Want to register your middle schoolers or high schoolers for an experience with CROSS in Charlotte? Contact CROSS director, Erika Funk (efunk@myersparkpres.org) with your desired trip dates to discuss openings in the calendar. Then, complete a Group Registration Form provided by CROSS staff. Sending in your registration form and a deposit will reserve your group’s spot on the calendar. No registration is firm until we have received both your registration form and deposit.

For the Weekend program, a deposit of $50/person is due ASAP to hold your spot. Your remaining balance and final numbers are due 30 days before your trip.

For the Summer program, a deposit of $75 person is due ASAP to hold your spot. A second payment of $100/person is due by February 25th. Final numbers and the remaining balance are due 60 days before your trip

Many college groups are interested in learning more about specific social injustices. Through our network of ministry partners, we are able to tailor your group’s CROSS experience to your interests. (Topics may include: interfaith dialogue, affordable housing, sustainability and environmental justice, immigration, incarceration, LGBTQ+ education, and more!)

CROSS schedules service opportunities, provides breakfast for the group’s stay, and offers optional evening programming by local thinkers and activists. Unlike other programs, Alternative Break groups have the option to stay at our Cornerstone House which has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a laundry room, a large living room, and plenty of floor space for air mattresses.

During the summer of 1998, youth and adults from Myers Park Presbyterian Church went to Portland, Oregon on a mission trip to engage in urban ministry and service to the community. They returned inspired and convinced that MPPC could initiate a similar program in Charlotte, NC. With Session approval, the CROSS Missions program began in 1999 and grew steadily, becoming self-supporting in 2004.

Today, CROSS partners in ministry with over 40 nonprofit agencies all over Charlotte, and has hosted over 15,000 people from 270 churches, colleges, and schools in 19 states during the past 20 years.

CROSS is a ministry of Myers Park Presbyterian Church, which is located just a few miles from Uptown Charlotte, NC. The main campus of MPPC is located at 2501 Oxford Place, and the Outreach Center, which houses most CROSS programs, is located at 1073 Providence Road.

All ages! Most often we host middle school and high school youth. We include rising 6th graders through graduated seniors in the summer. We also host college groups and intergenerational groups.

CROSS partners with over 40 nonprofit agencies all over urban Charlotte. During your trip with CROSS, your group will connect with our ministry partners who are housing our homeless neighbors, equipping marginalized youth, providing dignity to the elderly, and giving hope to the incarcerated. Our hope is that your group will “cross over boundaries that divide us, cross out stereotypes that judge us, and share Christ’s love” as you connect with our partners and neighbors all over the city.

For a week-long mission trip with the summer City Serve program, your group will arrive on Sunday evening after dinner for welcome and orientation. On Monday-Thursday, your group will work with two ministry sites each day, with a break for lunch at a local park in between sites.

Each morning starts with breakfast, followed by worship and devotion, and every afternoon leaves time for your group to debrief with CROSS staff, discussing what your group learned and where your group saw God each day. Monday and Tuesday evenings, groups dive deeper into social justice issues during a staff-led program. Wednesday evenings are free evenings – your group may stay on campus, or leave MPPC for a few hours to explore Charlotte. On Thursday evening, your group will be invited to share what you have learned all week during a closing worship service. The week ends on Friday morning with a hot breakfast and a slideshow of photos taken during the week.

For a weekend mission trip with the Urban Plunge weekend program, your group will arrive on Friday evening for orientation. Saturday morning starts with breakfast and devotion before your group works with two ministry sites during the day, with a break for lunch in between sites. Your group will have the chance to debrief the day after returning in the afternoon. The rest of the evening is free time during which you may take advantage of the gym, game room, and space in the Outreach Center, and explore Charlotte, Groups may leave Saturday evening or stay for Sunday morning worship at MPPC or another local church. We also have resources if you wish to create your own worship service. 

For a college alternative break trip, CROSS can provide housing and hospitality, along with resources you might need to serve in Charlotte. CROSS can also arrange ministry sites for your group to connect and work with during your stay.

Most groups who attend CROSS for a weekend-long trip during the year or a week-long trip during the summer will sleep in the Outreach Center (OC) at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. The OC is located at 1073 Providence Road, across the street from the main campus of MPPC. Groups will share sleeping rooms with other youth groups that might be participating in CROSS at the same time. Each youth and adult participant will have access to a twin-sized mattress but needs to bring a sleeping bag or sheets, and a pillow. The Outreach Center also has locker rooms with showers that groups may use during their stay, as well as a large gym, game room and lobby, and kitchen. The OC has wifi access.

If your group is attending a weekend Urban Plunge program, CROSS will provide breakfast and lunch on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Continental breakfast includes cereal, bagels, granola bars, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, sausage, coffee, and milk. Groups will pack a bagged lunch before leaving for ministry sites on Saturday morning, which includes a sandwich, chips, fruit, carrots, and a cookie. Dinner is on your own. 

If your group is attending the summer City Serve program, CROSS will provide three meals a day from Monday-Thursday, with the exception of Wednesday evening, and a large breakfast on Friday morning. Continental breakfast every morning includes cereal, bagels, sausage, yogurt, granola bars, oatmeal, fruit coffee, and milk. Groups will pack a bagged lunch before leaving for ministry sites every morning, which includes a sandwich, chips, fruit, carrots, and a cookie. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, groups eat together on campus at MPPC, and dinner is prepared by the MPPC chef. Wednesday night is on your own and the week concludes with worship on Thursday night.

If your group is attending a college Alternative Break program, CROSS will provide items for one continental breakfast (listed above) so your first breakfast is ready for you when you arrive.

• Bible
• Personal medicine
• Work gloves
• Shorts 
• At least one pair of long pants (required for some ministry partners)
• Shirts with sleeves (no tank tops)
• Undergarments
• Sweater/jacket
• Shoes and socks (closed-toed shoes required for ministry sites)
• Toiletries and a towel
• Sleeping bag OR blanket and twin sheets, pillow
• Air mattress
• Lunch box or reusable bag
• Optional: earplugs, eye masks for sleeping
• DO NOT BRING: alcohol, nonprescription drugs, electronic or computer games, vaping devices, firecrackers, irreplaceable clothes/jewelry/electronics, lots of money

A complete packing list is included in the group planning kit.

According to the Child and Youth Protection Policy established by Myers Park Presbyterian Church’s Session in 2006, there must be at least one adult for every 6 youth present at CROSS. However, your group must have at least 2 adults in attendance, even if you only have 6 youth. There must be 1 adult of each gender if you have both boys and girls in attendance. Youth who have not yet completed 5th grade or are younger must each have a parent or adult come to fulfill a 1:1 adult to youth ratio. If there is a married couple or a couple that is related, they count as 1 adult on the trip. There must be 2 adults sleeping in the same room as the youth – if that is not possible, adults will sleep in a separate space from the youth. Non-binary youth and adults are welcome.

CROSS hires interns every summer to facilitate week-long urban mission trips, guiding youth groups as they serve in homeless shelters, food banks, children’s programs, and other agencies that support our neighbors all over the city. The internship program is open to those who have completed at least one year of college, or who are recent college graduates, and is ideal for anyone considering a career in vocational ministry, social work, education, nonprofit work, or other community service sectors. The internship application is typically available in November and due mid-January, and interviews are held in January and February. Contact Rev. Erika Funk at EFunk@myersparkpres.org if you have any questions or would like to receive an application.

For specific job descriptions and to apply, click here.