We have some very exciting news to share with you. From the very beginning of our CrossWalk America days, even before we knew our name to be CrossWalk America in early 2005, we realized we were part of a much larger movement. As we began to build our non-profit organization and plan our 2,500 mile walk from Phoenix to Washington DC in 2006, we looked for partner organizations who shared in the spirit of our beliefs – to joyously embrace the inclusive and compassionate core values of Jesus – love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self.
CrossWalk America was an organization created in 2005 with the mission to give a voice to the compassionate face of Christianity in America by providing a dialect and vision for the future that both draws people in and inspires them to action. CrossWalk America dreamed of a new tomorrow, dreams that were shared by thousands of others from communities of all shapes and sizes. In 2006, six people embarked on a journey from Phoenix, AZ, to Washington, D.C. to share this mission on a 2,500 mile walk- talking, listening and just being with people from every part of the spectrum. In 2007 they released the film “Asphalt Gospel” which chronicles that Walk. In three short years the organization known as CrossWalk America (CWA) has garnered support and attention across the country and around the world.
After a great deal of deliberation, the CWA board decided that their mission to share the inclusive message of love and compassion could have an even deeper impact by joining a well established national organization, The Center for Progressive Christianity.
For Additional Information on CrossWalk check out these links:
Brief History on CrossWalk America
The work of CrossWalk America was built on the foundation of:
•Openness to other faiths
• Care for the earth and its ecosystems
• Seeking peace and ending systemic poverty
• Valuing artistic expression in all its forms
• Authentic inclusiveness of all people – including God’s lesbian/gay/bi-sexual/transgender (LGBT) community
• Opposing the commingling of Church and State
• Promoting the values of rest and recreation, prayer and reflection
• Embracing both faith and science in the pursuit of faith
This foundation comes from our 12 affirmations or beliefs that center on love and give voice to a faith that many were feeling personally but not finding represented in the public square. Please click here to read about The Phoenix Affirmations and access resources to experience them more fully.
In the spirit of putting feet to prayers, we took our message to people across America when we embarked on our 2,500 mile walk from Phoenix, Arizona to Washington, D.C. in 2006. We listened as we walked, and sent our message far beyond the walk through local and national media and the internet. Many joined the journey either as a guest walker, a blogger, home-stay host, or congregant in the many churches we visited. We were supported by a grassroots network that helped carry us on this path across America. Click here to see a list of the organizations and churches that helped form the backbone of this network. Through our conversations with people from all over the country, we gained a profound and nuanced perspective of the heartbeat of Christianity in America. We felt the positive energy that comes from sharing what we believe to be our path as we found others who also felt moved by The Phoenix Affirmations. We were also blessed with the experience of speaking with others who do not believe similarly yet wanted to share what they believe. We tapped into a ravenous hunger for human to human conversation that matters, beyond the labels of conservative/ liberal, denominations or political party. We felt the transformative energy from putting our faith in action.
Although we consider the walk our greatest accomplishment to date – we are also very proud of our film The Asphalt Gospel . This film follows all the twists and turns of the Walk, brings our experiences, emotions, hopes and dreams, and reflections to life for both participants and non-participants alike. And, the accompanying book Asphalt Jesus , authored by core walker Rev. Eric Elnes, Ph.D., exposes the deeper meaning of the walk and the life altering impact it had on the people the walkers encountered.
CrossWalk America has learned many important lessons about faith in everyday life. If we want to share our beliefs with others and better understand how our faith informs our everyday living is important to be able to verbalize these beliefs in a concrete way. Unfortunately, this is something that many do not feel comfortable doing. Maybe they see the religion of their past not speaking to them today. Maybe they have been hurt by the words or actions of religion or witnessed the hurt of others. We also learned that it can be very invigorating and sometimes healing to have conversations with others about what matters to us. As we learn to branch out and dialogue with individuals outside our comfort zone, we realize that we can deepen our connection with our spiritual self as well as deepen our connection with others. With an openness to listen and a willing heart and mind we can build new bridges to each other and make this world a better place. We just need to take that first step…
More Information on CrossWalk America Joining Forces with TCPC
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