S O U N D S G O O D R E C O R D S . C O M
Editorial
W
BY TOMMY KYLLONEN
live in a world of multiplication. Every day there
are 228,000 more humans added to this planet.
Every day there seems to be more problems, more
Atlanta has a huge need for more creative multi-ethnic churches to effectively reach the urban culture. Read more about it on page 82.
division and more disrespect. And with that… Every day brings new opportunities
Our neighborhood in Tampa has become an Innovation District. There is new
our cities.
We are already very active in many ways, but we want to MULTIPLY our outreach
to reach new people with the love of Christ, meet needs and solve real issues in
development and new opportunities breaking ground in several parts of our area. and influence. Our third initiative of multiplication is opening an urban coffee
Our recent theme for our church and our leadership conference is MULTIPLY.
shop in our lobby that will create a hub for college students, neighborhood
and Music, but we felt like it was time to level up. Three recent initiatives of
out our exciting plans on page 72.
with 600 volunteers in the first year to 107 projects with over 1,000 volunteers
Crossover is a teaching church. Our goal is continue to MULTIPLY what we do in
continues to impact our church and our community. We had so many churches
Flavor Fest Leadership Conference has poured into over 5,000 leaders since it’s
leaders kit sharing all the nuts and bolts to help other churches win. We believe
need for more healthy churches in the city. So although these are challenging
Crossover Church has always been about Multiplying Disciples, Ministry
Multiplication included the Love Our City outreach as we grew it from 70 projects
residents, business people, tourists and commuters passing on Fowler Ave. Check
in the second year. It touched thousands more people this year and the effect
our city and inspire, coach and resource other churches to impact their cities. Our
asking how they could do it, I felt compelled to write a new book and create a
inception and we know we are just touching the surface, as there is such a huge
Love Our City is going to MULTIPLY into a movement. Read about it on page 64.
times, we believe the possibilities to MULTIPLY God’s kingdom are limitless!
For many years people have asked us about starting Crossover Church locations in
other cities. Our second initiative was launching Crossover Church ATL in the city of
Atlanta. We’re super excited to see what God is going to do with the team up there.
Multiplying with you, Pastor Tommy
Tommy “Urban D.” Kyllonen - Leads his wife and his two daughters, serves as Lead Pastor @ Crossover Church and serves in several leadership positions in the North Tampa Community. 96
TABLE OF CONTENTS: 06 18 19 20 22 24 26 27 28 32 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 52 54 58 60 61 62 64 67 68 69 70 72 74 76 77 78 81 82 84 85 86 88 91 92 95
FLAVOR FEST CONFERENCE PAGES S.O.U.LNEWZ UYWI’S MANHOOD CAMP INDIE SPOTLIGHT SICILY STYLES CITYLIFE LANSING FRED LYNCH KJ 52 KB ZAUNTEE CHURCH CITY USA WOKE CHURCH GOSPEL GRAFFITI FASHION BOOK REVIEWS CITY TAKERS MOVIE MUSIC REVIEWS GORDON’S LEGACY S.O.U.L SIGNIFICANCE CRITICAL QUESTIONS C.H.O.S.E.N. FIGHT CLUB DA CREW LOVE OUR CITY SIDEWALK KIDZ FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE THRIVE CHOSEN TREASURES CROSSOVER COFFEE REMIX SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE MINISTRY - ONE THE MOVEMENT THE RE-UP CROSSOVER CHURCH ATL HD CLASSES/GROWTH PLAN 3D GROWTH TRACK KIDZ MIN SUNDAY’S @ CROSSOVER CORE VALUES CROSSOVER HISTORY EDITORIAL
SPEAKING ON URBAN LIFE
ISSUE #28
THE S.O.U.L. TEAM:
Publisher / Editor In Chief — Tommy “Urban D.” Kyllonen Creative Director – Josue Marrero (Gimistudios.com) Contributing Writers – Christopher J. Harris, Lucy Kyllonen, Loriana De Paz, Jen Chandra, Marty White, Spivey Giggles, Rhonda Flowers, Kerleen Joseph, Chris Chicago, Paul Martinez, Emma Ramos, John Punch, Eric Mason, Karmina Phaire, Wallace Phaire, Darnel Butler, Nan Morgan, Elvis Ruiz, Eddy “Rawsrvnt” Puyol Music Video Reviews / Graffiti Art / Fashion / Music Reviews – Kas, DJ VJ, Matty Striq, Casone, Nan, Kelly McCluney, Lion Hearted Contributing Designers - Edward “Spec” (iAMbayo.net), Wallace Phaire, Jon “JL” Lima Contributing Photographers – Abigail Medina, Ernest “BlessDaBarber” and Crossover Social Media Team Printed in the United States by Connectmedia.com (800) 521-5730 S.O.U.LMAG is published by Crossover Church www.crossoverchurch.org Crossover Church is a non-profit 501 (c) 3. Crossover’s mission is “To empower people to Discover, Develop and Display Jesus Christ in every area of their lives.” S.O.U.LMAG exists to build on this mission as we take it to a global platform through print and digital media. S.O.U.LMAG Magazine/Crossover Church 1235 E. Fowler Ave. Tampa, Fl 33612
CROSSOVER Crossover Church started with a small community of people that wanted something different. They were burned out with “organized religion” – tired of the politics, the tradition, and the masks people hid behind at many churches. They saw the needs of people on the streets that weren’t being met, and they wanted to do something about it.
HISTORY
Pastor Joe McCutchen founded Crossover with a few
years, they developed a first of its kind Hip-Hop
old run down building on N. Orleans Avenue near
youth attending weekly. During this time, the adult
other people in the early 1990’s. They moved into a
Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. Al Palmquist was a member of the church who met Tommy Kyllonen on some
basketball courts in Clearwater. Tommy was running an urban basketball league while completing his
ministry at Crossover maintained about 40 people on Sundays, as there were three different bi-vocational pastors (changing every two years).
college internship. Joe and Al challenged Tommy
In January of 2002, Tommy Kyllonen became the
Crossover.
was birthed for the church. Crossover Church was
to start an urban youth ministry from scratch at
In December 1995, Tommy graduated from college
with a B.A. in Pastoral Theology, with a concentration in Youth Ministry. He married Lucy in February
of 1996 and together they founded Crossover’s
Youth Ministry with only 4 teens. Over the next six
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Styled Youth Ministry, which grew to hundreds of
lead pastor of Crossover. A new vision and structure re-launched as the leadership team developed and implemented a new mission to reach the urban community. Crossover carefully and prayerfully
began to make several changes to better reach the
city. The church quickly grew as several new people visited and built new relationships with Christ.
Many soon embraced the vision and began getting
economically diverse like the New Testament Church.
The pastors now sit on several advisory boards with
few years the church had to add a second Sunday
through all of the favorable media articles, as well as
that are shaping the future of our city. The church
discipled and involved in serving others. Within a
Service and then a third. The once “run down” facility on N. Orleans Avenue was completely transformed
into a unique thriving church. The church grew from 40 to over 500 that attended 3 Sunday Services. In
addition, the Thursday night Youth services reached
hundreds each week. In January of 2010 the campus
The church has become internationally known
the numerous CD’s, books, magazines and resources produced by Pastor Tommy aka Urban D. and other innovators at the church. Millions have visited
Crossover’s website and thousands have attended the church services, looking to Crossover as a model.
was sold to a Haitian Church and Crossover began
In November of 2010 Crossover took a huge leap of
the corner of Busch and Nebraska. The church actually
the new facility Crossover Church has served tens of
temporarily meeting in the ballrooms at a hotel on grew and reached many new people during their time at the hotel.
God has called Crossover to be a pioneer church to reach the Urban Community. Since it’s re-launch it
has always been multi-ethnic, multi-generational and
aFowler Ave (The former Toys R Us). Since moving into
community leaders that help make major decisions is experiencing an incredible time of growth and community impact.
