BRAD AND STEPHANIE VOS have moved their CrossWay Church to a new location in Battle Ground. The church will open its doors to the community for an Open House event on Sun., Oct. 5.
Brad Vos and his wife Stephanie are planting their roots in the Battle Ground Community.
The couple are opening the doors of CrossWay Church to area residents who will have an opportunity visit the church for a Fall Open House on Sun., Oct. 5 at its new location at 311 N. Parkway Ave. in Battle Ground.
The CrossWay Church congregation of about 65-70 members have been meeting at Salmon Creek Elementary School in Vancouver. However, Brad and Stephanie recently purchased the former Smirna Christian Church building in Battle Ground, where they moved to on Aug. 15.
“Our church started a few years ago meeting in Salmon Creek Elementary,’’ Brad said. “We were always looking for a place to plant some roots. We felt like it was time to start checking on some different buildings and we found this one in Battle Ground. We are really excited about moving into the Battle Ground community.’’
Vos said his vision is for the church not just to teach the bible but also to be a blessing to the community.
“We are excited to find our ways to serve our community and make Battle Ground our home,’’ Vos said. “I have already noticed more of a sense of community in Battle Ground than I ever did in Salmon Creek. You can feel that sense of community pride. We’re excited to set out roots here.’’
Vos described Crossway Church as a “small, inter-congregational church that has a pretty good family feel. We have a wide variety of people. Our core values are embracing Christ, loving others and serving our world.’’
Vos said the Sunday worship service at CrossWay Church will feature a mixture of traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs.
“We have a rhythm to our service,’’ he said. “That’s why we get a mix of people from a variety of backgrounds. We usually preach through a book of the bible. We’re pretty casual. People can come as they are. We are pretty informal.’’
Vos and his wife each grew up in small towns. Brad was raised in Ireton, IA, a farming community of about 500 residents. Stephanie grew up in Quincy, WA. Brad began a career as an engineer of mechanical fruit harvesters and later moved to Lynden, WA, where he became a youth pastor.
Stephanie, who earned her master’s degree in counseling, worked in an outdoor youth ministry and the two were introduced by a mutual friend. Brad eventually completed his master’s degree at Western Seminary in Portland and the couple settled in Vancouver.
The couple is very proud of their two adopted daughters – Annika (soon-to-be 5) and Amelia (soon-to-be 2). Brad and Stephanie also lead an infertility support group, Club Hope, that meets at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
In addition to Sunday worship service, CrossWay Church will also offer youth group on Tuesday nights from 7-8:30 p.m. as well as men’s and women’s groups and small group gatherings on other days during the week.
A nursery is offered during the Sunday worship service for infants through 4 years. Children 5 years through the 5th grade spend the first half of the Sunday service with the congregation and then have their own teaching time.
“We’re excited to figure out how we can start serving the town of Battle Ground,’’ Brad said. “We want to find out what the needs are and find out what our little niche could be. We don’t want to compete with the other churches.’’
