IMPACT Magazine Capital Campaign Edition 2021

IMPACT Spring/Summer 2021

Crossover Community Impact Magazine

Restoring Our Community

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN EDITION

I M PA C T

Volume 5, Edition 8 2021 Spring/Summer Edition

EDITOR Rondalyn Abode, Director of Development

ART/DESIGN Janice Roberson Connolly, MBA Director of Marketing & Design

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PHILIP ABODE MICHELLE BARNETT JEAN BARRETT JOHN HOLLIDAY, JR REBECCA MARKS-JIMERSON ROBERT MARSHALL DON MILLICAN SAM RADER CHRIS THRUTCHLEY ANGIE WALKER O.C. WALKER DR. LAUREL WILLISTON

ABOUT US IMPACT is published two times a year: Winter and Summer.

Crossover Community Impact 940 East 36th Street North Tulsa, OK 74106 (918) 856-5377 www.crossoverimpact.org info@crossoverimpact.org

During our last staff Christmas Party (we skipped one from COVID like everyone else), I read some of my “January 2014 To Do List”. Some of the things on my list were sobering because I see they were not in God’s plans. Others shocked me, because I didn’t realize how long we’d been working on some things. Our urban ministry and discipleship internship program that we just started this last year is an example. Other things happened in a time and way that were completely unexpected, and ultimately, even though we need to be faithful and dream big and pour ourselves out in the work God has given us, he is the one that determines the what and when! I shared this with all our staff because I wanted them to join me in praising God for the great things He has done in Crossover Community Impact’s short 10 years of existence.

Many of you reading this have walked with us and partnered with us this entire time. Some of you have more recently jumped in to help us in this work. We still have folks tell us in meetings all the time that they are just now hearing about the work of Crossover. But man, things are growing! We now have 75 employees, and we are witnesses to the truth that God does the heavy lifting! This issue of our magazine illustrates God’s continued blessing through the stories of more members of the Crossover family as it grows!

And speaking of growing! You probably noticed the Capital Campaign Brochure for the Crossover Community Center that came along with this magazine. We’ve been dreaming and working for a long time to see this central hub for our work in north Tulsa become a reality. And now we are so close! We have had incredible generosity from initial donors to the campaign, and we are so excited to announce that we have a “Back to School Challenge Grant” for $1 Million from a huge advocate of Crossover to help us close the gap! So, we are officially kicking off the public phase of the Crossover Community Center Capital Campaign, and we need as many of our partners to join in as possible. We need to raise $1 million by August 12th. Please consider making a commitment to help us and please spread the word!

Grateful for you,

FOLLOW US FACEBOOK facebook.com/crossoverimpact INSTAGRAM instagram.com/crossover communityimpact TWITTER twitter.com/crossoverimpact

Justin Pickard Executive Director Crossover Community Impact

Are you up for a Challenge?

We need to raise T

$1 Million G R AN

by August 12, 2021! $1 Million

What’s Inside $623,750

Features 4. Crossover Community Center 6. Crossover Community Impact 8. Crossover Preparatory Academy 10. Crossover Kids Program 12. StreetLeader Program 14. Crossover Bible Church 16.

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Crossover Development Company Crossover Health Services Capital Campaign

22. IMPACT Report Cover Photo: Painting of the Crossover Community Center

We are pleased to announce that an anonymous donor really wants the first graduating class of Crossover Prep to have a building for their Senior Year of High School, so they have issued a $1 Million Challenge Grant! Will you help us meet this goal by the first day of school, August 12, 2021, to begin construction on the Crossover Community Center?

Complete the enclosed card, go to crossoverimpact.org, or call 918.856.5377 x106 to donate.

COMMUNITY CENTER

by Philip Abode Please join us in restoring our community through your gift to the Capital Campaign!

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still have a hard time believing that the dream to build a in one central location. Currently, we are spread out over four community center in north Tulsa began 15 years ago. Fifteen different locations. years later the dream still lives and is now closer to becoming Imagine with me what it will be like for an elementary student a reality than it has ever been! “Why dream about a community in the Crossover Kids Program to come to the Crossover Comcenter?” That’s a good question. It originally started with wantmunity Center each day after school to be tutored by one of our ing to build a facility that did not sit empty most of the week StreetLeaders. After the program, he hangs around for basketand a desire to build a facility that would serve as the hub of our ball practice in the gym. During practice, his parents attend our community. However, just three years later, I saw clearly that the Faith and Finance class in preparation to buy a house that the dream for a community center was so much more.