Crossover is rebuilding the city as they are seeing
people DISCOVER, DEVELOP and DISPLAY their life in Christ! The future is bright as Crossover launched it’s second location in the city of Atlanta and there are more locations coming in the future!
thousands through outreaches, have seen thousands start a relationship with Christ and over 1,300
people get baptized. They have strengthened their
discipleship process, launched an extension site of
Southeastern University, and developed several new outreach and community development programs.
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SE7EN CORE
VALUES 1
WE CROSSOVER AND CHANGE THE GAME!
We’ve crossed over from DEATH to LIFE and we go
WE DON’T ALL RAP!
hard for Christ. We embrace innovation and creativity.
We value everyone playing their part. It’s not all
healthy disregard for the impossible! - Isaiah 43:19
individual to use their unique gifts, talents and
We love change. We think big, take risks and hold a
2
WE DOWNLOAD THE APPS!
We value biblical teaching and the application of
scripture. We believe when God’s word is applied
and downloaded it will radically transform lives. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
3
WE ARE CULTURALLY RELEVANT, MULTI-
ETHNIC, MULTI-GENERATIONAL AND MULTI-CLASS. We value everyone! No matter what their skin-
color, age or financial status. This is what the New
Testament church looked like and this is what Heaven will look like. We are real. We don’t put on masks. We don’t use spiritual jargon or Christianese. Our music
is loud, we love God and we communicate in today’s context. - Acts 13:1, 1 Corinthians 9:19-22
4
WE GROW AND CELEBRATE!
We value growth. Healthy Christians grow and
healthy churches grow. We offer multiple ways to
grow and get discipled. We will not take this move of God for granted. We regularly celebrate people coming to Christ, getting baptized, becoming
members, serving our city and growing deeper in
Christ. We are grateful for God’s hand of favor on our church. - Ephesians 4:15-16, 1 Chronicles 16:8 91
5
about what happens on the stage. We want every abilities to connect others to God. We create multiple platforms for different gifts to be used. - Romans 12:6-8
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WE ARE GIVERS THAT LOVE OUR CITY!
OUR AFFILIATIONS:
Crossover Church is a non-denominational church. We are a church that is modeled on the New
Testament church and teaches the Bible in context. Our pastors have degrees from Universities and
seminaries where they spent years studying the
scriptures. The Pastors are ordained ministers under the laws of the State of Florida (See our pastors and staff on our website).
We value giving and generosity. We give to our
Crossover is affiliated with the Purpose Driven Church
missionaries around the world. We realize everything
other pastors of larger churches that mentor, train
local church, our community, other churches and we have is God’s and we just get to manage it
temporarily. We are here to Rebuild our city as we
meet tangible needs, bring empowerment and live out the Gospel. - Isaiah 32:18
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WE DO THINGS IN EXCELLENCE AS WE LEAD
Network led by Pastor Rick Warren. There are several and support our leadership team. Crossover also partners with The American Bible Society, Urban
Youth Workers Institute and Southeastern University as they develop resources, provide training and equip students and church planters.
A MOVEMENT!
OUR BELIEFS:
as we represent God’s kingdom. We are a teaching
go to: crossoverchurch.org
Good is not good enough, we strive for excellence church that has become a model. There are now
dozens of other churches around the world like ours, and hundreds that are learning from us. We provide
training, resources and coaching (Through our Flavor Fest Conference and Network - www.flavorfest.org) Colossians 3:17, John 13:35
To see the essentials of what we believe and why,
WORSHIP EXPERIENCES
SUNDAY
9:00AM, 10:30AM, 12:30PM
Our Sunday services are full of high energy as they reach a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, economically diverse crowd with people from many different backgrounds. Crossover has experienced incredible growth over the past several years. Although the church is much larger and has multiple services, it has even more of a family friendly atmosphere now more than ever before.
It has become an exciting place where everyone
you with smiling faces. Each person receives a
common to find a homeless person sitting next to a
ministry opportunities, and additional information.
is accepted in love no matter how they look. It’s
professional athlete, next to a single mom, next to a
business owner, next to a multi-generational family,
Our worship and arts are a rhythmic blend of R&B,
is doing as we truly Love Our City!
even some Spanish music. Our Worship team Remix
next to a former drug dealer - it’s amazing what God
Our church services are geared to be predictably unpredictable as you definitely won’t fall
asleep. Although we attract people of all ages,
Gospel, Hip-Hop, EDM, Reggae, Spoken Word and has a live DJ, and a mix of singers, artists, poets,
rappers, dancers, and live musicians. God’s presence is always evident as people genuinely seek Him.
the majority of our crowd is younger than your
The message is always brought in a creative and
casually, and come to worship God in a comfortable
from the scripture that is applicable to their everyday
average congregation. Most people come dressed
atmosphere. Our First Impressions Team welcomes
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program, which contains all of our upcoming events,
practical way where everyone can learn something lives. Pastor Tommy and the teaching team use
message series that include various visual elements:
Our prayer room is located at the front right side of
and impacting object lessons and to help illustrate
all services with a prayer team and free bibles and
video clips, drama, testimonies, music, interviews the scripture and the topic.
Many people follow along filling in Notes on their
phones through our church App, while others take
notes on the printed handouts. Many services end
the auditorium and is open before, during and after devotional books for those in need. After the service the lobby turns into a big party full of community
where people connect, hangout, pray, eat and drink coffee together.
with a powerful prayer time where people start a
relationship with Christ, or make commitments to
grow deeper with him. Our staff and leaders make
themselves available in the lobby after each service to talk and pray with people.
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CROSSOVER MORE THAN A LESSON PLAN BY JENNIFER CHANDRA - KIDZ DIRECTOR
Empowering people to Discover, Develop and Display Jesus Christ in every area of their lives is our mission. That mission includes our kids! We are focused on a few basic truths, which guide us as we create lessons and activities to introduce Jesus into the lives of children.
THOSE TRUTHS ARE:
Every week in KidzMin, we reconnect with friends
God Made Me.
of the of the Bible buck store. We worship doing our
God Loves Me.
duct tape, as we learn that nothing can separate
Jesus Wants To Be My Friend Forever.
guided through an obstacle course using only clues
I Can Trust God No Matter What.
over a lite snack. We count Bible bucks in anticipation best Backpack kid moves. We struggle to pull apart us from God and we learn how to trust while being from the audience.
Every Wednesday night and every Sunday, our kids
I Need to Make Wise Choices.
come to KidzMin with an expectation to interact with
I Should Treat Others the Way I Want To Be Treated.
keeps us motivated to engage them with creative and
God’s word. It’s this anticipation and enthusiasm that interactive lessons. The Bible tells us that the word
of God is active and living (Heberews 4:12). What a
powerful tool we have in our hands to teach our kids
to know God and to know that He loves them and has a plan for their precious lives.
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OUR CREATIVE AND COMMITED TEAM OF ACTIVATORS KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT: When we show kids how God’s word works, it helps them to understand.
in the fiery furnace, leaning on our faith and refusing to obey an evil kings command.
Whatever the scene, our teaching is engaging,
focused, and intentional. The kids see fun, the stage, the lights, microphones and cool props.
We see seeds being planted, faith being grown and lessons being learned. That’s what we want you to
When we are excited about the word, it will excite them.
see too and be a part of as well!
When we encourage and celebrate our kids, it inspires them.
cannot, you can do things I cannot; Together we can
We do this by making them part of the, “living and active” word. Giving kids the opportunity to relive
stories and personify characters in the Bible, helps
us to make the lesson stick. One day we may have on wigs and muscles to become Samson.
Another day may find us creating a roaring sea with
As Mother Teresa once said, “ I can do things you do great things.”
Join us in our mission to teach even more kids that God made them, God loves them and that God has an incredible plan for their lives.
Connect with us on Facebook at
KIDZMIN813
winds using streamers and blue tarps. Or you may find us huddled together
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The 3D Growth Track is Crossover’s membership class that helps you take your next steps with Christ and your next steps with growing with our church family. The 3D Growth Track is a 4-week class that helps you live life in 3D. What is 3D?
