MIAMI TOWNSHIP — A store in the Dayton Mall has sat empty for seven years, now it’s filled with something more.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30 p.m., the Crossroads Church held a ribbon cutting for their new location in the Dayton Mall this morning.
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When you think of the Dayton Mall, chances are you think of JCPenney, Dick’s Sporting Goods and now a Church.
“The mall is a new, interesting twist,” Brian Tome, the Senior Pastor at Crossroads Church, said.
Tome founded the first location in 1996, and they have grown from there.
“We feel like there’s things that are here in Dayton that we can uniquely contribute to,” Tome said. “And there’s an energy in Dayton. There’s an expectancy in Dayton. There’s a kind of person who lives in Dayton that we really resonate with.”
The former Sears building has been completely renovated. There are meeting rooms, a kids’ space, and an auditorium for more than 1500 people now fill a space that’s sat vacant since 2018.
“To be able to take a facility that was an old big box store and be able to turn it into what they’ve turned it into is just fantastic,” Miami Township Trustee Doug Barry said.
Barry said that filling spaces like the former Sears can be difficult, but he feels Crossroads Church can make an impact on the community.
“I think this will be a catalyst that will help this area, this area’s redevelopment kick start,” Barry said.
Barry told News Center 7’s Xavier Hershovitz that he hopes this inspires other organizations to think outside the box.
“I think what it shows is that if you’re willing to take a risk, and you’re passionate about what you do, and you have a good plan that you can be successful,” Barry said.
For Tome, their plan is simple: Be a space for the community and in the community.
“You can be a Christian, you can atheist, you can be a Muslim, you can be an agnostic, just anybody who is spiritually curious and wants to get to a new place and have a connection. We’re open for that,” Tome said.
The Crossroads Church will hold its first service on Easter Sunday.
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