Medical Ministry
Having served in Alaska for nearly 80 years, we’ve been privileged to see God do some amazing things! One such story is Cross Road Medical Center in Glennallen, Alaska. They will be celebrating 60 years of Health and Hope this June. I want to share their story with you. It is a story of how God took the prayers and faithful service of one man and built a thriving ministry.
Cross Road Medical Center began as Faith Hospital in 1956, a medical ministry of Central Alaskan Mission (CAM), now known as SEND North. CAM's first missionaries, Rev. Vincent Joy and his wife Becky, arrived in the Copper River Basin in 1937 to begin the mission's church planting work.
In the early years of his work in the Copper River Basin, Rev. Joy was regularly called upon to give medical care to those in the Copper River Basin, since the nearest doctor was 120 miles away over a rugged mountain trail. Lacking equipment and training, Rev. Joy urged his supporting friends and churches to join him in prayer for a doctor to assist in this ministry. In 1950, these prayers were answered as the first doctor, Dr. Chet Schneider, arrived. Dr. Schneider started his practice working out of Becky Joy’s kitchen. In 1951, Dr. Schneider used a trailer for his office and in 1952, he moved his practice into a small framed shack. A small cabin was finally used as the last office space before the hospital was completed. A second doctor, Dr. Jim Pinneo, joined the medical team in 1954 and Faith Hospital in Glennallen was dedicated in 1956, a modest but adequate hospital building.
The doctors often made home visits, sometimes traveling over rough roads in frigid temperatures to help patients. Nurses also helped with patients. Nurses Lillian Scott (who came with the Joys and moved away before Faith Hospital opened), Mary Schultz, Ruth Ott, Beverly Grubb, and Mary Coryell were the earliest nurses.
In the 1980's Faith Hospital was voluntarily deregulated as a hospital due to the pressure of increasingly costly regulatory requirements. On July 1, 1988 the organization was incorporated as a not-for-profit Christian corporation governed under the direction of its own Board of Directors
, apart from SEND, and renamed Cross Road Medical Center.
Cross Road Medical Center opened North Country Clinic in 2002 on the shores of Grizzly Lake to serve the needs of patients living on the Tok Cut-off. On March 1, 2014 The Interior Alaska Medical Clinic
was officially opened. They provide services to the City of Delta Junction
, approximately 150 miles north of Glennallen. CRMC hopes to add desired pharmacy services there in the future as funds become available.
Faith Hospital/Cross Road Medical Center has seen many changes over the years. It has expanded from a prayer to a viable organization of health services covering a service area about the size of the state of Illinois. Rural Alaska is still quite remote compared to most parts of the country, and has roughly 10,000 residents. Rural medicine continues to pose extra challenges for those trying to meet needs. Yet, in spite of sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and still coveting the prayers of many, Cross Road has been blessed to be able to continue to impact lives in the South Central Interior of Alaska, bringing health and hope.
To learn more about CRMC go to their website; www.crossroadmc.org
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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