This class will help you DISCOVER what Crossover
to DISPLAY them. There are many ways for you to
the exciting vision to where we are headed. We will
and our community. We will share these amazing
Church is all about; what we believe, what we do and help you DISCOVER a relationship with Christ (if you don’t already have one) and the gifts, talents and
opportunities with you.
calling God has on your life.
The 3D Growth Track starts on the first Sunday of
The 3D Growth Track will help you DEVELOP your
the building) during the 10:30am service. Don’t get
relationship with Christ as we teach you how to go deeper with your Bible reading, prayer and other
spiritual disciplines. We also help give you paths to DEVELOP your gifts, talent and calling so you can begin to use them.
During the class you are given a “Spiritual Gift Assessment” that will help you identify your
gifts, talents and calling and how you are wired
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ACTIVATE and put Christ on DISPLAY in our church
every month in Classroom #2 (in the back part of
stuck in your relationship with Christ – keep growing and live life in 3D.
Get signed up for the next 3D Growth Track at
CROSSOVERCHURCH.ORG/REGISTER
DEEP & WIDE HD CLASSES AT CROSSOVER CHURCH In his book, Deep and Wide, Andy Stanley says, “It is your responsibility to lead the church in the direction Jesus originally intended. As a leader, your task is to
With this framework, we have worked to ensure that
Higher Definition). These classes include topics like
processing the next steps after the 3D Growth Track,
entrepreneurship and more.
every phase of engagement at our church is clear. In which is our new member’s class and process, we implemented the Growth Plan and knew that we
Each month, individuals can sign up to complete
one more piece was organized, smaller “elective”
that further informs their biblical framework and
needed one more piece to complete this puzzle. That
protect the missional integrity of the Jesus gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see to it that the church under your care continues to function as a gathering of people in process.”
leadership, apologetics, finances, marriage, prayer,
classes that individuals could take that would allow them to dig deeper into a topic than Sunday and
one of these elective classes (Offered on a Sunday) enhances their practical Christian living.
even mid-week services would allow.
After some creative planning, the result was what we term – HD Classes (with the HD standing for
THE GROWTH PLAN AT CROSSOVER CHURCH
What happens after new members complete your new members’ classes and process? Many churches hope that they immediately get plugged in and start serving. And while this is a reasonable hope, we have discovered that it should probably not be the only next step. After discussing a gap in individuals taking the
appropriate next steps after completing our 3D
Growth Track, we discovered at our church that we needed to go to the Strategic Drawing Board.
In addition to that, we were seeing commonality
among our membership where we were growing
spiritually as disciples, but there were very evident
signs of casualness about their professional growth,
emotional health and maturity, relational stability, and ultimately, leadership capacity.
A random trip to a nearby Chipotle (not an
endorsement!) helped to provide some answers that we were desperately looking for. The thought was,
“What could happen if individuals could develop a personal holistic discipleship plan (meal) that they enjoyed and could customize at their level?”
What we now have is a group of individuals known as Growth Plan Specialists who sit down with any
person who’s completed the 3D Growth Track and
works to develop a customized plan for this person
that helps provide balanced growth for them in their spiritual intelligence (SQ), emotional intelligence (EQ), physical intelligence (PQ), and intelligence quotient (IQ).
While the results are still in process, we are excited
development (discipleship), we quickly noticed what
ultimate goal is to make disciples that are not just
Because we were doing a good job at their spiritual other areas were missing that we had to provide tools and resources for them. This resulted in
a layered, multi-dimensional Plan of Action for each
member of our church that is relevant, customizable,
and individualized. This approach would be voluntary
about the initial outcomes and feedback. Our
spiritually mature, but disciples that are growing
healthier professionally, relationally, emotionally and
physically. You can sign up for your Growth Plan when you complete the 3D Growth Track.
since we wanted them to not only want the plan, but also be accountable to the plan.
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CROSSOVER MULTIPLIES TO THE CITY OF ATLANTA BY TOMMY “URBAN D” KYLLONEN PA S T O R | C R O S S O V E R T A M PA
We had a desire to multiply beyond our leader-ship conference and our coaching and training, but it needed to be God’s timing. Our church moved into a former Toys R’ Us at the end of 2010 that was more than 7 times larger than our former
campus. It was a huge leap of faith. It took us several years to catch our breath and get balanced with all the new people and all the new space we had to care for.
On top of all of that, if we were going to multiply our actual church it had to be the right leaders that had our hearts and DNA. Many of the people approaching us
From the early days we knew God was doing something special and unique at Crossover. Our desire was always to multiply that and advance God’s kingdom. We quickly became a model for other churches and youth ministries. Crossover has hosted 17 “Flavor Fest” leadership conferences over the years. We have trained close to 5,000 leaders to go back to their cities and innovate to reach more people for Christ. There have been countless people that have approached us that have wanted to start a Crossover in their cities. Many people have asked us if we are going to “franchise” our church – LOL.
about launching a Crossover were people we didn’t know well enough, or we did know them well enough to know they would not be a good fit. We weren’t going to give our name, reputation and brand to just anyone. It had to be a God fit.
In 2009 I was going to Atlanta to a conference and I called Joe McCutchen, who
is the founding pastor of Crossover. He started it in 1991 and was my pastor the first 2 years I was at the church as the youth pastor. He moved to Atlanta to work with Safehouse ministries. On this phone call I asked Joe if he knew anywhere
that myself, and our staff could minister and do a concert on a Wednesday night.
He introduced me to Scott Free. I had briefly met him at the Holy Hip-Hop awards,
but I didn’t really know him. Scott helped put together a dope concert event at the Atlanta Dream Center. That was the beginning of a great friend-ship.
Scott came down to Tampa several times to our Flavor Fest conference and our
Sunday services. I went up to Atlanta several times to do ministry with him. Scott attended my very first coach-ing network webinar that I did for pastors, church planters and ministry leaders.
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I
ATL
At the heart of it all is an urban community driven by
launch Crossover ATL. Their reputation and influence
moved to impact their city with hope, truth and love.
city. Their leadership team has already taken our 3D
compassion to see people experience Jesus and be
For the last 8 years City Takers has shared, borrowed and leased space for its events, meetings and
trainings. The ministry lacks a consistent known place
for people to come together on a regular basis. As the ministry contin-ues to grow and more people decide
through City Takers is already well known in the
Growth Track and they are ready to disciple many
more. Scott and Tami are the lead pastors and they
teamed up with Phillip and Carrie Edge who serve as the executive pastors.
to follow Jesus and to serve with City Takers, the need
We have watched God put this whole thing together;
well. New converts and members are seeking a place
Scott met his wife Tami at Crossover at Flavor Fest
for discipleship on a larger scale continues to grow as to be-long to and learn from on a regular basis.
Close to 2 years ago I called Scott and asked him
again, “Bro, when are you going to plant a church?” He laughed and said that he and Tami had been
praying about it and he wanted to talk to me about
doing it with Crossover. He shared that he didn’t want to re-invent the wheel and he loved our church and we had the same hearts. Immediately, something
inside of me jumped. Although multiple people had
I met Scott through the founding pastor of Crossover, and Scott met Phillip his executive pastor through my coaching network webinar. We’re praying for
countless lives to be touched though Crossover ATL and City Takers as they continue to host outreaches and events under the umbrella of the church.
IF YOU’RE EVER IN ATLANTA go visit our ATL church family! For details check out – www.crossoverchurchatl.com
told me this before, it never felt right. But, this time was always telling Scott that he needed to start a
church, and he would laugh and say, “I don’t know, maybe someday.” At one point he was seriously
considering it as I went to Atlanta and even walked through a warehouse with him that he had blue
I felt God was up to something. We talked some
more and I brought the idea back to some of our
leadership and I expected some pushback as we have a lot going on already. But, instead they were all for us to move forward to explore it.
prints drawn up for a church. But, it wasn’t time yet.
