By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
MARRERO, La. (LBM) – Troy Gause was headed on a road to destruction when he was in Plaquemines Parish Detention Center in 1998, but an encounter with God inside the jail set him on a path to redemption in Jesus.
Gause, who was serving a sentence for drug possession, was at a breaking point and realized he needed to reconnect with Christ, who saved him as a youngster. Vowing to stay close to God, he was released six months later and began to grow in his faith that one day would lead him to become a pastor.
“Don’t underestimate what God can do with a young man with a broken life and a surrendered heart,” said Gause, who was named “Replanter of the Year” during the 2024 North American Mission Board Replant Summit, Aug. 22-23.
Gause, who sensed a call to vocational ministry after his release from prison, enrolled at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009. He eventually started Church Without Walls, a ministry that shares Jesus with the homeless and addicted individuals in New Orleans, and in 2017, began Cross Culture Church.
REBIRTH
Cross Culture Church grew from eight people that first met inside a member’s living room in Marrero to 45 within five years. However, despite the increase in attendance, they were unable to find a permanent home and leaders of the church prayed for God to provide resources to purchase a new facility and for them to team up with a struggling church for revitalization.
Gause in July 2022 was notified by Derek Kitterlin, son-in-law of Ames Boulevard Baptist Church Pastor Steve Foxworth, that the church property needed lawn maintenance. Gause, who owns a lawn care business, began taking care of the property for free without any discussion with Foxworth about a merger.
Ames Boulevard Baptist Church had experienced a decline in membership and was looking for “next steps” to reach the community when they approached Cross Culture church about merging in August 2022.
The once vibrant congregation had dwindled to 25 members who had seen just one baptism from 2015 to 2022, and they felt Cross Culture could help them better reach the community and ensure its survival.
After several meetings and much prayer, both congregations finalized the merger and became Cross Community Church at Ames on April 30, 2023.
Since the merger, the church has baptized 18 new believers and averages 90 in worship. The church has made reaching the community an ongoing priority through men’s and women’s small groups and outreaches such as a men’s breakfast, movie nights, fall festivals and a back-to-school giveaway.
“We’ve trusted the Lord, who told us to ‘Go,’” Gause said. “We’re getting out into the neighborhoods, reaching the youth and kids and pouring into people’s lives. Our people are mobilizing others and bringing them from outside the church inside the church. A lot of members are just getting excited and inviting people.”
Gause is an endorsed church planter through Send Network Louisiana, a partnership between the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. His certification made Cross Community Church eligible to receive church planting grants.
“We’re thankful for churches that give to the Cooperative Program, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, and the Georgia Barnette Louisiana State Missions Offering that allow us the opportunity to support great projects like Cross Community Church across our state” said Lane Corley, Send Network Louisiana director.
If you are interested in exploring a merger, replanting a church or supporting a project like Cross Community Church, contact the Send Network Louisiana team at 318.448.3402 or lcorley@namb.net.
