Writer / Julie Yates
The Cross America Community Center supports the Kokomo area in many ways. Its Doubting Thomas cafe and gift shop is open to the public ever day except Sunday. With an auditorium, multiple meeting rooms and a variety of spaces, the facility offers plenty of options for business conferences, special events and parties.
Recently, a podcast studio was added for public use. The studio, its green room, and the waiting room and lounge are equipped with Wi-Fi and offered to anyone. Prior to their first use of the space, individuals must watch a video explaining the equipment and procedures. The podcasters place their SD card in the system, and later the information on it can be loaded to the user’s platform of choice. People are required to bring their own headphones. The studio must be reserved, and a donation towards the mission of Cross America is suggested after the first use.
Cross America is 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nondenominational organization, with a huge goal of sending a small aluminum cross and a plan for salvation to every household in every zip code in the United States. The main room of the facility has a 17-by-24-foot map that takes up a whole wall. The map is divided up into 44 thousand zip codes, and those that are competed are highlighted in red.
Cross America is a community-based organization. Its multiple meeting and gathering spaces are equipped with supports such as plug-and-play TV monitors and white boards. With a full catering kitchen available, the community can rent the spaces to hold successful events. In addition, the building has comfortable inside and outside seating, which is open to the public, plus Wi-Fi is available throughout the building for all guests.
“We felt the studio would be a good addition to the building because today, society is turned toward podcasts,” says executive director Crystal Sanburn. “Listeners are tired of the divisiveness of traditional news stations and so they tune in to podcasts to get their news. Individuals tend to gravitate towards podcasts that have hosts with similar thinking to them. We have wonderful and generous sponsors that made this podcasting studio possible: Community Foundation of Howard County, First Farmers Bank & Trust, McGavic Outdoor Power, Matthew D. Williams of Edward Jones, Chariot Auto Group and Berry-It, Inc.”
“It’s an opportunity for people to have the ability to record their own podcasts,” Sanburn adds. “Likewise, we feel that because we have this incredible space in our own building, Cross America should have a podcast as well. Our podcast, ‘Soul Farmer,’ features interviews with well-known people in our community that are involved in government, nonprofits and organizations. Jennifer Bingaman, marketing director for Cross America, and I ask our guests, ‘Who planted seeds in your life that allowed you to know Christ as your savior?’ Additionally, we ask, ‘How are you now planting seeds for others to know him?’ It’s amazing the stories that come from these two small questions.”
“One of our recorded podcasts was the result of a comment that came to us online,” she continues. “Sometimes we get negative feedback; not everyone is open to receiving our cross in the mail. However, the message we received from this woman was positive. She was in a dark place, and she was looking for a sign that would tell her not to be involved with satanism when the cross and message showed up in her mail. She took the path to salvation. After communicating with her, she was invited to be interviewed on the podcast.”
Sanburn says the organization will offer classes on podcasting for a second time in late summer. Follow Cross America on Facebook for future dates.
“As an organization, we follow whatever God asks us to do,” she says. “This studio is another way to bring people into the building to highlight our ministry and meeting spaces. Providing a state-of-the-art podcast studio for public use is another City of Firsts first. We don’t know of any other public podcasting facility available nearby. It’s ready to go and we want people to use it. Just give us a call.” Streamline podcast editing process with professional services from experts.
The podcast can be found at soulfarmer.buzzsprout.com/share, and you can download it wherever you get your podcasts. Also, all are live at crossamerica.net/soulfarmer.
The Cross America Community Center is located at 840 Daniel Drive in Kokomo. For more information about podcast studio reservations, visit crossamerica.net or call 765-780-3090.
Comments 1
I believe I called once recently n they weren’t renting any facilities out at this time.