Have you ever questioned the meaning of life? Have you ever asked yourself what your purpose in life is? I know I have, I also know there is no simple answer to these questions. Luckily, we are not alone. Crossroad Connections provides a safe place where people can discuss these kinds of questions with others who are also questioning these topics.
You might be wondering: what is Crossroad Connections? Well, Crossroad Connections is a new club here at Alisal, organized by a group of Christian students who have also battled with these types of questions. Sophomore and club president, Kevin Rizo, along with seniors Jorge Aguilar and Leslie Perez, saw the need for a space where people could discuss their thoughts on the meaning of life and at the same time use faith to battle these ideas. “We believe that we have a calling from God to spread the word [of God] around the school and decided to open up a bible club basically,” Rizo said.
Before the club was started, the founders of the club would eat lunch in government teacher Ruben Pizarro’s class where they would discuss ideas regarding their beliefs with themselves. “We felt more comfortable with him [Pizarro], we’ve built a bond with him,” Rizo said.
They later brought up the idea of starting a club relating to these discussions to Pizarro. “We always wanted to start a club, it was really hard for us to start and I guess we were also scared of the outcome of it, of what would be the future with it, but now that we started it we’ve seen good results,” Perez said. Pizarro gave his support to these students by providing them with a classroom and being their teacher advisor for the club. “I became the adviser for the Christian club to ensure students have a welcoming place where they feel a strong sense of belonging and can explore their questions, doubts, and faith together,” Pizarro said.
The club meets every Thursday during lunch in Pizarro’s classroom and they provide free pizza to those who show up. “Me and my friends were curious because of the way it was advertised on the announcements, they mentioned finding a purpose in your life and we were interested, but I’m going to be honest, the food was also a factor,” junior Marisol Botello said. The atmosphere is inviting and welcoming, the meetings are opened through a prayer, done either by the president of the club or the other founders. After the prayer, the club officers begin their teaching or play videos relating to a God-centered life. After the lesson or video, the group discusses what they talked about or share it with each other. “We plan ahead, we either give a lesson like a teaching or show videos, but we mostly like giving a teaching to the people because I feel like that’s a better method for people to learn about God,” Perez said. When I attended a meeting, Aguilar gave a teaching based on the book of Job. He read some of it and summarized its message to the club.
As a believer, it brings me joy to see a group of people my age uniting to spread the word of God, and although Crossroad Connections is a young club, they have strong goals for its future. “It’s my last year here, my goal for the future of the club is that it keeps going, I’ve been seeing more people show up and my heart is grateful because we have a community of people that want to know about God, “ Aguilar said.
Even though two of the founders, Perez and Aguilar, graduate this year, president of the club Kevin Rizo has plans to keep the club alive. “I want to attract more people to the club. I’m not letting it die, I believe that’s my job because I’m still going to be here for two more years,” Rizo said. “To fundraise in the future, we want to have merchandise, have our logo on some shirts,” he said.
After attending a few meetings, I can say that Crossroad Connections is unique from any club in Alisal. In life you will be faced with questions that you might not know the answers to, or might have answers that make no sense, and that’s why a community like Crossroad Connections can serve as a great tool. It is a space that encourages you to think in new ways, a space where you can challenge your mind, and most importantly a space that encourages faith. “I was already a Chirstian so I thought joining would help me get closer to God,” sophomore Jacqueline Garcia said. Garcia has been attending club meetings consistently and even encouraged her own friends to join. “My experience [with the club] has been really good, it’s helped open my eyes more, I am able to see different perspectives.”