So after lots of prayer, meetings and trainings we
Free’s wedding in Tampa. Tami was from Crossover
believe the city of Atlanta needs a church like ours to
In 2014 I had the honor to officiate Scott and Tami
and they actually met at Flavor Fest. I would always
joke around with Scott that he stole one of our best leaders, as Tami was very involved at our church.
Scott has been an urban mission-ary since 2006 as he launched Freestyle missions in Atlanta. In 2010 he
started hosting “City Takers” which is a monthly HipHop concert/service that has touched thousands of
people. To-day, due to the popularity of the monthly
are excited to Multiply to the city of Atlanta! We
reach people that may not feel comfortable in more traditional or mono-ethnic church-es. We believe
the potential in Atlanta is incredible. Scott and Tami
have built up an army of close to 200 people to help
From the early days we knew God was doing something special and unique at Crossover.
event, City Takers hosts 3-5 programs a week fueled by 50 leaders and over a hundred volunteers.
The outreach, events, music and FM radio show
have grown the humble mission to a movement
that garners national attention and is sought after for consultation, internships and event hosting/ production.
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Every Wednesday Night we offer a Re-Up for people to go deeper in their walk with Christ. This is geared for mature believers that want to dig in. We start with a few songs of worship and we go directly into the Bible Study. It is a more stripped down intimate environment. These Bible Studies go through Christian books and books of the Bible. We have recently gone through
the books; Emotionally Healthy Leader, Dumb things smart Christians believe and the power of God’s
names. We have gone through the Biblical books
of Colossians, Titus, Proverbs and more. At the end of the Re-Up service we usually take time for a Q
and A. There has been some incredibly transparent
moments
and powerful revelation
during the Q and A times. The Re-Up also breaks
Our
can choose from 4 different classes for 6 weeks. This
disciples at Crossover Church from the basic
into class sessions two times a year where people
desire is to move
breaks up the learning experience and makes it
teachings to solid food.
Classes have been on Marriage, Singleness, Blended
The Re-Up service is a place that has solid food on the
manhood, Biblical womanhood and more.
for God’s word in our church as people are going to
Hebrews 6:1 says, “So let us stop going over the basic
Every Wednesday our Kidz Wing is open for infants
instead and become mature in our understanding.”
our Movement Teen Service in the Gym. The whole
even more intimate in smaller classroom settings. families, Parenting, Sharing your faith, Biblical
menu. It’s been awesome to watch the hunger grow the next level in their relationship with Christ.
teachings of Christ again and again. Let us go on
through 5th graders. For 6th – 12th graders we have
Hebrews 5:14 says, “Solid food is for those who
fam can come and get a Re-Up on Wednesday nights!
are mature, who through training have the skill to
recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT @ 7PM
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BY KARMINA & WALLACE PHAIRE
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C ROSSOVER
College Ministry
The Crossover Church College Ministry is dedicated to raise up a generation of young adults that know God’s voice and how to be obedient to God’s Word and His calling. A Passion for Jesus and His purposes on the earth are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that God has positioned Crossover Church within 2 miles of The University of South Florida for the express purpose of making disciples of college
students from all over the world, teaching them God’s Word, how to encounter God through worship and how to live a Godly life while living in community with other believers seeking to allow God to use them for His glory.
This dynamic community of 18 to 25 (ish) year old
young adults is a place where artistry and creativity
thrive. Local rap artists, singer-songwriters, musicians, spoken word artists, dancers, photographers, and
artists of other genres add to the flavor of this urban melting pot that encourages believers to allow
God to be glorified through their innate God-given talents. Because Crossover is a church committed
to the arts and artists, we both value and celebrate
artistic abilities of all kind and showcase the gifts of our community members on a regular basis.
This unique community lends itself be to a thriving art scene where young artists can both display
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their talents and grow spiritually. And if you are a
We are most definitely a community that is grounded
deliberate community of believers. We believe that
and mercy run richly and freely. No matter where
science or business major, we love you too! We are a God has each Christian on mission 24/7! Our goal is live out The Great Commission on every college
campus in the Tampa Bay area and beyond. Members of the College Group are challenged to radically love all people, ones they see daily and also people that live outside our area.
We offer several opportunities to serve on
the mission field each year as well as provide
opportunities for students to connect with other
on God’s Word but we are a place where grace
you are, if it is your desire to know God, we can
make that happen! We believe that Godliness is
contagious! Yes, we are hip, we are hip-hop, and we are real people that love real talk, but we are also
hot embers waiting to ignite the flames of revival
in this generation. God is moving here in this place
and in our group and we will not rest until we see His Kingdom come and His will be done in the lives of every young adult in our area.
believers within their generation to partner and plan
The pantone of God’s creation is best seen in the
up. Our weekly meetings offer times for worship,
Church and a College Group of all colors and races
steps to make The Name of Jesus high and lifted
prayer, encouragement from the Word and yes, lots
of fun. We believe that when Jesus said that He came to give us life and life more abundantly, He meant it! This is not the average community of young adults
that just gather on Sundays. We have committed to
doing life together. Be it impromptu late night diner
diversity of ethnicities that He created. We are a
and it is beautiful. We resemble the body of Christ. If you live in our area or plan to visit our area, you
already know you have a place to call home. Come
join us and lets love God, serve others, and see God’s
Kingdom increase together. Oh and in case I forgot to mention, we have a lot of fun here!
runs, pool parties, Taco Tuesdays, The Community
JOHN PUNCH
know ya’ll are broke!), we love being together and
JHPUNCH@SEU.EDU
Sunday Lunch (free for all students, ‘cause we
encouraging one another in the faith that we all love so dearly. Yes, we are committed, but no, we are not perfect. The Crossover College Ministry welcomes young adults no matter where they are on their journey with Christ.
Director of College Ministries
The mission of Southeastern University is to equip students to discover and develop their divine design to
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
• Flexible online learning blended with face-to-face instruction.
• Faith-based leadership training from ministry
• Bachelor of Science in Business & Professional Leadership
• Bachelor of Science in Ministerial Leadership
leaders while earning practicum credit.
TUITION
leadership.
• Online learning resources including library
Tuition................................................$6,300
Southeastern is partnering with Crossover Church in
• Federal and state financial aid available for
Technology Fee......................................$200
at an affordable price. As a student at the Crossover
(FASFA required, school code 00521)
prestige of getting a Southeastern degree with the
ACCREDIDATION
serve Christ and the world through Spirit-empowering life, learning and
Tampa, FL to offer degree programs to local students Church extension site, you can benefit from the
convenience of attending classes in your hometown and online.
Southeastern’s degree programs are designed to
equip you with tools you need to succeed in ministry or in the workplace.
• Access to student financial services.
Annual tuition for a standard degree program:
databases and MyFire course portal.
Site Fee...............................................$3,000
qualified students
TOTAL (projected)................................$9,800
Southeastern University is accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate,
baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees.
AVAILABLE DEGREE PROGRAMS • Associate of Arts
• Associate of Ministerial Leadership
Program costs are estimates and are subject to
change based on number of credits enrolled in per semester. Students enrolled in practicum receive
a scholarship that covers the cost of the practicum
(3 credits). Tuition listed is based on 15 credits per semester, with practicum scholarship.
WANT MORE INFORMATION? John Punch - Director Jhpunch@seu.edu
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REMIX THE SOUND OF
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CROSSOVER CHURCH’S WORSHIP & CREATIVE ARTS DEPARTMENT BY: DARNEL BUTLER - REMIX DIRECTOR Remix? Praise? Worship? Do these words even go
together? How can this even happen? How can you put all of these words in the same sentence and
expect God to be pleased with it? These are all words that I heard when I decided to move from Daytona
Beach to Tampa in the fall of 2017. After serving and leading worship in Daytona for the past 20 years I
felt a calling and a tugging from the Lord. Honestly, I
heard His voice say, “I’m calling you to do something new!” So, I packed my family up and headed across
the state for the “new.” What I inherited was a name
that many “so-called” believers didn’t think belonged in the category of praise and worship. What these
people have failed to think about or realize is that we are called to save the WORLD. Now, don’t get
it confused. We are NOT of this world. We are just CALLED to it!
