LEBANON – Two churches in Lebanon have shown that Gospel partnership multiplies ministry. Since 2020, Heritage Baptist Church and Hillcrest Baptist Church here have provided space for The Cross Christian School, a K-12 private Christian school, to hold classes. In that time, the school has more than doubled in size and continues to grow.
The story of how TCCS came to be at the two churches is truly a “God story,” according to Tim Howe, Pastor of Teaching and Discipleship at Heritage.
“A few years ago our church had a guest speaker, Pastor Kevin Smith, who preached a sermon from the book of Jonah. He asked the question, ‘what is your Nineveh?’” Howe said.
“My wife and I later talked, and we both had the same thought: our Nineveh is a Christian school in Lebanon.”
Howe and his wife, Valissa, believed the Lord had provided clear direction, but they wanted to seek wisdom from others as well. Heritage and Hillcrest, along with Second Baptist Church, Lebanon, have partnered together for several years with Upward Basketball. Heritage and Hillcrest also have worked together to host multiple conferences and prayer events. So, the thought naturally came for one pastor to seek the wisdom of another.
“Some of the first people we wanted to talk to about the idea was [Pastor] David and Gena Brown. We wanted to know if they thought it was crazy,” Howe recalled.
“David and Gena could were so encouraging from the beginning. The story would not have unfolded as it did were it not for them.”
The Howes plan was to launch a new school for the 2020-2021 school year. Valissa, who has a background in educational administration, would lead the school as principal, while Tim would seek permission from Heritage to utilize unused Sunday School space for classrooms.
As the Howe’s planned, in mid-2019, a new couple started attending Heritage. The wife, Kristen Tucker, was a teacher and founder of Tri-County Christian School, a small Christian school located several miles outside of Lebanon. Tri-County Christian School began in 2016 with just 17 students. By 2019, Tri-County had increased to over 65 students and outgrown its original location. The school needed a new space.
As the Howes and Tuckers conversed, it became clear that God was opening a door. TCCS needed more room and saw the advantage of moving into Lebanon. Valissa could serve on the administrative team and take a load off Kristin, who was doing double duty as the school’s administrator. The only problem was, if the school were to relocate, Heritage would not have enough space to house the growing student population. So, once again, the Howes met with the Browns, and later the leadership of Hillcrest, to see if Hillcrest would allow TCCS to use their facilities. And once again, the churches came together to do something that neither could do on its own.
In 2020, the school changed its name to The Cross Christian School and moved to the campuses of Heritage Baptist Church and Hillcrest Baptist Church. As of the 2022-2023 school year, TCCS serves over 150 students K-12, representing dozens of churches in the Lebanon/Laclede County area. Guest chapel speakers for TCCS have included other MBC churches including First Baptist Church, Marshfield, Morgan Baptist Church, Conway, Calvary Baptist Church, Lebanon, and Second Baptist Church, Lebanon.
“We could not be more thrilled that God has allowed us an opportunity to play a role in providing Christian education in the Lebanon area,” Brown said.
“We had been praying for quite a while that we would be able to make greater use of our facilities during the week and are happy to come alongside TCCS. We have the utmost confidence in Tim and Valissa and look forward to many years of serving together in our community for the glory of God.”
With the school still growing, the latest project for TCCS is a new elementary campus that is currently under construction. The facility will include 12 new classrooms, a computer lab, lunchroom, and administrative offices. The building will allow TCCS to double the number of elementary classes they offer.
“We have already seen God do incredible things through TCCS, and we can’t wait to see how God continues to move,” Howe said.
“And to do it with Hillcrest is an incredible blessing. All we can do is praise God!”
To learn more about The Cross Christian School or the current project, you can visit www.thecrosschristianschool.com.