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Carla Cross
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Rev. Carla Cross |
Rev. Carla Cross was raised by her grandparents in Battle Creek, Michigan. Though there was no godly influence or church affiliation in the home, she sought the Lord on her own at a very young age. She accepted the Lord as her Savior at the age of nine while accompanying a friend and her family to a tent revival.
By the age of 12 she began attending a Nazarene Church regularly with a good friend and her family. She became heavily involved with the music ministry there as well as the youth group. After graduation she chose to enlist in the military to train as a nurse, but her enlistment was short lived since her "lifestyle" was found out. The next several years were fraught with difficulties of a bad marriage and a drug and alcohol addiciton, all the while attending her husbands family's Presbyterian Church. Crying out to God for answers and help with her addiction, she decided to end the torturous marriage. Her church family of 15 years grew cold and silent towards her as they learned about her sexual orientation. There was no other choice but to leave. The following five years were spent seeking professional help from her addictions but the church was a painful memory that she did not want to repeat. Until she met Pastor Kelly (Spence) Cross in all places, a bar! Pastor Kelly would come occasionally and talk with the patrons there. After a string of tragedies in her life, Carla sought the counsel of this "bar preacher" who led her back to the Lord. She once again began attending church regularly, and Jesus freed her from the chains of her addictions. Some months later, Rev. Carla and Pastor Kelly Cross were wed. After a year, Rev. Carla became the Children's Church leader, licensed in the ministry in 2006, and fully ordained(by the local assembly) in 2007. She has since started and led "Free Indeed," a Christ centered drug and alcohol recovery program. She and Pastor Kelly are blessed beyond all that they could imagine with a wonderful marriage, six children, two dogs, four cats, and a house full of love! She presently holds an Associate License with RPI. |
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