The praise and worship team of Crossover Church
brings a high energy feel to the worship experience. With over 15 people on the stage moving in
synchronized motions, and playing instruments with excellence, we help lead the people of God into His
very presence every single week. On a typical Sunday
because of the relationship that we have with our Father.
at Crossover Church you can be assured that you will
We also have a team of worshippers who are not
name says) remixed with a Crossover Church twist.
behind the cameras, on the lighting board, and on
hear some mainstream worship songs but, (as our
This includes adding a few bars for a rap, or having dancers hit the stage with us, or someone doing a
spoken word piece to transition into the next song.
You might even see a painter creating a masterpiece during a song. There are just so many ways that we
can reach an “unchurched” and “de-churched” world and our team wants to use all avenues to grab them
on the stage. These people are in our sound booth, the media computers. Every week they show worship to God by making sure that our worship experience has the look and the sound that would be pleasing unto the eyes and ears of our heavenly Father.
They also help spread our worship experience to
thousands of people worshipping with us online.
and bring them in. But make no mistake about it, no
All together our worship and creative arts department
the glory of God. We don’t sugar coat the Word of
and worship as we continue to help build the
matter what we are doing on that stage, it is all for
God and we will never provide our God with bootleg worship.
press forward to provide and teach effective praise kingdom of God in Tampa and beyond.
Our team is comprised of many different races, colors, and ethnicities who all love God with all of their
heart. The bible says that those who worship him
MUST worship him in spirit and in truth. Our team is and will always be, first and foremost, worshippers.
There is a truth to how we worship. We don’t worship for show or sport. We worship because this was the
commandment given to us in the bible. We worship
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This vision has been brewing for years and like a good cup of coffee, some things take time. Crossover Church has always been a very relational community. This starts from the top leadership all the way down. After every church service and event you can always find the pastors and leaders in the lobby with the people.
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When Crossover first acquired our location on Fowler
At the center of every community is a gathering place
former retail box that was occupied by Toys R’ Us.
For centuries this central gathering place has been
Avenue, it was a blank slate. The building was a
When the toy store left for a new suburban location, the building was an empty shell. It was a big open 43,000 square foot room as there were no walls
left. Crossover had a clean canvas to create the build out of our new church. We were very intentional on carving out a large lobby space so there would be
plenty of room for relationships, food and fellowship. And coffee!
for people to gather, to talk, work, eat and just be.
the local coffee shop. Since our opening, Crossover
Church has made enriching the lives our neighbors and our community a top priority. We have wanted our church not only to be a place for people to
connect with God, but also a place for community
members and visitors to connect with one another. The neighborhood around Crossover Church is now a designated Innovation District. Billions of dollars
of new development and reinvestment are coming
powerhouse cities throughout the world with
magazine. The blueprints finally were completed in
process of rebranding itself as “Uptown”. The district
Crossover style. Well-trained baristas will craft
but good things that are brewing don’t happen
to the area in the next 5-10 years. The area is in the is diverse. The University of South Florida has over
50,000 students from 145 countries. We have over
5 world-class hospitals including the nation’s second largest VA hospital. Just two miles east of us is the
Busch Gardens theme park, which attracts millions
a touch of Tampa flavor remixed with a little
both hot and cold coffee and tea beverages for
pure drinking enjoyment. The space is going to
become a destination with a second level steel deck overlooking the lobby with a spiral staircase.
of tourists.
There will be an additional second level deck that will
The neighborhoods within a few miles of the church
offer two levels of seating in an outdoor environment.
go from the hood to million dollar houses. It’s multiethnic, multi-generational and multi-class. All of this converges on Fowler Ave, as it’s one of the busiest streets in our city that is in need of a great coffee
shop. Crossover Coffee will be the place where the city meets.
Our third wave coffee shop will feature a coffee
program that will rival the coffee houses in coffee
go outside over 50 feet of the front sidewalk that will
The inside seating on the lower level will also feature a private room with glass walls that can be used for meeting space.
In 2018 the vision for Crossover Coffee was revealed as part of the Multiply Campaign. Some money
was raised from the congregation and some money from outside of the church. Fund raising efforts
the fall of 2018, which was much later than expected, overnight.
When completed, the mission of Crossover Coffee is to be open 7 days a week as an outreach to our community. We’re praying and anticipating that
there will be thousands of people that will step into
the building for a cup of coffee during the week that would never initially come to a church service.
Our goal is to hire a team of friendly people from within the church to be the baristas to welcome
people into their house. As relationships are built, ministry will organically start percolating. Stay
tuned… we’ll be serving up beans for your soul real soon!
are continuing at the time of the printing of this
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CHOSEN TREASURES BY NAN MORGAN
Watching and experiencing Crossover’s growth since 2005 when my family first attended the 10:00 am service at the old campus, I have once again witnessed tremendous change in myself both personally and professionally as well as in our community. From a new campus in 2010, to three services on Sunday, and a midweek service on Wednesdays, Crossover Church is always seeking new ways to
share the love of God by expanding, partnering,
and developing new ministries and ideas. One of
the latest ministry partnerships is with a home for
women who are coming out of the human trafficking
lifestyle. The home is named Chosen Treasures At the Well and I am the founder of this ministry and this is a bit of my testimony and ministry beginnings.
“Over 20 years ago, I was given an opportunity to put
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my life back together again after spending 10 years
with so much of her story as maybe some of you can.
drug rehabilitation resource in the community where
as a real person. Jesus spoke to her on the basis of
living as a drug addict. Fortunately, I was led to a
I lived and spent 2 months in an intensive treatment center. When it came time to leave the facility I did
not feel mentally strong enough to navigate my life back to stability and sustainability.
I needed more time in a supportive and healthy
environment to strengthen my financial, mental, and spiritual needs in order to keep my life moving in a
positive direction. From my experience of living in a
safe home for 6 months after my intensive treatment program, my heart was illuminated by God to the benefits of providing a safe, restorative home for
women giving them an opportunity to stop the cycle
This woman, so profoundly changed by being treated who she was, not what she did. He looked pass the brokenness of her life to see a human being with value.
The inspiration for this ministry home was birthed out of a series of wrong choices, like the woman at the
well, but isn’t it just like God to take our brokenness and turn it into beauty if we allow him to direct our lives and obediently follow Him? God reminded me of the circumstances in my own life that he
transformed and the question became, “will you give what was given to you?”
of violence and exploitation in their lives.”
In 2017 my biblical word for the year was “stretch”,
Have you read the scripture about the woman at the
experience life beyond my comfort zone. This word
well who is transformed by an encounter with Jesus? It is an iconic story of second chances, of faith that can change the course of a person’s life. I identify
which I understood to mean that I was about to
was never more true for my team and me as we
began planning and building this ministry. BUT
GOD... this was his plan and we were his gals, that
AT THE WELL
he was going to use to make his vision reality. All
agency recovers an average of 25 to 30 domestic
It is our desire that women in our home will see God’s
persevering so we did and are still doing.
human trafficking report call Tampa a major hub for
relationship with God.
we were expected to do was trust him and keep
Under U.S. federal law, trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining [of] a person for the purpose of a
minor sex trafficking victims each year. Nationwide
a $2.5 billion massage parlor sex trade as reported in a recent news story by Mark Douglas with News Channel 8.
commercial sex act where such an act is induced
“CHOSEN TREASURES AT THE WELL” is a completely
induced to perform such act has not attained 18
will soon be the home to four women ages 18-35
by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person years of age.” In other words, sex trafficking is
nothing less than slavery. When an offender takes
a woman against her will and forces her to engage in prostitution, that offender has stolen both their freedom and their dignity.
remodeled house in Crossover’s neighborhood that that are survivors of sex trafficking in a post-treatment residential home. The home will provide a holistic
approach to assist woman in their transition into safe, independent living in the community they live in.
