The Chapel at CrossPoint

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The Chapel at CrossPoint was founded on January 22, 1961 by Rev. Dr. James W. Andrews (1934-1999). It is a non-denominational church in Getzville, New York, which is a suburb of Buffalo. Jerry Gillis is the current Lead Pastor.

[edit] History

The Andrews Era

Andrews started the church in a classroom at The Park School of Buffalo on Harlem Road. There were only six people in attendance that first Sunday morning, due to a snow storm in the area; however, over twenty people gathered for the first Sunday evening service. Attendance increased rapidly, leading to the acquisition of the property at 895 North Forest Road in Amherst, which still stands today.

The Chapel at CrossPoint began under a different name: the Metropolitan Chapel of Buffalo. From 1961 until the late 1970s (around 1978), the church was known as such. It soon became known simply as "The Chapel," and continued with that title until 2005. It was then that The Chapel had outgrown the property on North Forest Road and built a new church home in the CrossPoint Business Park of Getzville, thus adding the "at CrossPoint" suffix.

As the founding Pastor, James Andrews was sincerely dedicated to the community of Buffalo and its surrounding suburbs. A native of Amherst himself, Andrews felt called to return to his hometown after graduating from Wheaton College (Illinois), and serving as Associate Pastor at The Chapel at Fir Hill (Akron, Ohio). After starting The Chapel in Buffalo, Andrews witnessed firsthand the surprising, rapid growth of the church, which was uncommon for other churches in the Western New York area in the 1960s and 1970s. Church membership topped 1,000 early on, and a 1,100 seat sanctuary was built in 1977. This sanctuary served the congregation of The Chapel leading up to their relocation in 2005. Pastor Andrews served as Senior Pastor for nearly forty years; unfortunately, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, he passed away on December 10, 1999, just 12 days after his 65th birthday.

The Transition & Co-Pastorate

The congregation of The Chapel called on Interim pastor, E. Alan Cockrell, to become the new Senior Pastor in March of 2000. Cockrell, with nearly forty years of ministry experience of his own, brought stability and security to a congregation that had lost its only Pastor in the 39 years it existed. It was under Pastor Al's leadership that The Chapel continued to grow, much to the surprise of the local community. In August of 2002, Pastor Al announced that a transition period would begin, where he would gradually hand over the position of Senior Pastor to the then-32-year-old, Jerry Gillis, a native of Georgia. Gillis was trained at the University of Georgia and New Orleans Seminary, all while serving in Associate Pastor roles at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia, and South Biscayne Baptist Church in North Port, Florida. Pastor Al then became Co-Senior Pastor alongside of Pastor Jerry Gillis, and the two maintained this role until September of 2006. While some doubted the possibility of a Co-Pastorate, Cockrell and Gillis never appeared to be at odds and remained in agreement about the mission of The Chapel.

While Pastor Al and Pastor Jerry were Co-Pastors, the need for a new property was evident. Parking on the campus at 895 North Forest became overwhelming, and a shuttle system had been implemented to accommodate the continued, rapid growth of the church. On June 3, 2005, The Chapel held its first services at its new building in CrossPoint Business Park. Effective that Sunday, the church became known officially as The Chapel at CrossPoint. The new sanctuary accommodates over 2,400 people, which allowed for only two Sunday services, as opposed to the four services that had been in effect for over two years. Other portions of the new property include a 500-seat multi-purpose room, and an entire wing devoted to just the Children's ministry, known as King's World.

Jerry Gillis

On September 3, 2006, Pastor Al Cockrell resigned as Co-Pastor of The Chapel at CrossPoint, with Pastor Jerry Gillis assuming the Lead Pastor role. Under Pastor Jerry's leadership, the church has seen continued growth. A typical Sunday at The Chapel includes around 4,000 people, 900 of which are under the age of 18. Pastor Jerry has called on other Evangelical, like-minded congregations in the area to be a part of the Kingdom Come Alliance of Western New York, whose vision is to "ensure every Man, Woman, and Child has repeated occasions to hear and see the Gospel of Jesus Christ." This has dispelled the myth that The Chapel's goal was to drive the little churches out of existence; instead, the Kingdom Come Alliance is about mobilizing the Church of Buffalo as a whole to make a difference in the community by seeing and hearing the Gospel of Jesus.