Where it all began...
It was a November afternoon in 1881. Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson—just resigned from his prestigious New York City pastorate weeks before—had called a meeting, inviting all Christians who supported “an aggressive spiritual movement” to reach New York City’s overlooked nonbelievers. Seven showed up. Simpson felt an increasing concern for the “unchurched masses, the thousands who felt themselves alienated from the formal church but not from the Lord.” Within a few years of that humble gathering, the energetic pastor and his small band of followers planted the Gospel Tabernacle in the heart of the city, a church home for people of all ethnicities and social classes who were coming to Christ through Simpson’s evangelistic campaigns. The Gospel Tabernacle partook in outreach to the city’s ostracized. Over the years, Simpson's movement spread across the country and around the world.
Where we come in...
In 1981 , twenty people from other Akron-area Alliance churches met in a house together to form Cuyahoga Valley Alliance Fellowship under the leadership of Pastor John Chapman. The gathering soon began to meet at the Herberich Primary School in Copley. By 1986, the new church was able to acquire land and build a church at the current site of Best Buy. The church would now operate under the name Fairlawn Alliance Church.
Expanding the vision...
Under three different pastors, the congregation experienced steady growth and Pastor Tim Feather came on staff in 1998 where growth would continue. This growth would bring the congregation to a new location at 855 Rothrock Rd. In the following years, the church would continue to thrive with emphasis on children's 5-Day Clubs, and English as a Second Language classes. During this period, the church rebranded as CrossPoint Alliance Church and would called our next Pastor, David Yoder.
Where we are headed...
We are embracing the new work that God has in store for us. After a season of transition with Interim Pastor Arnie Fleagle, our current Pastor, Paul Yanchek, joined us in August 2024. Together, we are seeking God's heart for how He would have us serve our community and the world as we seek to be a people who are transformed by the presence of Jesus and carry His presence to the world.