We will work in excellence to serve the women in our
love through us and have the desire to explore a
As we move forward in our endeavor, we may not
know everything about a person as Jesus does, but
this we do know: Everyone we encounter, those living in privilege or those in the safe and secure middle of society or those on the margins, are all the same. We
are people aching for hope, aching for peace of heart, aching for acceptance, wanting to love and be loved. We are grateful to come alongside Crossover Church
and continue spreading God’s message of hope, love, and forgiveness.
program.
If you have a desire to support CTATW, through
enforcement personnel to have one of the highest
Out of this heart to love God and love others, we
appreciate hearing from you:
Tampa Bay area has been identified specifically as
care, comprehensive physical care and sensitive
Florida is commonly known amongst law
incidences of human trafficking in the country. The a region struggling with these issues (Shared Hope International). Locally, the Tampa Innocence Lost
purpose to offer our ladies up-to-date, emotional spiritual care. We believe Christ is the foundation of
prayer, financially, or as a volunteer, we would
CHOSENTREASURESATW@GMAIL.COM facebook: chosentreasures813
healing and central to sustained life transformation.
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Crossover’s Core Value #6 states, “We value giving and generosity. We give to our local church, our community, other churches and missionaries around the world. We realize everything we have is God’s and we just get to manage it temporarily. We are here to rebuild our city as we meet tangible needs, bring empowerment and live out the Gospel.” * Isaiah 32:18. This is the Thrive Ministry. We are one of the many
threads that make up this core value throughout the Crossover DNA.
“Rebuilding” a city involves closing the gaps between the church and the community. The greatest impact
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this ministry serves within Crossover is the call to
carry this out. Thrive team members take the time to research employment resources, housing, and
to take their next steps with employment, job certifications, workshops and more.
utility assistance within the community. Additionally,
Thrive also runs a food pantry providing food for the
in order to provide support and guidance based on
community. Food is available after our services on
a Thrive member is available to meet in a safe place the individual needs. Such meetings could include
completing a budget sheet, goal planning, referrals to local community agencies, accountability, prayer and spiritual guidance.
We believe that the community around Crossover deserves to have a peaceful environment where
people are not afraid to seek help when they need it as well as receiving the knowledge and tools to take care of themselves and those around them.
By bringing needed resources to our church family
and partnering with organizations in the community we are able to assist, educate and empower people
immediate needs of our families and those in our
Sundays and Wednesdays. We receive monthly food donations and we partner with Feeding Tampa Bay.
Having the food pantry, allows us a great opportunity to provide food and other household items to our members as well as the community at large. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, we were able to provide
groceries for 139 families in North Tampa. We also
use this pantry as a great resource for our outreach events throughout the year such as Love Our City.
Thrive is more than a hand out… we strive to give people a hand up!
F R I DAY N I G H T
LIVE
Celebrate RECOVERY
Our nation is currently experiencing an opioid crisis. The drug epidemic has crossed all ethnic and economic lines. Time Magazine said opioids are now responsible for 1 in 5 deaths of all young adults and The Washington Post wrote that the opioid epidemic is more deadly than the Vietnam War in 68’. Tampa is not immune to this crisis as people are overdosing everyday in our city. Over ten years ago our church had a vision to start
Celebrate Recovery for people that were struggling
with different addictions, hurts and hang-ups. But, as with starting anything you must make sure you have the right leader and it must be God’s timing.
We regularly sent people in our church to other
churches with Celebrate Recovery programs, but we desired to have one at our church that we could put
our own flavor to it so the urban community would feel more comfortable.
Benny Fernandez III started attending Crossover off
praying and waiting for to lead this ministry. He
started training under another Celebrate Recovery program for an entire year.
and on in 2013. He used to walk to church as he
In June of 2017, Crossover launched “Friday Night
away from receiving a DUI. Pastor Tommy connected
Recovery. It happens every Friday Night at 7pm in
lived in the neighborhood and had his license taken with Benny and kept reaching out to him as he saw so much potential in his life. But at the time Benny
was still struggling with his addictions and he would come to church a few times and then disappear for months.
In 2015, God began to really get a hold of Benny and he became fully sober from all drugs and Alcohol.
In 2016 he got married and started attending Bible
College at the church. He shared with Pastor Tommy that he had this desire to start a program at the
church to help people get off of drugs. He had no
Live” which is our unique version of Celebrate
the Gym at Crossover. There is a free meal, worship, testimonies, guest artists, chip celebrations, a
message, and small groups. We’re seeing hundreds of people experience freedom from our church and our community.
If you or someone you know has been struggling with an addiction, a hurt or a hang-up we invite
you to come out to a safe place where you can find healing or hope. If you have a heart to serve or a
passion to lead we encourage you to come check us out as well!
idea the church already had a vision for this ministry. They knew that Benny was the one we had been
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COPELAND PARK – TAMPA, FLORIDA
“GO INTO THE HIGHWAYS AND THE HEDGES AND COMPEL THEM TO COME”
KIDZ MIN BY MARTY WHITE
“Karen” is seven years old. The beads in her hair make a soft clicking sound as she walks. She looks up at me and smiles, revealing that she is missing a tooth. “Can you be my dad?” she asks me. There are some questions that you simply can’t be
prepared for. I don’t care how much you have prayed, or how often you study the Bible, when you have
been called to minster to children, there seems to be no end to their ability to surprise you.
For about a year, Karen has been coming to Sidewalk Sunday School in Copeland park. Every Friday after school, for about an hour, there are games, music,
balloons, sometimes even prizes. Most importantly, every week, we share a message about Christ, and God’s love with the children that attend.
Most weeks, there is anywhere between 40 and 60
kids that will come out and join us, though we have
seen as many as 89 kids at one time. For some kids,
like Karen, it has become the highlight of their week. I know this because her mother told me so.
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In addition to the Sidewalk Sunday School program
Now it’s my turn to pause. I pray silently for
the children that come. It’s one thing to preach to
like that?
on Fridays, we also go out and visit the families of
random kids that just happen to show up, it’s entirely
something to say. How do you respond to something
different when you have taken the time to actually
“Well. I’m sorry Karen, but I can’t be your dad.
your perspective.
head, the beads click-clacking loudly.
get to know their parents and families. It changes
Do you know why?” I kneel down as she shakes her
Once you know what a kid is going home to, you see
“It’s because the Bible says that if you believe in
kids go home to caring, loving families, others are
God is your Father, do you know what that makes
them differently. You quickly learn that while some not so blessed.
Jesus, then God is your Father.” I tell her, “And if you?” I ask.
I have had kids tell me that the reason that they like
Karen’s face spreads into a smile.
only time that they get to just be a kid and no one
“A princess!” she declares happily, raising her hands
“Why do you want me to be your dad?” I ask
“That’s right!” I agree. “And don’t you forget it.”
face as she thinks about it.
For More information about Crossover Church’s
“Cause you talk like Jesus.” She answers.
at sidewalkforkids@crossoverchurch.org
coming to Sidewalk on Fridays, is because it’s the yells at them.
Karen. She pauses for a moment, scrunching up her
in the air.
Sidewalk Sunday School Program, email Marty White
B Y PA S T O R T O M M Y “ U R B A N D.” K Y L L O N E N
Our world seems to be filled with hate more than ever before. Maybe it’s just our 24-hour a day news cycle and our neverending social media feed, but we all feel it. The past few years there seems to have been a resurgence of racism, hate, fear and polarized sides with everything from politics, to policies to police. As tragedies and social issues fill the headlines, the church seems to be nearly absent in the conversation. Many people view the church as irrelevant. But, we are called to be agents of reconciliation. Christ-
followers are called to make a difference in their
communities. Christ-followers and churches have the answer, however, it seems we’ve lost most of
our credibility at the table. Love Our City is a way
to build real credibility to speak life back into our communities.
