3 minute read
Crossover Bible Church
Restoring our community by making disciples while loving and serving our neighbors.
by Denise Lopez
As the Director of EveryDay Ministry, I often have the opportunity to talk about living on mission. Christ calls us to “go,” but everyone’s “go” looks different. Some Christ followers will “go” overseas, and some will “go” across the street. So, I should not have been surprised that God’s call to “go” for my husband, Carl, and I along, with our youngest daughter, would be to north Tulsa. But nothing could’ve been more of a surprise!
My friend, Holly, introduced me to Rondalyn Abode (Ronnie) in the spring of 2017. To know Ronnie is to love her, and I was instantly drawn to her outgoing personality and love for the Lord. Over the next several years we would keep in contact through an occasional text or even lunch. I knew of Crossover Community Impact, but I was completely unaware of all that God was doing through this non-profit. It wasn’t until a few years later when I interviewed Philip and Rondalyn for our podcast, Every day with Denise (their story is episode 25), that I fully understood that it all centered around a local church, Crossover Bible Church. And that resonated with my heart; I absolutely love the local church!
On the morning of Tuesday, May 26, the entire country woke up to the news that a gentleman named George Floyd had been killed. Racial strife was real, and the sin of divisiveness was coming to a head once again. I knew that I had friends on both sides of the issue. While I knew that neither side was 100% right, I also knew that I had brothers and sisters in Christ of color who were hurting. I knew nothing else to do but to go be with them. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:26 “... so if one member of the body suffers, all members suffer with it.” So, on Sunday, May 31st, we drove from our home in South Tulsa to our first Crossover Bible Church service at the North Mabee Boys and Girls Club. We were total strangers and in a completely unfamiliar setting, but we clearly sensed the presence of the Lord.
Pictured above: Denise with her youngest daughter, Austin, and husband, Carl. (middle) Denise with Rondalyn Abode. (right) Carl Lopez with the Pickard family at the Lopez’s new home.
Over the years I have learned that God calls us both to places and to causes to serve him. As the Lord begin to speak to our hearts about serving him in racial reconciliation, he began to make a few things clear. If we truly felt called to being peacemakers and building bridges then it would require that we be relationally intentional, somewhat uncomfortable, and sacrificially inconvenienced. Over the next few months, we would see this play out in our family. They were words to be obeyed and taken seriously and that obedience came with great rewards and blessings. While God was stirring our hearts to consider the cost, we had no idea of the growth and the joy it would bring to us to be a part of the Crossover family.
In every call of God to “go,” there is a simultaneous call to leave. In order to go to be a part of Crossover, we had to leave our Battle Creek Church home. The church where we belonged for 17 years, 10 of which I served on staff and absolutely loved my job!! But for everything we have left behind we have gained far more than we could have ever expected. In my wildest imagination I never thought that I would call north Tulsa home. But here we are, and we could not love it more! We are so grateful to be a part of what God is doing in north Tulsa! We are thankful to be able to strive to live out the mission statement of our church: Restoring our community by making disciples while loving and serving our neighbors.
Denise Lopez is the Director of EveryDay Ministry, the former Women’s Ministry Director for BattleCreek Church, and the fragrance of Christ to this world. She and her husband, Carl, have been married for 28 years, and they have four amazing adult children. They are eagerly anticipating their first grandchild, and they see opportunities to love, celebrate, and serve others in ways that makes a tangible difference daily.
