New Church Organization President Discusses Future

The new president of a Seymour church organization has big plans for the future.
Dottie Sollman was recently named the new president of C.R.O.S.S. (Christians Reaching Out Serving Seymour). C.R.O.S.S., Inc. is a non-profit Corporation established by local churches in the Seymour area and is operated solely by volunteers who serve every aspect of the operations. Financial support is provided by sponsoring churches, community fundraisers, local businesses, and donations from individuals.
The organization is a local food ministry serving the Seymour Community for over 23 years meeting the needs of those less fortunate by providing help with food boxes and finding alternate resources. When funds are available, C.R.O.S.S. also helps with fuel, utilities, emergency auto repair, and limited medications.
At a recent “Appreciation Luncheon" for all of the Seymour churches, Sollman laid out her plans for C.R.O.S.S.’s future.
She hopes to bring a new level of spirituality to the food ministry organization’s good deeds and spoke about what C.R.O.S.S.’s mission in the future should detail at a luncheon that was held on Tuesday.
“My daily bible reading for this week is from Leviticus where God told Moses and Aaron what animals the Israelites were to offer as sacrifices for the atonement of their sins,” she said. “Even though I have read these scriptures several times, I noticed for the first time that God acknowledged that there would be poor.
“By making exceptions for lesser offerings of a pair of doves or two young pigeons for those that could not afford the more costly sacrifice of a year old lamb. This alternate offering allowed even the poor to live up to their duty to God.”
She added that she believes that God wants Seymour to set an example for the rest of the world.
“Acts 4:32-35 teaches us how Jesus wants us to pool and share our resources,” she said. “That is exactly what C.R.O.S.S. enables us to do.”
Sollman gets calls almost daily from people in the community wanting to volunteer in any way they can. And C.R.O.S.S. is currently forming a committee of qualified individuals from Seymour churches who want to develop and implement evangelism and mentoring programs to offer the organization’s clients.
“By pooling our resources, the possibilities for Seymour, Tennessee are endless,” she said.
She added she needed the community’s commitment and support to implement any of her fledgling programs at C.R.O.S.S.
“I think that God wants to change Seymour,” Sollman said. “I am just a vessel that God is using for a wakeup call.
“For 23 years we have been feeding the need physically, but we failed miserably at feeding the people spiritually.”
“We need to be evangelizing right here in Seymour Tennessee,” she said. “You would be shocked at the number of clients who don’t even go to church, but they are there faithfully every two weeks to get their box of food.”
“The more churches we have utilizing CROSS as a funnel to minister physically and spiritually to the needy, the more effective we will become in what God taught us to do in Leviticus. Let’s get back to the church of Acts. This system of administering to the needy is a phenomenal approach,” she said.
C.R.O.S.S. members invite residents to donate groceries, money, goods and their time and talent to help those who are less fortunate. Residents can donate individually or sponsor a drive in their neighborhood, at work or through their organization or church.
The organization also needs help daily packing food boxes and serving clients, and after each food drive, they need help sorting and stocking food. They also need help sorting, cleaning and pricing donations for their annual Rummage Sale and Auction on an as-needed basis.
Items needed most for food boxes are canned meat, canned beef stew or chili, peanut butter, breakfast cereal, canned spaghetti sauce, canned pasta meals, canned fruit, canned potatoes, canned tomatoes and toilet paper. Please, no glass containers.
For more information about C.R.O.S.S. email crossfoodministry@charter.net or call 579-6192 during office hours.
Donations of food or goods can be delivered to CROSS at 406 Boyds Creek Hwy. and contributions of money can be mailed to CROSS, P.O. Box 186, Seymour TN 37865.