Our world needs real love more than ever before. Jesus told us that the second most important
commandment was to love our neighbor as we love
ourselves. Most of us would agree that’s a great thing
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that we should do, but most of us don’t regularly do
This changes the reputation of the church and builds
it boils down to our busyness and our comfort. We
types of projects; pay it forward projects, service
it. Why? The reasons could be complex, but most of don’t have much margin in our lives and we don’t feel like getting uncomfortable.
Doing an entire church campaign creates momentum and helps move people together out of their comfort zone and it helps them begin to make it a priority. We believe this could be the finest hour for the church to rise up and bring communities back together.
Millennials are mostly absent from the church and leaving the church at alarming rates. Churches are
real credibility on so many levels. We have 3 main projects, and appreciation projects.
Pay it forward projects can touch every demographic. We are paying for people’s coffee, gas, movie tickets, groceries, washing machines (at Laundromats), etc.
Service projects are where we are cleaning up trash, cutting lawns, cleaning up yards, painting houses, cleaning bathrooms and cleaning schools that we
partner with. Appreciation projects are where we put on appreciation lunches for teachers, police officers, fire fighters and several businesses in our district.
trying to figure out how to attract them and keep
When Crossover Church started doing Love Our City
are being involved in their communities. Many of
membership in our history. There were close to 80%
them. Some of the biggest passions they have
them think the church is not doing enough in their neighborhoods and they leave out of frustration,
as they believe the church isn’t fulfilling its biblical mission.
Love Our City is an entire week of community
engagement projects. We unleash an army of
volunteers to go into our district of the city to serve.
it became the largest engagement of our church
of the church serving during the Love Our City week. Imagine if you could rally 80% of your church to get involved in something? It’s usually the other way
around where we get 20% of people involved and
the other 80% just sit. Love Our City gives people a
taste of serving, and many of them continue to serve afterwards.
IN 2017 CROSSOVER LAUNCHED LOVE OUR CITY WEEK AND COMPLETED 70 PROJECTS WITH 600 VOLUNTEERS. IN 2018 IT GREW TO 107 PROJECTS WITH OVER 1,000 VOLUNTEERS.
those people are now plugged in and growing in
as we are leading the change and transformation
been one of the most revolutionary things our church
become corporate sponsors that help us continue to
their walk with Christ at our church. Love Our City has has ever done!
Serving out in the community can build new
place.
Love Our City has become a movement with churches
serving with Love Our City T-shirts multiple times
more information about Love Our City and how to do
Punch moved into our community and saw people in the neighborhood that week. It peaked his
curiosity to come and visit. It turns out that John was
previously a ministry leader in a lay capacity and staff
Our goal is to simply show the love of Christ and
are ministry moments that develop. People ask for
new college ministry.
people have questions. God shows up in different
In just one year our college ministry now has over
also personally invited to the Love Our City party,
church. Several of the students in the ministry were
Every gift bag has an invite flyer in it and during
week. The growth in that ministry has added to the
prayer and others need someone to talk to. Some
grow Love Our City and make our community a better
relationships and even attract new leaders. John
capacity at a few different churches. He got involved
plant seeds. Out of the simple acts of kindness there
in our community. Many of these businesses have
at our church as a volunteer and soon launched our
ways at each project. Every person that we touch is
100 new students that are regularly attending our
which is our church services that coming Sunday.
actually reached through our latest Love Our City
several of the projects we directly put a flyer in
overall momentum at our church. All of it can be
people’s hands.
traced back to stepping out to do Love Our City.
In 2018 we had hundreds of new visitors attend
Crossover has loved our city for years. It’s a process
touched by Love Our City. Over 100 people started
reputation in your city. I now have the opportunity
following Sunday we baptized 88 people. Many of
board alongside city leaders and top business people
church the following Sunday because they were
that over time begins to build trust and a positive
a relationship with Christ that Sunday and the
to sit as vice chair on our innovation district advisory
all over the country participating. If your church wants it in your community – We have created a Leader’s
Kit that includes the Love Our City 30 Day Devotional book, a leaders guide and thumb drive with all the resources to help you win!
Check out www.loveourcitybook.com
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CROSSOVER CONNECTS WITH THE
HILLSBOROUGH JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER AS
DA CREW “DA” CREW which stands for “Directing Adolescents” makes weekly visits to the youth detained in the detention center in the city of Tampa. They go in a few different times a week to have discussion groups about life issues that these teens are dealing with on a daily basis; respect, trust, conflict, anger and betrayal. They center the discussion around a scripture and the love of Christ.
Many of these teens feel like they are forgotten as
In 2010 Crossover Church took over the old Toys R’
speaks life and encourages these young men and
from our congregation to lead the massive 43,000
their families have given up on them. The team
women that God loves them and there is a purpose for their lives.
Us building. We hired a young man (Francisco Diaz) square foot construction project with his company “Heaven Sent Construction”.
The members of Da Crew also use their gifts and
We met Francisco just 6 years before in this same
have rappers, singers and dancers come and share
years old. We had no idea what God was up to! At
talents to connect with these youth. We regularly
their talents and their testimonies. Several members of our church have their own non-profits that also
partner. G3 does sports ministry and Hope To Dance teaches dance. There has even been some big
cookout events that we have sponsored on Saturday afternoons.
The teens and the staff love when Crossover comes
each week to bring our unique flavor as we share the
love of Christ. Several of these teens continue to keep in touch after they get out and some now regularly
attend the church. Da Crew is building more mentors to help them achieve success after they are released.
exact Juvenile Detention Center when he was 17
23 years old he led the entire project and saved the
church close to $700,000 in costs and loaned us over $200,000 at the end of the project.
We would have never guessed just 6 years before this that this incarcerated young man would help
us rebuild our new church. It goes to show that you never know what God is going to do with broken people you are ministering to.
We believe God is going to use some of these young people to change the world!
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STEP INTO THE RING MEN’S MINISTRY
Men wake up and head into a fight every day. They fight for many different reasons… some fight for their families, their children, their marriages, their purity, their passions, their money, their dreams, their position… and many other things.
Every few months the men of Crossover Church
that men fight for their minds. It is at the table that
morning to get some solid training. In the world of
manhood when a father wasn’t present. It’s in the
gather at the Fight Club breakfast on a Saturday
boxing or MMA you train to take out your opponent. The conditioning and training at Crossover’s Fight Club requires each man to spar against the very
person he will someday have to defeat: Himself! Fight Club moves beyond the typical overstated masculine cheers and chest bumping that is
Many men don’t have the proper training for the ring
often confused with being a man. In fact, while
someone mature in their corner to advise them on
promoted by the world, Fight Club is returning to the
of life. Some of them never had a coach, a trainer or
acknowledging the false manhood characteristics
their next moves. As a result we have a lot of men
ultimate intentions of God when He created man.
fighting with bad techniques and they even end up
In order to fight for the Kingdom of God, and fight
that get beat down in the fight of life and they start fighting for the wrong things.
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for our families and our city, God is first requiring
men challenge what the streets taught them about ring that men learn to take a second look at what their father, grandfather or uncle taught them or did not teach them about sex, money, race and
responsibility. It’s in the ring where men discover real Biblical Manhood.
All men 18 and up are invited to step into Fight Club’s ring in Crossover’s gym. We are training up men to win!
CHOOSING TO HOPE OBEY SERVE AND ENCOURAGE NOW …FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. - ESTHER 4:14 | BY LUCY KYLLONEN
WHO WE ARE
C.H.O.S.E.N.’S Women’s gathering takes place the
second Monday of every month at 7pm. Each service is designed with care for the specific needs and
challenges of the urban woman. Our heart is to see
the women commit to being learners of God’s Word
through the fellowship and gathering of other sisters in Christ!