Crossover Development Company just finished rehabbing. And It all started when I coached a third-grade youth football team. even though the middle school years are usually when organizaI had never coached before, and honestly, I was not really looktions start losing touch with the kids that they worked with in eling forward to coaching elementaementary, that will not be the case for ry-age kids. This experience changed Crossover. For starters, this youngster my life and helped me see how Crossand his family are patients at Crossoover could be a part of seeing tangible ver Health Services that is located next We are so close to raising door. On top of that, he will have the change in our community through the power of the gospel. Because of the opportunity to attend Crossover Prep all of the funds for the life struggles that our third graders middle and high school. And this Crossover Community Center, in faced, we started after-school tutorwill all be in the same building! Who for the First time in Cross- knows, his family might even choose ing on the days we had practice and started focusing on character develto make Crossover Bible Church their over’s history, all of the opment. I became more of a mentor family and join us for worship elements of our comprehen- church than a coach. The relationships that I at the community center each Sunbuilt through that experience set the sive approach will be in one day. And to top it all off, imagine if this foundation for what would later beyoung man, who started with us in central location. come Crossover Community Impact. elementary school, decides to return In 2012, we started Crossover Comto north Tulsa after he finishes college -Philip A. munity Impact to help us more comand decides to make north Tulsa the prehensively serve north Tulsa. We place that he calls home and where he started it with a second-grade footchooses to raise his family while workball team. Now Crossover Community ing to restore our community.

Impact allows us to serve our community through youth sports Hopefully you can see the kind of IMPACT that a facility like (Crossover Sports Association), health care (Crossover Health this could have in north Tulsa. My prayer is that if you can see Services), education (Crossover Kids After-School & Summer this, that you will help it become a reality by partnering with us Programs, the StreetLeader Program, and Crossover Preparatoto reach our $1 Million Challenge Grant Goal in time to have ry Academy), and housing and economic development (Crossothose funds matched in August. Even though this dream has ver Development Company). I cannot say that 15 years ago I saw been 15 years in the making, I truly believe that the Crossover Crossover serving our community in all of these ways.

Community Center will have an IMPACT on north Tulsa that will We are so close to raising all of the funds for the Crossover span decades and last for generations to come.

Community Center, meaning for the first time in Crossover’s history, all of the elements of our comprehensive approach will be

Crossover Community Center

Pictured above: The Future Crossover Community Center.

Philip Abode has been married to his wife, Rondalyn, for 19 years, and they have three children that look just like him. Philip wears many hats in the Crossover Family, but the one for which he is most recognized is Visionary of the Crossover Community Center.

To learn more about the Crossover Community Center and all of the amenities it will add to the community, please go to www.crossoverimpact.org/crossover-community-center/.

The Crossover Community Center will house the programs the Burte Banks’ Tournament fundraiser benefits!

Burte Banks’ Memorial Golf Tournament

by Rondalyn Abode

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When he heard about Crossover, he was moved to become a partcouple of years ago, Sam Rader, received a “Lifetime Achievner with us in ways that we could never imagine. He is the Co-Chairment Award” for his work with Coldwell Banker Select! I was imman of the Crossover Community Center Capital Campaign, he startpressed with this award, and the way he was celebrated, and I ed Friends of CDC (an investment group for Crossover Development thought then that he deserved a “Crossover Lifetime Achievement Company), and each year for the last few years, he has raised more Award” as well! I still remember the first time I heard his name; it through the Burte Banks’ Memorial Golf Tournament than we raise was when we were purchasing our first home. The house was the with our annual “Restoring Our Commumost beautiful thing I had ever seen, and nity” Banquet! Yes, you read that correctthe realtor did not act as though she wantly! He uses his influence to raise funds for ed to help us purchase this home until our Crossover Community Impact annually! friend contacted Sam Rader, who called Trust me, this is an event This golf tournament is a thing of beauher on the spot. She “suddenly” was very ty, and I get excited each year we have the that will encourage, enengrossed in learning about our interest in this second home that we had followed lighten, and empower you to event! I don’t get excited just because I get to ride around in a golf cart or engage her to in the midst of a group of potential move to see our community with people that are interested in hearing buyers. Sam had built an addition in north more about Crossover and its work, but IMPACTED Greatly!

Tulsa just East of 34th St. North and Lewis, also because I see Sam celebrate what and our family and many others, were the God is doing in and through Crossover -Rondalyn A. beneficiaries of these incredible homes in and how his face lights up when he has north Tulsa. Sam has partnered with north the opportunity to talk about why he is Tulsa in such notable ways for decades, such a huge part of this work! I love the and I do not believe this will change!

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Golf Tournament! It’s at Meadowbrook Country Club each year, and we typically have an incredible turnout, including a world-renowned driver that drives the ball hundreds of yards for the participants at one of the holes! We were floored when Sam said that he planned to have this event in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic both in 2020 and 2021.

His faithfulness to this work that God has called him to encourages and inspires us! If you were unable to make the tournament in 2021, please plan to join us next year! Trust me, this is an event that will encourage, enlighten, and empower you to move to see our community IMPACTed greatly!

I’m so grateful that I get to be a small part of it, and I’m so grateful for Sam Rader!

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Crossover Community Impact

Pictured above: The 2021 Coldwell Banker Select Burte Banks’ Memorial Golf Tournament!

Rondalyn Abode is passionate about bringing God the most glory, and she believes that her role as the Director of Development for CCI is instrumental in her doing just that! She has been married to her “Honey,” Philip Abode, for 19 years, and she has the sheer joy of watching God transform him daily. She is most inspired by her three little people, Temple, Priest, and Truth, and she is learning to love the “baby dog,” Rocky.

Please go to www.crossoverimpact.org to learn more about Crossover Community Impact and the great community development work the team is doing!

CrossoverPREP

Partner with us through your gift to the Capital Campaign to provide a permanent home for Crosssover Prep’s All-Boys School!

All-Girls School Launches this Fall

by Joanna Shrewsbury

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eing invited to lead the inaugural team for the Crossover Prep Girls’ School has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. It’s the fulfilment of a desire God began cultivating in me almost a decade ago to work in education with children and families placing Christ at the center.

Although I joined Crossover in July 2020, I had been tracking their work for many years through my mother, Linda Shrewsbury. I was living in San Francisco at the time, fully immersed in raising my three young children and unaware I would ever return to Tulsa. I was busy discovering that not only did I love my children, but I also loved all children!

I was serving on the leadership team of a co-op

of families who did life together. Our purpose was to provide quality preschool programming for our kids, but we also shared meals, helped one another, and entered into each other’s joys and frustrations. I cherished living in an intentional community, but I was constantly aware that what our co-op really needed was Christ. I longed to be part of a community that was family centered but as a natural extension of being Christ centered first.

When my mom would call, she would often tell me about a new community in Tulsa trying to do just that.

She attended Crossover Bible Church and was serving on a board to launch a boys’ school as part of a larger plan to restore north Tulsa.

Then through an unexpected journey, the Lord brought me back to Tulsa. And in his great mercy, God allowed a season of loss in my life that has enabled me to say with full confidence that God is able to bring his beauty from ashes. This is an important conviction for me because north Tulsa has a lot of ashes in our past and present. So, I am thankful to know on a truly personal level that even when we lack the vision, God always has a plan for restoration.

Since I have joined Crossover Prep, I’ve seen the staff here be the hands and feet of God. When I started, the leadership team sat around our conference table and tried to plan for a school year where none of us knew what to expect. As we made decisions, I observed a steadfast commitment to our students prevail over our fears and uncertainties. When school started in August, I watched the staff stand as a faithful presence living out the life changing power of Christ through

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I longed to be part of a community that Was family centered but as a natural extension of being christ centered Ffiirst.

-<Joanna S. Pictured above: Eager Students representing for Crossover Prep!

small loving tasks. Staff members formed a band so students could enjoy live music at morning convocation. Teachers spent time reading their favorite books with small groups of students. When the weather was nice, Dr. Lepine rode his bike to school with students in tow. During a year when many kids felt the sting of having their support systems stripped away, Crossover students received an unbroken continuum of care. There was no grand plan or magic solution to get through this year. Instead, through a sea of small acts of love and commitment, our students thrived socially and made academic gains. And for 2020, that’s a big deal!

When I watch the young men at Crossover Prep walk into school each morning, I see potential streaming in through the doors. I feel such an urgency to help equip them not only with academic skills but also spiritual truth so they can live fully as Christ intends. And the excitement and anticipation of working with our girls next year fills me with joy!

My prayer for all the students God brings to Crossover Prep comes straight from Ephesians 3–I pray that from God’s glorious, unlimited resources he will empower our students with inner strength through his spirit. Then Christ will make his home in their hearts as they trust in him. Their roots will grow down into God’s love and keep them strong. And may they have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May they experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then they will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

What a privilege to join with other believers in this work to serve the young men and women in north Tulsa and see the potential God has already placed in our community come to life through him.

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Joanna Shrewsbury joined Crossover Prep in July 2020 as a principal-in-residence to prepare for the launch of the Girls’ School in fall 2021. She lives in north Tulsa with her three children Lizzie (12), Michael (9), and Josie (8). Her strength is a reminder that God’s grace is sufficient. The way she loves the people around her reflects God’s great love and care for the world, and it will permeate Crossover’s All Girls’ School.

If you would like to learn more about Crossover Prep Academy, please go to www.crossoverprep.org.

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Prepar atory A

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Crossover Scholarship Fund

These students are our future health professionals, social workers, teachers, policy makers, and military men—they are the future of our nation.

We must do more. And with your help we can. If you would like to learn more about the Crossover Scholarship Fund, please go to www. crossoverscholarshipfund.org.

Crossover Kids The Crossover Kids Program will expand 300% because of the Crossover Community Center!

We need your help to make this happen!

Pictured above: (Left) Keanna Maringa (Right) The Crossover Kids in action!

Relationship Building

by Keanna Maringa

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y name is Keanna Maringa, and I work at Oral Roberts University in Development and Alumni Relations. I was placed at Crossover at the beginning of the spring semester of my junior year as a practicum student. Being placed at a faith-based organization that aims to serve the North Tulsa community was the first significant aspect that I found intriguing about the organization. The mission and the intent behind the services offered through the many Crossover branches showed me how intentional and genuine the Crossover community is as a whole. Shadowing Elizabeth Holman, the Crossover Kids Director, and working alongside the college staff and the StreetLeaders at the Crossover Kids After-School Program was a rewarding experience for me as a practicum student. I was able to apply my Social Work knowledge from my classes, which allowed me to become more immersed in the relationships that I built with the staff and the students.

Being a part of Crossover has significantly impacted how fellowship and community bring broken and diverse groups together. My first few days shadowing Elizabeth were very memorable for me as

I became more aware of the different communities and the needs presented in North Tulsa. Elizabeth took the time with me to walk around the various neighborhoods in North Tulsa, which allowed me to view the areas that Crossover serves with my own eyes. My time studying Social Work has opened my eyes to see meeting and advocating for the needs of underappreciated populations cannot be done successfully just from the outside looking in.

I want people to know how genuine and authentic the ministry and mission of Crossover is. Being a part of this organization has been rewarding for me to see how impactful each member and student are as a community interacting with each other. Even though I only served as a practicum student, I always felt immersed and a part of the team every time I stepped foot at the after-school program at Hawthorne Elementary School. I think that I was able to contribute and gain a lot during my time at Crossover. The relationship that I shared with the Crossover Kids and the members of the organization will always be cherished. A great example of a time that I saw the heart behind Crossover’s mis-

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being a part of this organization has been rewarding for me to see how impactful each member and student are as a community interacting with each other.

-Keanna m. sion was when I was shadowing Elizabeth Holman engaging with an upset child at the after-school program. The student was having a hard time and was displaying aggressive behaviors towards another student during their free play time, so Elizabeth pulled both students aside to talk with them. Her patience and willingness to sit and hold an open dialogue with the students was something that stood out to me. She was able to put her feelings aside to show the students that they were heard and to find a solution to help the students recognize where they were wrong during the incident

that took place. After that moment, Elizabeth and I were able to sit and talk about the Positive Discipline approach and how it could be better implemented with the different mannerisms and behaviors that most of the students display at the program. Seeing how intentional all of the leaders and the staff are at the program allowed me to get to know the ins and outs of the program in an authentic and insightful way which made my time at Crossover Kids so memorable!

Keanna Maringa is originally from Akron, Ohio, and she is currently a Senior studying Social Work at Oral Roberts University. She decided to attend ORU after her mother and aunts attended ORU in the 1990s. She’s known about ORU all of her life, but it wasn’t until her junior year when she felt the push from God to further her education at Oral Roberts University. When she began studying at ORU her freshman year, she knew that she wanted to go into a field of advocacy and social change on the micro or macro level. Studying Social Work has given her a deeper glimpse into the broken and neglected aspects of society that have been overlooked by the system. Social Work students have two practicum placements in their junior year at ORU, which is how she was granted the wonderful opportunity to serve at Crossover as a practicum student for both her class and her degree program. She will impact the world with her determination to tangibly help individuals in underserved communities like north Tulsa.

To learn more about our STEAM-based After-School and Summer Day Camp at Hawthorne Elementary School, please go to www.crossoverimpact.org/crossover-kids/.

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Crossover Community Impact

StreetLeaders The StreetLeader Program will grow in size and IMPACT immediately with the Crossover Community Center!

Pictured above: Rocelia and her family at her graduation.

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Giving Back To Our Community

by Rocelia Martinez

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was introduced to Crossover in February 2020 when I got an email from my school talking about a job that was hiring high school students. Right away I thought this would be a really good opportunity for me because it would help me determine what I would want to do when I grow up, such as work in childcare or become a social worker. I also knew it would look really good on my College resume. I did not realize that it would help me in so many other ways too! Crossover has influenced me to become more interactive with kids and adults every day, which helps me with real world communication skills although, I am a shy person. It’s really important to have good communication skills and thankfully I have learned those skills because of Crossover.

Crossover is a Christian based after-school and summer program for kids who are taught to appreciate education, and they are also assisted in preparing for their adolescence. Not only are we an after-school program for kids, but we also strive to keep our community safe and clean. I have a good relationship with my co-workers and supervisors who always make sure that me and my team are on the right path. My co-workers and I really developed a good bond one day after work when we went out to eat. Our College Leaders asked us about how we were doing in school, and we learned more about them. I felt like this experience helped strengthen our relationship and had a good effect on how we relate to each other at work as well. After work, we have “Power Hour” where our supervisor, Mr. Jeremy, talks about our hunger for God and our goals in life. We are encouraged to also give back to our community through volunteer work. Our StreetLeader group participated in Crossover’s Neighborhood Workday where we cleaned up around the neighborhood so that we can help

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Pictured above: Rocelia mentoring Crossover Kids.

Crossover has inffluenced me to L become more interactive with kids and adults every day.

-<Rocelia M.

North Tulsa look more beautiful. My main focus right now is to make sure the kids are headed on the right path; I really enjoy spending time with them. Our team had an easter egg hunt for the kids and they really enjoyed it, not only did they enjoy it but we also got to bond with the children, and I think that was the best part. I absolutely love being a part of Crossover, and I really believe that this program can lead me on the right path. After all that’s what Crossover is all about, helping students and the community within North Tulsa.

Crossover Community Impact

Rocelia Martinez works with Crossover Community Impact as a StreetLeader. She is a graduate of McLain High School, Class of 2021. Since her graduation, she plans to take advantage of the Tulsa Achieves Program to attend college at Tulsa Community College and major in Business Management. She is a hard worker who receives praise consistently from the other staff members, her superiors, and even from the Tulsa Public Schools’ Superintendent!

She will definitely follow the path that has been set for her and continue to help others along the way.

To learn more about the StreetLeader Program, please go to www.crossoverimpact. org/streetleader/.

Crossover Bible Church will have a permanent home in the Crossover Community Center!

Supporting Crossover’s Missionaries

by Leah Pickard

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ave and Catherine Hodge became members of Crossover Bible Church in 2010 while Catherine was completing residency through the In His Image program; it can easily be said that had she and Natalie Schaller not joined Crossover we would not have Crossover Health Services today. When Catherine’s training was complete, she and Dave felt a strong burden for the people in Malawi where the population is predominately made up of $1-2/day subsistence farmers. And so, in 2013, Dave, Catherine and their newborn, Charlotte, moved to Nkhoma, Malawi, and have been serving there since. Their family has been completed by two more little ladies, so they now have three young daughters, Charlotte (7), Evelyn (5) and Noelle (3).

Catherine works in Nkhoma Hospital which is a 105-year-old, 280 bed hospital, founded by Dutch reformed church South African missionaries. Their 300 employees serve 85,000 in the immediate catchment area and 400,000 when all referring health centers are taken into account. They average 3,400 deliveries a year, with 45,000 outpatient visits and 16,000 general admissions. In Malawi, there is 1 doctor per 30,000 people. Nkhoma hospital is a rural Christian academic center, training Malawian doctors to specialize in family med-

icine and general surgery. Catherine also assists in training medical students and nurses, in their own nursing college.

Last year, the Hodge family was in the states on furlough and came back to Crossover to visit. During a conversation at Church one morning, Ellie (my daughter) and I were getting the update on all that they were doing in Nkhoma. Before we left, we asked how we could be praying for them, and Catherine expressed a loneliness that sometimes sets in, especially during American holidays. Ellie piped up and declared that we would come visit them for Thanksgiving that year (it was January at the time), and while I loved the idea of traveling to encourage our friends serving in Africa, I was skeptical about getting all our ducks in a row to make the trip in 10 months.

And then COVID-19 hit, and I thought for sure we would not be able to go. But God still did not lift the burden to start the planning process of traveling to Malawi even though we only had 8 months. Once I took that first step in faith towards planning God provided everything we needed! We landed in Lilongwe, Malawi on New Year’s Day 2021, just a month and a half later than we planned and were in the Hodges’ home an hour later!

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Pictured above: The Hodge Family, Ellie and Leah Pickard, and the people of Malawi.

the need for maintaining strong relational ties with our missionaries is critical to their mental and emotional strength as they serve god in a foreign country.

Nkhoma is truly a beautiful place (albeit a bit hot)! Ellie and I were able to bring the Hodge family and the Nkhoma hospital some much needed medical supplies. We traveled on a medical outreach and spent a day with Catherine in the hospital. We were able to see Dave’s work with Young Life with students from the local seminary. We were even able to spend a day (and night!) with a friend of the Hodges in her village and worked in her fields for an afternoon (I think that’s the hardest work I’ve ever done in my entire life). It was truly an amazing experience for us to be able to make the vast distance between the Hodges and their church family back here in Tulsa, seem a little smaller. The need for maintaining strong relational ties with our missionaries is critical to their mental and emotional strength as they serve God in a foreign country. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to serve them in the midst of them serving the people of Malawi!

-Leah P.

Leah Pickard is the better half of the Dynamic Duo who loves north Tulsa with their entire being and has dedicated their lives to this community and its residents. She has been married to Justin Pickard for almost 20 years and together they have four amazing kids, Rochelle better known as Ellie (18), Ian (16), Augie (13), and Isaiah (11). She is completing a Master’s in Counseling at ORU in preparation to become a Licensed Professional Counselor because she is concerned about seeing people in her community be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Her heartbeat is reconciliation and God uses her daily simply through her presence and grace.

To learn more about CBC’s “gather, go, grow, gospel works” model, please go to www.crossoverbible.org.

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Personal Finance and Entrepreneurial Support Classes will happen in the Crossover Community Center!

by De’Shawn Lewis

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his Memorial Day Weekend, I was able to host my mentor and his family at my home as they returned to Tulsa from Law School in Colorado. I was able to care for them by making sure they had turkey burgers, 3-on-3 basketball, and love from all of my friends as they have cared for me and my family for a number of years. Who would have thought that my eighth grade Math Teacher would become my lifelong mentor, and who would have guessed that my relationship with him would lead to me having a family of my own?

My name is De’Shawn Lewis, and I work on the crew for Crossover Development Company. This is not my first job within the Crossover organization, and my mentor was the one that helped me get that job actually. I was a part of the first group of StreetLeaders who worked at Hawthorne Elementary School. I was a new father at the time, and I needed a job that could help me provide for my little guy, Dre’Shawn.

My mentor and his new wife had helped me and my girlfriend Ahlicia get our son into Educare, and they helped us get jobs to help provide for our son. We were in high school at this point, but they continued to walk alongside us.

When we graduated from high school, they helped us through pre-marital counseling, and Pastor Philip married us in my mentor’s Living Room. Then they allowed us to live with them while we looked for a house of our own, and they helped us to prepare for life without them. As they transitioned to Law School, we transitioned to our home that they helped us renovate. I never imagined that I would be a homeowner at the age of 23, but my mentor and his wife helped make this a possibility.

Our house is in the Hawthorne neighborhood and since I started working for Crossover Development Company, I could walk to work since we are renovating the homes in my neighborhood. We are revitalizing houses, so that more people can be homeowners like my wife and me. I have learned a lot about home construction through my job, and I am grateful for the opportunity to receive the NCCER

Pictured above: De’Shawn, Ahlicia, and Dre’Shawn at their high school graduation.

(National Center for Construction Education and Research) Certification that I can take with me to get any construction job I want in the future.

My wife is pregnant with our third little one, and I am grateful that I am able to prepare a place for my little baby. I might have to get a little basketball goal for my baby since I already have a big one for me. I like my neighborhood, and I like the fact that I get to make a difference in my community through my job with Crossover Development Company.

De’Shawn Lewis has been married to his wife Ahlicia for 6 years. They are the proud parents of Dre’Shawn, Ahliah, and Baby Lewis due to arrive December 2021. De’Shawn takes great pride in caring for his family, friends, and community. He has been a great addition to Crossover Development Company, and we are all excited to continue to watch him grow and develop into a man after God’s own heart.

To learn more about Crossover Development Company and its revitalizing work, please go to www.crossoverimpact.org/crossover-development-company/.

Before

This is not my First job within the crossover organization...I was a part of the First group of streetleaders that worked at Hawthorne Elementary school.

After

-<De’shawn L.

Before

After Pictured above: Crossover Development Company’s home renovations in various stages.

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Crossover Health Services will be able to “prescribe exercise” as a result of the Crossover Community Center being located next door!

Crossover Health Services

by Dr. John Abraham

my hope is that the care we give is saturated with the love of jesus in such a way that people feel heard, seen, and valued.

-John A.

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y involvement with Crossover first began as a church member during my Family Medicine Residency Training with In His Image, in early 2011. I was newly engaged to Rebecca, a young woman that grew up in an urban church that intentionally sought to address issues of race and injustice in Chicago. We started

attending Crossover Bible Church after some of our residency colleagues told us about it. At the time, I was already living in the Hawthorne neighborhood with a roommate, and my eyes were being opened to some of the areas of restoration needed in our community. I witnessed firsthand that despite the efforts of my roommate and I to have Bible study and mentor young men, the daily realities of their lives were more than we could handle in a few hours a week.

Crossover had a God sized vision to comprehensively address disparities in education, housing, health, and other fruits of systemic injustice along with Bible study that I thought would be effective.

As a board member of CCI (Crossover Community Impact), I saw the Lord blessing the work of Crossover over and over again. It has been faith building to see the vision of CCI grow from PowerPoint presentations in 2011 to tangible efforts bearing fruits of restoration in 2021. It continues to leave me in awe of Jesus when I think of how He has brought the right individuals at the right time to develop the right ministries. This relatively small, young church in North Tulsa has already planted another church, New City Fellowship Tulsa, in my current neighborhood. That church planting was prioritized in

Crossover Community Impact

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Pictured above: Dr. Abraham at CHS. Dr. Abraham with his wife, Dr. Rebecca Abraham, his sister and children. Dr. Abraham with Crossover staff during a training class.

the midst of all the needs is indicative that leadership knows this work has to be centered in making disciples of Jesus.

While the ministry accomplishments are impressive, I think the people are what kept us in Tulsa. We felt welcomed as a newly married couple. Our church family loved us as we went through losses and as we welcomed our children. People from Crossover continue to be dear friends and sources of inspiration to us.

Because of Crossover’s impact in my life, I just started at Crossover Health Services as a staff physician. I am part of a team that loves our community and each other. My hope is that the care we give is saturated with the love of Jesus in such a way that people feel heard, seen, and valued. As we continue to build this trust with our neighbors, it is my desire that Jesus would be known more fully in our lives and in our patients’ lives.

In a recent encounter, I saw a person living with HIV that had stopped his life saving medicine. He told me he was frustrated that he did not feel that his concerns were being addressed at his previous clinic. He is not my first neighbor that has ex-

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Crossover Community Impact

pressed this grievance with our medical system. I believe he was brought to our clinic by God’s hand at this critical time in which we may be able to reduce the chance of more serious complications and this encounter is a reminder of the vital work of Crossover in our community.

Dr. John Abraham is the newest Staff Physician at Crossover Health Services as of March 1, 2021. He is married to Dr. Rebecca Beran Abraham, and they are quickly approaching their ten year anniversary this July! They have three beautiful children, Joshua age 7, Jasmine age 5, and Annalise age 3, and they are all a part of the New City Tulsa Church plant in their neighborhood. Dr. Abraham is a constant reminder of God’s grace and his compassion reflects the very soul of Jesus.

To learn more about Crossover Health Services and its work to eradicate health disparities, go to www.crossoverhealthservices.org.

Capital Campaign Crossover Community Center Capital Campaign

by Rondalyn Abode

W

e had to push out the start of this school year at CrossoverPrep, not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because there was a gas leak in the building we lease. Crossover Prep was faced with the heartbreaking reality that we need our own building. We keep hearing from the students at the school that we need the Crossover Community Center. Although we’re thankful to have a site for the school, we have no gym, showers, or even enough classrooms to meet our immediate needs. It would be absolutely incredible if the first graduating class were able to graduate from the permanent home of Crossover Prep!

But in addition to serving over 280 Crossover Prep Students at a time, the Community Center will serve hundreds more kids through the Crossover Lions’ youth sports programs and the Crossover Kids After-School and Summer Day Camp Programs.

The Crossover Sports Association has been capped just as the Crossover Kids and StreetLeaders Programs because we need space. The community needs this space as we foresee hundreds of adults benefiting from the fitness classes, adult sports, and public health programming in the Crossover Community Center.

For instance, Crossover Health Services will be able to expand their programming through innovative programs like the “Tulsa FreshRx Food is Medicine” Program by pairing it with “prescriptions for exercise” taking this pursuit for healthy living one step further. The healthy eating classes will be combined with Adult Fitness like Exercise Classes and Sports Leagues. Crossover Sports Association will grow from a Youth Sports Organization to an Adult and Youth Sports organization with the introduction of Adult Recreational sports, tournaments, and Aerobic classes because of the Crossover Community Center! Not only will the young men at Crossover Prep have a home court advantage, but the youth athletes will have this advantage too! We will also have the opportunity to increase our sports offerings to include volleyball, dance, and tumbling for cheer subsequently.

One of the most significant social determinants of health for a community is home ownership. Crossover Development Company (CDC) will build on its current successes by adding additional programming for the community like the “Faith and Finance” Classes to

help prepare people to own one of the newly revitalized homes CDC produces. The other large component of Crossover Development Company’s work is the Carpentry Training Program that allows men from our community to receive the NCEER Certification, creating jobs that pay a living wage and establishing transferrable skills with the introduction to other construction trades. The textbook portion of the training will happen at the Community Center. The “Jobs for Life” Program will be at the Crossover Community Center as well, and this will bolster our efforts to have an even greater IMPACT. I can’t even begin to imagine what the Entrepreneurial Support Training will look like as we seek to bring economic development to our community!

Crossover Bible Church will be able to rent space at the Crossover Community Center, which will ensure it has a permanent home for the work it is doing to bring about spiritual and emotional health in the community. Over a year ago, Crossover Bible Church was told that at any moment it will need to vacate the premises where it meets within a 30 days’ notice.

There will be Adult Education classes in this center, and of course the Crossover Community Center will be the home of Crossover Prep’s all-boy school with the girls’ school across the parking lot. The prayer for this multi-purpose facility is that people will walk into it and be transformed by the time they exit because they have been encouraged, enlightened, and empowered to live the lives that God has created them to live!

Thanks be to the Lord; a kind-hearted donor has heard these needs and is passionate that we start construction in September!

To make this happen the donor has issued the $1 Million Backto-School Challenge Grant to help ensure this happens! We need

Pictured above: The Future Crossover Community Center. to raise $1 Million by August 12th to receive another $1 Million. We have worked hard to secure funds for the Crossover Community Center to begin construction with the hopes that it will be completed by the start of the 2022-2023 school-year for the young men at Crossover Prep’s Senior Year. For this to happen we need to raise all of the funds by 08/12/2021!

The Lord has already blessed us with so many fantastic donors who want to see this happen! And some folks feel that they cannot make a significant impact to our capital campaign, but one of our board members has pointed out that a $417 a month commitment adds up to $5,000 for the year. And since we can take 5-year commitments to the capital campaign, this adds up to $25,000! Moreover, if four individuals/couples commit at this level, they can make a $100,000 contribution collectively to seeing the Community Center become a reality!

Thank you for reading and considering this opportunity to make a significant impact in our community. May God bless you and your family. Feel free to complete the enclosed commitment card, go to crossoverimpact.org, or call 918.856.5377x106 to donate to the Crossover Community Center Capital Campaign.

Grateful for Grace and you,

Rondalyn Abode Director of Development www.crossoverimpact.org

P. S. Your support makes all of the things listed in this magazine possible, and we are so grateful that you have come alongside us. Please consider partnering with us again, by giving to the Crossover Community Center “$1 Million Back to School” Challenge Grant Campaign!

IMPACT REPORT

Our vision of “Restoring Our Community” will be fulfilled when north Tulsa is full of healthy individuals, faithful families, peaceful neighborhoods, and thriving institutions.

Youth Sports/ Youth Development

1/3 100

of student population participation

Education

Restoring Our Community

of 3rd grade participants have been promoted since the Crossover Kids Program began

90+ 3000 STEM Experiments Annually

Housing

Healthcare

Economic Development

Volunteer Hours Annually

RESTORING OUR COMMUNITY

“We apply a comprehensive approach to a targeted geographic area (the four-mile radius around Hawthorne Elementary School) to restore our community.”

C

6th-12th grade tuition-free private school

Offers 1 on 1 Mentoring and Academic Coaching

2018 All-City Middle School Football Champion

2019 OCPA Private School of the Year

ro

ss

ov

er

Prepar atory A

ca

de

y m

All-Boys School & All-Girls School Two Schools, One Message

$4.5 Million raised through Foundation grants and the Crossover Scholarship Fund to provide a tuition free education.

8.4 year life expectancy disparity down from 14-years because of healthcare access.

5000+ 7000+ 2,125 Hours of Patient Panel

Patient visits annually

Expanding services to provide behavioral health services through Crossover Counseling Services.

medical care access

FOOTBALL

BASEBALL

BASKETBALL

CROSSOVER

L CHEERLEADING

TRACK & FIELD

SOCCER* * FUTURE PLANS TO ADD

Crossover Sports Association Over 850 kids involved 500 hours of community volunteer coaching annually Over 100 hours of activity per athlete Partnership with Regent Bank that provides for renovations and mortgages to increase Home Ownership opportunities!

17 Employees; 3500+ Hours Worked Annually $477k of Labor Dollars in Home Revitalization

$89k+

100%

High School Graduation Rate

in Youth Wages Annually

8, 500+

43 Employees; 30,000+ Hours Worked Annually $4.2 Million of Labor Dollars in Education

Job Hours Mentoring & Job Training

Annually

Our StreetLeader Program is quickly becoming one of the largest private employers of teens in north Tulsa.

29 Employees; 15,000+ Hours Worked Annually $1.7 Million of Labor Dollars in Healthcare

139 Employees; 16,800+ Hours Worked Annually $1.9 Million of Labor Dollars in Community Development

Our Vision for 36th S. North

Our Dream for the Future...

When you invest in the vision, you do more than touch individual lives... every contribution ripples outward to create “social return” —the positive impact on north Tulsa and the entire Tulsa community.

For more information: (918) 856-5377 x106 www.crossoverimpact.org info@crossoverimpact.org