3 minute read
Crossover Preparatory Academy
Pictured above: Mr. Holman and the other Crossover Men after the first Manhood Hike
We are committed to developing educated, godly young people who love north Tulsa.
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by Avarice Holman
Pictured above: Mr. Holman with his wife, Elizabeth.
Tulsa is not my hometown, but I have lived here for my entire adult life. “Do you ever plan to move back home?” is a question people have been asking me since 2014. My wife and I have no relatives in the Tulsa area. Most of our family lives in Maryland and New York. So, you can probably imagine why this question has been such a popular one. For several years, my response to that question was the same: “We’ll be here until the Lord tells us otherwise.” Before we get too deep into this story, allow me to introduce myself...
My name is Avarice Holman, Jr. and I am so grateful to be a part of the Crossover family. My wife and I were officially introduced to Crossover in July 2017. We were attending Kids Across America during the same week a group from Crossover was attending. Jeremy Williams, the StreetLeader Coordinator, introduced himself and was eager to share with us the IMPACT Crossover was making in the community. We loved all that we heard, but it would be another 2 years before we hopped on the Crossover bus to join in on the work God was doing here.
My wife and I joined Crossover Bible Church in April 2019, and I joined the staff of Crossover Preparatory Academy four months later. I had recently entered a season of transition in my life, and I wasn’t quite sure where God was leading me. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about the job offer initially because working at a school had never been on my radar. After much deliberation, there were still some uncertainties in my mind, but I hoped that God would be able to use me in some way at Crossover Prep to make an IMPACT in the lives of young men for His glory.
In my current role as Dean of Students, one of the things that I have learned is that it is impossible for me to IMPACT a student’s behavior on my own. A student’s behavior will only be changed if his heart has been transformed by God. One young man, for example, had an apathetic attitude which affected his academic performance and behavior. Even after numerous conversations and interventions with me and other staff members, things seemed to get worse. Recently, this young man expressed to us that things have changed and he is ready to move forward with a new attitude and focus. God is, indeed, using our hard conversations and behavioral interventions. More than that, we are trusting Him to do the deep work that only He can do. This is why praying for and with our students and pointing them to the message of the Gospel is critical in our work.
Pictured Above: Mr. Holman speaking at Convocation. Pictured below: Mr. Holman with Dr. Lepine returning from the Manhood hike.
As I look back on the last few years of my journey with Crossover, I come back to the question I started with: “Do you ever plan to move back home?” For several years, Tulsa has been my “home away from home”. For a long time, I have felt a sense of community that has helped ease the pain of being 1,800+ miles away from home. But Crossover has become more than just “community” to me. Crossover is family. So, today, when people ask, “Do you ever plan to move back home?” my answer is, “We are home.”
Avarice Holman, Jr. is the Dean of Students at Crossover Prep, and he also helps to lead worship at the school and Crossover Bible Church. He is a gifted musician and communicator, but he is most recognized for his ability to love others well. He has been married to his amazing and beautiful wife, Elizabeth, for 7 years. Together they have been creating a healthy foundation of trusting God for young people in north Tulsa for years, and they are beginning to see the fruit of their labor.
If you would like to learn more about Crossover Prep Academy, please go to http://crossoverprep.org.
