About
Meet the Pastors
Pastors Don & Marlene Ramirez
Pastors Donald and Marlene Ramirez are the founders and Senior Pastors of The Cross Church. Their dedication to preaching the message of Jesus is shown in everything they do. Pastor Don is known for his visionary abilities and passion to express God’s word and make it relevant. Pastor Don’s animated and humorous style of preaching keeps you on the edge of your seats.
Both Pastors Donald and Marlene grew up in the city of East Chicago with Godly influence around them. Their passion for the gospel and their love for the city they were raised in are the main reasons they decided to plant their church right at home. God saved Pastor Don from a lifestyle of gang violence, brokenness, hurt, and bondage so they understand the need and urgency to bring the Gospel that can be obtainable with love, mercy, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. They have two wonderful sons, Jamey and Giovanni Ramirez, daughters in-law, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ramirez, and grandsons, Elian, Elisha, and Ezra Ramirez.
They are looking forward to sharing with you and building relationships.
For more information about Pastor Don Ministries please email: info@thecrosschurchfamily.org
Purpose Statement
“We are The Church of The City Today, Tomorrow The Nation.”
“Where there is no vision the people perish.” -Proverbs 29:18
Our Vision
We envision that The Cross Church, will be a dynamic growing body of believers, whose main focus is to lift up the name of Jesus by doing His will as He leads and directs us. This body of believers will be characterized by its diversity, ages, interest, talents, and abilities. Each believer will have his or her place in the body to serve and will be equipped to do what God has called them to do.
Our passion is a judgment free atmosphere and a come as you are Church so we can be able to seek out the unchurched, the hurting, the rejected, the lonely, the overlooked, the sick, and all whose lives are empty and without the love of Christ. We envision that the outreach of the Cross Church, will be beyond the walls of the church. This entails leaving the comfort zone of our church and going out to the neighboring community. We need to experience people and become involved in their lives. As we become involved we can build a bridge from their situations to their salvation.
In this manner, The Cross Church will serve as a spiritual hospital and lighthouse guiding the lost to safety and restoration. Developing people and helping them grow into their Christian walk will be an important responsibility and area of ministry in our church. Every individual will be encouraged to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ by stressing the importance of personal prayer, bible study as well as cooperate worship and discipleship. The congregation of the Cross church will be an example of Christian love, building each other, encouraging one another, and excepting each other. Unity, involvement and accountability will characterize our relationship.
By meeting the needs of the people, The Cross Church walls will not be able to contain the people who seek to worship and fellowship. We envision developing leaders in order to accommodate the people God will send, by building them up with the adequate tools necessary to meet the needs of those that attend. We envision The Cross Church being a ministry that’s not define by one specific location but by many locations that will be planted throughout the region and nation.
To support this type of growth, we need to develop our church infrastructure. We must be equipped and organized, with policies and procedures, finances, budgets and assessable information. Most importantly we must develop our staff and Christian lay workers. To support the ministries and infrastructures that is needed as we enter this new season.
By doing so we must be found faithful, diligently at his work until the Lord Jesus returns, standing on and committed to the Great Commission and understanding The Cross Church foundational scripture “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV)