September 12, 2009
Seeking salvation in a strip mall
by Will Hobson
The News Herald
PANAMA CITY -- A stack of yellow koozies sat on a table near the entrance to the office. The foam drink-temperature protectors bore the black logo "CROSSBRIDGE," with a cross inside the O; "The church with free koozies" was written in italics underneath.
A semicircle of chairs and couches faced a full set-up for a band. A shaggy-haired twenty-something guy sat in the corner quietly playing an acoustic guitar while about 20 people waited for the service to begin. A few minutes after 10 a.m. Dave Lloyd, Crossbridge's 44-year-old pastor, walked to the middle of the room and said, "Let's pray."
After a short prayer Lloyd, in cargo shorts, sandals, and a loose, buttoned shirt, strapped on a bass guitar. The shaggy-haired guitarist joined him, along with the rest of the band, and they kicked into their 30-minute set.
Crossbridge is a non-denominational Christian church. Lloyd answers to no higher power structure, save for God (and possibly Lloyd's wife, Ev).
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