IMPACT Magazine Summer Edition '19

Page 14

Restoring our community by making disciples while loving and serving our neighbors.

Crossover Bible Church by Chasten Hendricks

I

t’s amazing how one simple thought can change the entire trajectory of your life. For me, that happened in 2010 when I casually thought, “I want to find a church in north Tulsa.” At the time, I was working as a 6th grade teacher at Gilcrease Middle School and my wife, Janet, was an intern at the North Mabee Boys & Girls Club. Both of us were working in north Tulsa but the rest of our lives, including where we attended church, was outside of the community. Though I didn’t have words for it at the time, burning within my heart was a desire to integrate our lives with the community that we were serving.   Well, that desire became a reality with one simple online search. With a few clicks, we came across Crossover Bible Church, and after listening to a few of Pastor Philip’s messages, we were intrigued enough to visit. One visit led to another and since that point, our lives have never been the same. Though so many exciting moments have taken place in recent years, our first few years at Crossover vividly stand out to me most. That time resonates with me because during those years, I experienced several “firsts” in my walk with the Lord. In those years, I saw for the first time

what it looked like to be faithful in the midst of suffering (Shout out to Pastor P & Rondalyn Abode). I also experienced for the first time what one-on-one discipleship looked like in action (Shout out to Demarco Taylor). And of course, I became a part of a church, for the first time, that dreamed of reaching its community in a wholistic fashion (Shout out to the Crossover family).  As one can imagine, it’s been particularly exciting to see how Crossover has evolved since 2010. I literally remember when all of the current entities of Crossover were just a vision on a slideshow presentation. Now, many of those slideshow dreams are tangible realities. Since those small vision meetings in 2010, God has orchestrated the creation of an after-school program lead by high schoolers, a clinic, development company, school and much more.  At the heart of all of those endeavors is a deep belief that “God does the heavy lifting.” It’s a core value that I know flows through the veins of all that we do at Crossover. From budget goals to the placement of the right people on our team, we deeply believe that God is able to do what we can’t do. This glorious Gospel truth informs all that we put our hands to.

Crossover Community Impact

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