As Director of The Crossing’s Care Ministry, people are often surprised when I share how I got here. The truth is, I never wanted to work in ministry. But God had other plans.
My thirties were chaotic. While many people rebel as teenagers, I waited until adulthood. After a difficult divorce, I spent four years as a single mom of three, searching for happiness in all the wrong places.
I chose relationships and experiences that still bring a sharp pang of regret when I think about that time in my life, but they led me somewhere unexpected—into a relationship with Jesus.
Finding Faith and a Church That Felt Like Home
When I met my husband Warren for our first date in 2004, I was new to my faith. He and his daughters had been attending a relatively new church, The Crossing, for a couple years. A few weeks into dating, I went to church with him.
I’ll never forget it. We sat in the front row of the Rock Bridge Performing Arts Center. The message felt personal, as if the pastor were speaking directly to me. I cried the entire service.
Turns out I would feel that way and respond with tears every week for nearly a year. I’m sure Warren wondered if I’d ever stop being an emotional wreck on Sundays. The gospel was softening my heart and challenging everything I thought I knew. I’d never experienced anything like it.
In May 2004, Dave Cover married us. I moved to Columbia with my kids—partly because I wanted more of what I was hearing each Sunday. Even my teenage son, who rarely paid attention in church, stayed alert during the messages.
From Fresh Start to Care Ministry Leader
All I wanted in those early days was a fresh start. I had no intention of entering the ministry. I had a background in administrative work, and I focused on being a good wife and mother to our blended family of five—and soon six.
But challenges came quickly. Blended families, past relationships, and co-parenting brought more stress than we expected, and the first several years were rough. I honestly don’t know if our marriage would have survived if we hadn’t had The Crossing to support us.
What saved us? Community. The support groups and spiritual care we received at The Crossing were crucial. Warren’s small group welcomed me immediately. Dave walked closely with us, offering pastoral care and speaking hard truths with love. I also joined women’s Bible studies that deepened my faith and grounded me in scripture. God was strengthening us through the church’s growing care ministry—even before I realized that was what it was.
The Beginning of Divorce Recovery Ministry
After five years of walking with us through the hard stuff, Dave asked us to start a divorce recovery group. We felt totally unqualified.
At the same time, Shay Roush invited me to lead the Care Ministry, which was then a small team of volunteers delivering meals, praying for others, and assisting with basic needs. That part made sense to me; I could use my administrative skills to organize people and needs, something I felt equipped to do.
But starting a divorce recovery support group? That felt terrifying. My administrative gifts were secondary; this would require me to get vulnerable. To share my own experiences with people I didn’t know, much of which was still shrouded in shame.
We launched DivorceCare in January 2009. By then, The Crossing had grown, and we were in our current building, meeting in what used to be the staff conference room—35 people crammed into a space that comfortably held much less. I looked around at a lot of very hurting people and felt completely out of my depth.
But God met us in that room.
That semester changed everything. God used my pain—my mess, even the shameful parts—to bring comfort to others. I came out of it more certain than ever that God was calling us to this work. Warren and I both knew this wasn’t just a one-time thing. It was a privilege to walk with others. We just had to be willing to be real.
Support Groups Rooted in Real Stories
Since then, The Crossing’s Care Ministry has grown significantly. What started as a few volunteers has evolved into a network of over 20 support groups and service teams, all dedicated to walking alongside people in crisis.
Each support group was started by someone who had been through the fire and wanted to help others navigate those going through similar dark valleys. Each serving team functions because people are willing to use their strengths to serve others.
Here’s a look at what the Care Ministry now offers:
Ongoing Support Groups
- DivorceCare – A dedicated divorce recovery group offering community, compassion, and healing, by those whose marriages have ended.
- GriefShare – Led by people who’ve lost loved ones and want to walk with others through grief.
- Single Moms Group – A safe space for women raising kids on their own, led by women who’ve been there.
- Cancer Care for Women – Created by survivors who want to support others facing a frightening diagnosis.
- Chronically Courageous - a community of women living with lifelong health challenges, often unseen and/or misunderstood by others.
- Sweetspot (Diabetes Support Group) – Led by a couple managing Type 1 Diabetes, offering education and community.
- GracefulWait – A group offering faith-based support for those experiencing infertility or infant loss, begun by a woman who walked this same path.
- Recovery Groups for Men and Women – Help for those battling addiction, led by individuals who’ve found freedom through Jesus.
- One to One Care (Stephen Ministry) – Trained lay people who provide one-on-one emotional and spiritual support during crises, many of whom have been through crisis themselves.
Practical Care Teams
- Card-writing Team - Sends personal notes of encouragement and comfort to anyone going through painful circumstances.
- Community Response Team - Responds to needs in our wider community, giving their time, gently used items or funds to meet basic necessities.
- Fix-It Team – Offers minor home and car repairs to those in crisis.
- Funeral Care Team - Provides support to grieving families with the service of the deceased and sends cards of comfort.
- Jefferson City Care Team – Acts in multiple ways to care for and serve those in nearby Jeff City, home to many Crossing members.
- Loaves & Fishes Team - Serves a warm meal to the unhoused population monthly.
- Meals Team – Provides meals for families in times of need.
- Prayer Team – Offers in-person prayer every Sunday and responds to requests throughout the week.
- Prayer Shawl Team - Provides handmade lap blankets to those facing health challenges, as a physical representation of the love and prayers of their church community.
- Visitation Team - Visits people who are hospitalized, in rehab or homebound.
Every group and team was born from someone’s story and their willingness to use it to serve others.
Beauty from Brokenness: Why Care Ministry Matters
The Care Ministry at The Crossing exists today because so many people were willing to let God use their pain.
Whether you’re facing grief, illness, addiction, loneliness, divorce, or something else, someone here has walked that road. And now these volunteers are walking with others.
The Crossing wasn’t just my church. It became my lifeline. It was the place where God held me together—and then invited me to do the same for someone else.
A Life I Never Would Have Chosen—But Would Never Trade
I didn’t plan this life. I never asked to share my mess publicly. I never thought I’d lead a care ministry or start a divorce recovery support group.
But God had something better.
And today, I’m deeply grateful for the community, the calling, and the privilege of walking with others through their own seasons of pain. This is the life I never would have chosen—but was graciously given.
What a gift indeed.
Are you in need of support? Or looking for ways to serve your community through a care ministry? Hear more about The Crossing's Care ministries and all the different ways you can get involved!
