Our church began as a small group of ten people meeting in a townhouse in Tustin Ranch in 1997. But the seeds were planted much earlier than that. At a church leadership conference in 1994, God began to grow a vision in Pastor Kevin Hayashida’s heart. After moving from the San Francisco Bay Area with his family in April, 1997, Kevin began sharing God’s vision and gathering a team. We challenged ourselves with these questions: What could a church look like if it were radically devoted to reaching out to those who were far from God? If people were welcomed with hospitality and love? If each member was challenged to serve God with full devotion?

God’s providential guidance was evident from the very beginning. We had no budget. We had no public meeting place. We did, however, have a firm conviction that God would lead us and provide for us. With a vision to reach Southern Orange County with the Good News of Jesus Christ, we held our first service at Trabuco Hills High School on Easter of 1998.

The first person baptized at Crossroads was a woman who had not been to church in nearly fifty years, but came to our first Sunday service in response to an invitation from a friend.

In those early days we needed every single person to come two hours before service to help us set up and stay for another hour after church to help put everything back into our storage bin. After almost every Sunday service we would have lunch together, enjoying each other’s company. Soon, it became a tradition of having one lunch each month because we loved sharing life together with our new friends (we also loved to eat!) People began inviting their friends, and the church began to grow slowly, yet steadily. Rooted in the Bible, adults and children matured in their faith. In June 2003, we purchased our current facility in Mission Viejo.

But at its heart, the Crossroads story is not about buildings. It’s about people. Throughout our brief history, we have faced many crossroads, many decisions, many opportunities. Yet through everything, God has been tremendously faithful, providing resourceful people who have established a loving, compassionate family community.

We don’t know where God will take us next. But we’d love to have you along with us on the journey!