Join Crossnore Presbyterian Church in working to abolish medical debt from Mitchell County, Avery County, Burke County, and McDowell County in North Carolina!
History of Crossnore Presbyterian Church
In the early 1900s, a husband-and-wife team of doctors—Dr. Mary Martin and Dr. Eustace Sloop—moved to the Carolina high country to provide medical care to mountain families. “We were both tough as pine knots,” wrote Mary of their arrival, “and we could take a lot of licks.” The Sloops were prominent members of the congregation which, in 1918, officially became Crossnore Presbyterian Church. The stone church building, completed in 1926, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its folk-arts Craftsman style.
In addition to their thriving medical practice, the Sloops founded a highland craft center, distributed books, clothing, and supplies, fought against child marriage, connected farmers to the national crop market, and brought hydroelectric power to Crossnore. Dr. Mary Sloop’s greatest mission, however, was to improve the community’s schools. She had fought her own battles to earn a degree at a time when women were often considered unfit to practice medicine. The Sloops’ efforts culminated in The Crossnore School, a boarding school that continues today as Crossnore Communities for Children.
Church Outreach Programs
For over 100 years, Crossnore Presbyterian has continued the Sloops’ mission to support mountain communities. Today, the church partners with Appalachian and global organizations to give housing, food, fuel, educational opportunities, hygiene products, warm clothes, and healthcare to people who need them. The church provides funding and/or volunteers to 17 local nonprofits such as Feeding Avery Families, which provides over 400,000 meals annually, and WAMY Community Action, which helps people cover childcare, housing, home repair, and winter fuel costs. The church supports education abroad through a scholarship program with El Libano Presbyterian Church in Guatemala and supports local education through programs like The Crossnore Presbyterian Church Children’s Fund, an endowment to benefit Crossnore Elementary School. In addition, the church building serves as a meeting place and community center for nonprofits, support groups, crafts, lectures, concerts, and other events.
