Former Kennewick teacher follows higher calling

By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer

KENNEWICK -- When Josh Pasma said goodbye to his students at Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick last month, it was for more than summer break.

The math and history teacher quit his job of six years to take on another teaching role full-time: pastor.

Crossview Community, the church he launched in 2007, has grown so much that Pasma barely had a free minute between his commitments to the classroom and to his congregation. Now the 1998 graduate of Kennewick High School is giving Crossview all he's got.

The church traces its roots back to a Bible study that Pasma started in the living room of his home. The small group grew and eventually became Crossview.

The church now has about 130 members, most of them under age 35. It has youthful energy to match the demographics.

People show up to service in jeans and T-shirts and often get together during the week for Frisbee in the park, game nights and pizza. Those who miss the weekly Saturday night worship service can catch Pasma's passionate preaching on the church's website. Crossview also maintains a blog.

"Church doesn't have to be people trying to stay awake in the pews," said Associate Pastor Joel Baker. It can also be a fun place to build relationships and a sense of community, he said.

For Crossview members, much of that happens during the week at each other's homes. The church has 11 small groups that meet regularly. Pasma and his wife, Laura, host one in their home on Tuesdays. There's singing, Bible study and time for people to share what's going on in their lives.

"We're striving for a place where people feel really connected," Laura said.

The small group model isn't a new innovation but something that comes straight from the Bible, Crossview leaders said.

"Jesus didn't just sit there and preach sermons to people and end it with that. He built relationships with people," said Chris Littrell, the church's youth pastor. "(He) sat there and would teach about tangible life experiences. That's our goal."

The church, which leaders describe as Bible-based and non-denominational, also encourages members to become involved in the community through volunteering.

The idea is to engage and equip people and to evangelize, Pasma said.

Crossview meets at 6 p.m. Saturdays at Kennewick Baptist Church, 2425 W. Albany Ave. A Sunday morning service is being added in Richland starting Sept. 13. It'll be at 10 a.m. at Chief Joseph Middle School, 504 Wilson.

Crossview doesn't yet have its own building, but that's part of Pasma's vision for the future.

For now, the church will keep working and growing, said the young pastor, who has taken seminary courses and plans to complete a master of divinity degree. He'll teach part-time next school year in Kennewick School District's Mid-Columbia Parent Partnership program.

The idea is for the church to be "more than an event or a building, a man or a tradition," Pasma said. "It (should be) a people of influence. Influence for Jesus Christ."

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Monday, Jul. 06, 2009

Former Kennewick teacher follows higher calling

By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer