“The Chapel Team spends time in prayer, asking God to bring the performers he desires,” said Julie Curtis, program coordinator at the Chapel. “Those who do apply are told that the Chapel ministry is designed to reach people for Christ. We tell them that our desire is to partner with them in Christian ministry with the gifts and talents God has given each of us.”

With nearly 70 performers on the docket, the lineup will showcase 15 new local acts, as well as some old favorites (see schedule on page 18). The lineup will include Christian rap and rock bands for the “younger audiences” on weekend evenings.

“We are pleased each year to see how God has answered our prayers,” Curtis said. “He brings people to the Chapel who give glory and praise to God throughout their time on the platform.”

New in 2008, the Crossroads Chapel will feature a small craft area for kids. The Chapel will also show daily “Faith Stories”—short video testimonies—from members and attendees of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie.


A long history
When the Crossroads Chapel started in 1954, the early ministry was nothing more than a tent erected each year where volunteers showed Christian films and held Sunday services. The first permanent building was built in 1962 and parts of that structure were used to build the current building in 1986.

Now in its 54th year of ministry, CC staff and volunteers are excited about the variety and number of performers on the schedule for the 2008 Great Minnesota Get Together. Betty Swanson and her husband Ron, who serves as supervisor of daily operations at the chapel, are celebrating 20 years of ministry with the Crossroads Chapel in 2008. The couple operated the chapel bookstore and served on the Chapel Team before moving into leadership positions in the early ’90s.

When not serving with Crossroads Ministries, Ron Swanson owns and operates Bacon Motors of Forest Lake, and Betty Swanson serves as pastor of community life at Rockpoint Church in Lake Elmo.

“Over the years the ministry has changed and we have worked hard to bring improvement,” Betty Swanson said. “Our purpose for ministry has not changed, however. We desire to provide a welcoming environment, pointing people to Christ and exalting him through music and message, using a variety of media and performers.”

“We consider the Chapel to be an oasis in the midst of a busy atmosphere,” Curtis said. “People who stop by the Chapel will find a place to connect with other believers, hear some great praise and worship music, shop at the bookstore and just plain rest their tired feet.”

Curtis said the Chapel staff—almost all volunteers—feel they are able to provide a “safe haven” for fairgoers.

“The Chapel is a place where families feel safe bringing their kids without the pressure and influence of the world,” she explained. “They don’t have to worry about what their kids will hear and see. We may not offer physical nourishment, but we do offer spiritual food.”


Future plans
The Chapel Team, whose members come from a variety of evangelical church backgrounds, has considered the possibility of expanding the ministry of the Chapel building throughout the year. The ministry is also raising funds for a possible new Chapel building to serve future generations. The ministry will not begin construction on a new facility until two-thirds of the goal ($600,000-$700,000) is raised.

“We continue to trust God for his timing and direction,” Curtis said.


The ministry
Crossroads Ministries not only operates the Chapel facility during the fair, but also runs other year-round ministries: The Released Time Bible Education for public school students and Home Free Ministries, an affiliate of Crossroads. Home Free is an outreach program dedicated to providing visitation to seniors in nursing care facilities and to those seniors who are homebound.

To find out more, visit www.crossroadsmn.org or call (651) 481-0480.