TRUCKVILLE, Pa., (BRN) – Two and a half years ago, Pastor Josh Coldren moved from Lynchburg, Virginia, to fill the pulpit at Cross Creek Community Church in Trucksville, Pennsylvania, following the retirement of the church’s former pastor.
On May 1, God dropped another ministry opportunity into Coldren’s hands as he officially became the Baptist Resource Network’s (BRN) Northern Central Regional Consultant.
Taking over for former BRN Church Health Consultant, Corey Mitchell, Coldren will be caring for churches in the northern central region of Pennsylvania.
Soon to be familiar with much more of Pennsylvania, Coldren’s journey to the Keystone State all started when he was in college. His then mentor was mutual friends with the pastor, at the time, of Cross Creek Community Church, someone Coldren’s mentor would often encourage him to contact.
“It was right before COVID in January, I just felt like God said to me, ‘Hey, you need to reach out to that pastor in Wilkes-Barre.’ And that’s where God lead me in this whole journey in bringing me here to this area,” said Coldren.
Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, Coldren and his wife, Nicole, were living in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he was serving as a campus pastor for Thomas Road Baptist Church.
Despite a somewhat “chaotic” transition, the Coldrens trusted what God was calling them to in Pennsylvania.
“I moved in November [and] she (Nicole) was going to move in January – she was a principal down in Virginia – and they actually asked, well, more like voluntold, that she was going to have to stay until July 1, when her contract was up. So, I was here from November to July until she was able to move here,” explained Coldren.
Faithful to the mission, the Coldrens made it work and, now, serve alongside each other every Sunday as Nicole leads worship at Cross Creek.
Glancing into the future of Cross Creek, Coldren hopes to cultivate a culture of prayer and a community that strives to minister beyond the walls of their church building.
“There are two aspects: It’s always making sure that we, as a church, have a culture of prayer within Cross Creek, and then also stepping out into our community; moving outside of the walls of the physical building that we have,” said Coldren.
Under the direction of Coldren, Cross Creek has initiated this desired outreach mentality by inviting community members to church, crafting next step plans for those who come to Christ or desire discipleship and blessing those in their community that get overlooked, such as school bus drivers.
As God blesses the next steps taking place at Cross Creek, the BRN is hopeful that God will also bless the next steps Coldren takes as a church health consultant to minister to churches in the northern central region.
Ways to Pray for Pastor Josh Coldren:
- Pray that God will give him wisdom in leading Cross Creek, while also caring for other churches in the northern central PA region
- Pray for Pastor Coldren as he takes on the necessary responsibilities and skills to be a church health consultant
- Pray for Pastor Coldren as he builds new relationships with fellow BRN pastors and churches
- Pray for Pastor Coldren and his wife, Nicole, as they continue to minister to Cross Creek and the Truckville community
