here,” Blair said. “The goal is to allow groups that need meeting space to utilize our space when they need it.”

The church is growing.

“We will have a new youth minister intern in January,” Blair said. “One of our goals will be to host community-wide youth events here.”

Many members contributed to the renovation effort.

“I knew what I wanted, but I had a committee of ladies that really helped focus the project,” Blair said. “Of course, it would not have been possible without the help of Hugh ‘Corky’ Pearson, who did the majority of the work.”

Blair invites everyone to Crosspoint for worship.

“We like to call our service the best hour of your week,” Blair said. “We recently began a series entitled ‘Twelve Steps: A Spiritual Journey to a Better Life,’ and it is going well.”

Those interested in using space or having meetings at Crosspoint should contact Pastor Andy Blair at 601-807-5826.

Services for Crosspoint are at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday.