4 minute read
Crossover Kids Program
Crossover Kids
Our After-School and Summer Enrichment STEAM-based Program at Hawthorne Elementary School.
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Pictures above: (Left) Ms. Faye caring for some of the Crossover Cubs; (Right) Ms. Faye with College Interns Kylia and Gabby.
MENTORING MATTERS by Faye Finely
Iam Faye Finley, and I have the privilege of being a Crossover Kids volunteer! At 74, I have been volunteering in kids’ programs for 60 years. It would seem I might want to retire or the younger leaders would “encourage” me to move on, but this isn’t the case. My husband, Mike, and I and our 3 kids (Jonathan, David and Sara) did ministry together for many years; thirty-four of those years were in rural churches.
In August of 2014, after being retired for 3 years, it was clear the Lord was leading us to Crossover. We were looking for a place to serve and also needed a church where the word of God was preached in-depth and in power. Crossover is the loving caring family we need, and we love its emphasis on working to heal the community as this had been our aim in our rural work.
A few weeks into our first year as Sunday School Teachers at Crossover Bible Church, Leah Pickard, shared about the IMPACT Kids After-School Program (now called the Crossover Kids program). Timidly, I went to her after the worship service and asked if she could use an old lady as a volunteer. At that time, she had no other volunteers and the teenage helpers (StreetLeaders) didn’t arrive until after 4:00 P.M. Quickly, I knew I had found my happy place. Soon I was volunteering 4 afternoons a week. I love kids, but I especially love the Hawthorne students!
Leah needed someone to run the program for the students in Pre-K and Kindergarten, so after Christmas we allowed younger siblings to join forming the “Lion Cubs”. “T” was a boy that was losing his hair in patches and couldn’t sit still. He wouldn’t do his homework although he seemed smart. He was always in trouble in class and in our program for causing disruptions. I thought we would need to ask him to leave for the sake of the others then one afternoon, I met his Mom. She told me the summer before he was on a raft in the lake with his cousins and baby sister and his sister fell off and was lost in the lake for several hours. Learning this helped me to understand better what he was going thru. We
Pictures above: (Left) Ms. Faye & Mr. Mike Finley with their family. (Right) Ms. Faye at Crossover’s Annual Banquet.
-Faye F.
helped him get counseling and assigned one StreetLeader to help him control himself. Through my years working in the program, I have had the privilege to love many children and share with them the perfect love of Jesus as well as help them academically and behaviorally.
From the start of the “Lion Cubs,” I was assigned a new StreetLeader who really wanted to work with the youngest kids; Kylia is a wonder! She related to these young students like a veteran teacher. Kylia and I love working together; we found a kinship that we believe will last a lifetime! Along with Kylia, I have formed a mentoring relationship with several of the other StreetLeaders who have enjoyed learning about the Bible and talking about transitioning from childhood to adulthood. It is such a joy to see the changes as they mature and go to college or find a job and support themselves!
I will continue to work in the Crossover Kids program, and I will be a mentor at the Sojourner House with the StreetLeaders who have become college interns. In this mentoring ministry young women can live for at least a year to grow in their faith during the challenging years of 18-29. Kylia was the first resident to apply and be accepted and now lives with 4 others in the house! I am a volunteer mentor in this exciting ministry led by Katie Lepine. This is new and once more I am scared. I think, “Can an old lady really have an impact on these precious young women?” It seems God isn’t finished with me yet! He said to Joshua when he was over 80 and going to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land, “...be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, and I feel like he is encouraging me in a similar way.
Please pray that the Crossover Kids Program and the Sojourner House are places of safety, beacons of light, and places where people grow into maturity!
Lois Faye Finley is a super hero of the faith along with her super man and husband of 54 years, Mr. Mike Finley; together, they have 3 adult children and 8 grandkids. She continues to be used by God to draw people to Himself, and her faithfulness to teach and love children impacts the kids and their families alike. Mrs. Faye is a wonder!
To learn more about our STEAM-based After-School and Summer Day Camp at Hawthorne Elementary School, please go to http://crossoverimpact.org/crossover-kids/.
