It is an avenue lined with a lush green carpet of lawn and verdant trees, and it slants gently uphill. At the top of the hill is a building, and at the very top of that building is a cross.

That cross has seen a lot of history unfold over the years. The building underneath it is the headquarters today for PRAISE 106.5 and CRISTA Ministries. But when it was built in 1911, it was the Firland Tuberculosis Sanatorium. After World War II, in 1949, Mike and Vivian Martin leased and renovated the old, abandoned Sanatorium to start a youth home and retirement community, serving people with the love of Jesus.

Now you might think that they put the cross up on the building back then, when it was dedicated to Christian ministry, but that’s not how it happened. It actually wasn’t put there by Mike and Vivian. It wasn’t put there during World War I, the Great Depression, or World War II … the cross had always been there … from the beginning. And It’s still there today. God knew the cross belonged on the building, just like God knew that decades of work for His Kingdom would begin on that Holy Ground.

At CRISTA Ministries, throughout 2024 we’re celebrating 75 years of God’s faithfulness. And we want to thank YOU for being part of our journey – and part of our family. You can learn more about CRISTA Ministries and hear more faith building stories from the past 75 years by texting the word FAITH to 866-729-1065.