La Croix birthday

It began in a movie theater in the mall.

Now, La Croix Church is one of the largest churches in the Cape Girardeau area. The church has a membership of 1,738 and an average weekly attendance of about 2,200.

Today, in the second installment of its "One Event, Two Days," the church will celebrate its 25th birthday. Instead of having three services for the congregation, the church will have one at the Show Me Center on Sunday evening.

The keynote speaker will be Bill Hybels, the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church and chairman of the board for Willow Creek Association. He has spoken several times at La Croix, though never in person.

Hybels organized the Global Leadership Summit in 1995, which has grown into an international speaker summit broadcast in more than 500 cities and 90 countries annually; La Croix has been a host site for many years. Hybels' message is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, about 600 La Croix members helped with 70 construction, beautification or service projects throughout the community.

The church's outreach and ministry to Cape Girardeau and beyond is inspirational.

Congratulations to the membership, and particularly to founding pastor Ron Watts, for 25 years. Thank you for sharing your love, faith and service with the community.