Our Timeline Continues…

• In the weeks and months following the 1995 fire that consumed most of the sanctuary, Cross continued to worship weekly, in spaces provided by fellow churches.
• Our the first worship service to be held in the rebuilt church was on Palm Sunday, 1996, with a rededication service on Sunday, June 2 of that year.
• On October 6, 1996, a special service was held to recognize and bless each of the sanctuary’s new stained glass windows. The Wisconsin Cream City Chorus, a community group for LGBT+ individuals and their allies, were guest singers for the event. A few of its members later joined Cross.
• Cross performed its first same-sex marriage on May 25, 1997. Over the next year, four more LGBT+ weddings were celebrated. In those early days, a member of the congregation co-officiated with Pastor Joe to demonstrate that the congregation supported the practice.
• The Bread of Healing program was officially started in 1999, an outgrowth of existing Cross ministries.
• The Bread of Healing Clinic was started in 2000, led by Parish Nurse Rick Cesar, Doctor Barbara Horner-Ibler and Doctor Tom Jackson.
• In 2010, The Bread of Healing Clinic became its own 501c(3) agency, and has since opened two additional locations.
• At the same time (2010), Cross remodeled its basement to give the Bread of Healing Clinic its own home.
• Solar panels were added to the church building in 2011, through a special fund that helped us work toward a greener future.
• Pastor Michelle Townsend de López received the 2013 Acceptance Journeys Award from Diverse and Resilient. This Milwaukee-based organization is dedicated to serving LGBT people and ensuring they have a safe, supportive community.
• In 2017, Cross created a community garden on the land beside the church. It has become one of the central focuses of our Food Justice Ministry.
• In 2018, the back of the church was painted with a giant mural facing the well-travelled 27th Street. It features images of various ministries, along with renditions of Pastor Joe Ellwanger and his wife Joyce, and Pastor Michelle Townsend de López.
• Through the efforts of Cross and others, the Jonnie Mae Phillips Park was opened in 2019. Located behind Cross and Shalom High School, the part runs along 27th Street and includes a playground, exercise equipment and a basketball area.
• Just as the church was beginning its 150th Anniversary celebration (including a Youth Choir Reunion Concert), COVID struck, causing cancellations and closing.
• In 2020 and 2021, the church began hosting online services and eventually added occasional outdoor services.
• Indoor services resumed in 2022 with continued online options. Later that year, a unified choir with all ages was formed and began singing at services.
• In response to increasing raids by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Cross’s Church Council voted in 2025 to officially invite families from predominantly Latino congregations in the Greater Milwaukee Synod to host weddings, funerals and similar events in our sanctuary, where they were less likely to be raided.

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