PURPOSE STATEMENT
CHOSEN exists to help women actively live life in community with other women and
to confidently walk in their unique purpose and design. #activeconfidence
PHILOSOPHY & MISSION
“The Lord has a work for women as well as for men. They may take their places in His work at this crisis, and He will work through them… They can do in families a work that men cannot do, a work that
reaches the inner life. They can come close to the
hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is needed.” —Welfare Ministry, Ellen G. White
• An opportunity for discipling, mentoring, and
Empowering the next generation through Chosen
• A place to address the spiritual, emotional, physical
High School girls and bridging the gap into biblical
nurturing women;
and social needs of women in the church;
• A place where women are encouraged to develop in their walk with God;
• A place where women are enabled and empowered to empower others.
RETREATS/ CONFERENCES The purpose of a retreat is spiritual enrichment,
Gems - intentional connection with Crossover’s
womanhood in collaboration with The Movement Youth Ministry.
Empowering the broken-hearted through Reaching Out Care Ministry -
Offering hope, love and encouragement to those
experiencing a life challenge such as those who are ill or injured, those dealing with the loss of a loved
fellowship, and an opportunity to challenge women
one or an overwhelmed single mom or a new mom.
It is a forum to help address topics and issues as they
Empowering women in bondage through Chosen
deep encounter with their Creator.
A partnership with a post-treatment home with the
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
effects of sexual exploitation and with a mission to
to become involved with the mission of the church.
affect women and an opportunity for renewal and a
In October of 2017, CHOSEN celebrated 10 Years of
Ministry at Crossover Church. During those ten years
ladies participated and experienced various activities, events, seminars, conferences, retreats and much
more. In the beginning 2018, CHOSEN embarked on
Treasures At the Well -
vision is to see women set free from the long-term create women of leadership in our community.
For more information about CHOSEN or the above
programs, please email chosen@crossoverchurch.org. Follow “chosen813” on our social media platforms.
a new journey of empowering others.
CHOSEN is committed to encouraging, challenging, equipping and nurturing Crossover Women to grow in their walk with God as they commit to serve each other in the local body. It exists to affirm women and their true value in God and to minister to the broad spectrum of women’s needs.
CHOSEN PROVIDES 60
CRITICAL QUESTIONS
FOR THE HEALTHY URBAN CHURCH
BY CHRISTOPHER HARRIS
Have you ever been to a doctor who only treated you for your symptoms and didn’t get to the root of the problem? I have! It’s frustrating. It could have been a common cold or something worse. Either way, I didn’t go to the doctor to only treat my symptoms – although that would provide
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Enter the multi-ethnic, multi-generational, and multi-
I get that many of our urban churches have had to
fluctuates, leadership gaps remain unfilled, and so
class church!
The true, healthy multi-ethnic, multi-generational,
and multi-class church corrects the false theology that is perpetuated in Western Civilization. Its design is to correct the false notion that the church is perfect and cannot hurt people. In fact, it openly states that our
church is imperfect and requires patience as you deal
short-term relief.
with us. This church helps to create a new narrative
I went to the doctor to help me long-term and be a
confidence, correct theology, personal experience,
this approach to my previous doctor’s visit and where
local community.
church is positioned to acknowledge the symptoms
This drum for the multi-ethnic church has been the
relief. But make no mistake about it, we are in the
five to ten years (and in some cases longer). It’s time
definitely dealing with the root of problems.
the foundation for a multi-ethnic church to building
Sure, the root of the problem is sin and sin touches so
Perkins, Mark DeYmaz, Efrem Smith, Derwin Gray,
foundation, the concrete has dried and we can safely
governmental leaders, media influence and
Now that your church is established and folks are
our country and the soul of people being revealed
ministry, what are you doing to move your church to
of what’s possible and arms God’s soldiers with the
part of my overall healing process. As I’ve reflected on
and ministry mandate that spreads throughout the
our world (and particularly, the United States) is, the
in our culture and possibly offer some short-term
core message for many of our churches for the past
“business” of offering solutions for the long-term and
to shift our focus from seeking validation and laying
on the foundation that’s been laid. Folks like John
many social, political and cultural issues.
Tommy Kyllonen and others have already laid a
The current culture, combined with the current
build on it.
relationships have positioned us to see the soul of
buying into your message of a healthy multi-ethnic
and uncovered.
healthy stability?
rub penny’s together, budgets get tight, attendance many other realities that we have all experienced. But at some point, we have to mature past trading the stories.
I BELIEVE THE TIME TO PIVOT IS NOW.
In your context, what does a healthy church look
like? At what point will your messages engage the
newcomer but also feed the regular attender? In what season will your leadership work to create multiple
stable streams of income instead of looking for cool side hustles? When will you establish the systems
and strategies that will lead to long-term growth and health rather than living for the next Sunday?
I want to offer five solutions that can challenge you and your leadership to move towards maturity and ultimately create healthy disciples in your church. These aren’t the only solutions but can give you a
great start in the process of pivoting towards maturity.
A. WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
The Bible is full of cool stories, incredible wisdom,
insightful life application, and modern-day drama,
but if your preaching and teaching isn’t well thought out and you aren’t planning your preaching and
teaching calendar at least on a quarterly basis, in
which you are thinking through the topic, scripture
texts, illustrations, visuals, examples, and even who’s best to present this message, you are shortchanging your church.
All of us know by now that a healthy diet is a huge bulk of a healthy lifestyle. You can be physically
active and it still not matter much if your diet is out
of whack. This also applies spiritually. Your teaching and preaching topics are the spiritual diet of your people. Are they getting a balanced diet?
B. IS THE ENVIRONMENT EXCELLENT?
I once passed a marquee sign in front of a
hotel that said, “Cable TV and Clean Sheets.” I
immediately knew that wasn’t a place that I wanted to visit. They were advertising (bragging) about the
minimum. Clean sheets are a basic expectation. And really what that said to me was that they weren’t
focusing on creating a “WOW Experience” for me
great body language, leaders and people who remain
expectations of a “WOW Experience” when they enter
and the extra-mile mentality are all a part of the
as the customer. People should not lower their our churches.
Our physical buildings should reflect care, attention, and excellence. Clean facilities, vacuumed floors, painted walls, clear visuals, cut grass, trash in the trashcan, and a nice smell are only the tip of the
iceberg of the basic expectations that people have of any facility that they enter.
C. IS YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AS GOOD AS CHICK-FIL-A’S?
in the know for the questions that people will ask, School of Customer Service.
D. ARE YOU DIGGING FOR DATA?
Getting your hands on people’s personal information, shopping patterns, decision trends, and so much
more is big business. For the church, it’s about other habits – attendance, driving, online participation,
discipleship, facility usage, etc. It is good to gather the data, but even better to utilize it for great decision-making.
dollars for a chicken sandwich and fries because we
Let’s face it. You and I are willing to pay a few more
E. WHO’S FOLLOWING UP?
are guaranteed to hear, “My Pleasure!” at the end
After people have attended your service or interacted
of every request. It’s addictive and inviting. It’s the
standard that one company has set and regardless of
location, it’s consistent. The more exposed people are to great customer service, the quicker they recognize when the customer service is either non-existent or subpar.
In an age of Yelp, Facebook reviews and social media viral videos, customer service matters every single
with your website, what happens next? What are the clear next steps? We have so many people to come in and out of our doors without effective follow-
up. We are in essence saying to God, “We can’t be trusted with the people you send our way…” Your
church can have an amazing worship and incredible
sermon. Neither will matter if your system for followup is not created, optimized and evaluated.
time. And more importantly for the church, we cannot have an “Off-Day”. Smiling faces, pleasant exchanges,
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S.O.U.L.
Significance BY LUCY KYLLONEN
“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit.It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Each and every one of us, have seeds that have been
This parable focuses on the seed and its inevitable
conditions these seeds will break through from
grow when it is received, by faith, into the heart of the
planted in the garden of our heart. Under the right the inside out and we can reap the benefits of a
harvest - a gracious blessing from God and a miracle.
Isaiah 55:11 NLT
Yet, under the wrong conditions, the seed may
WE CAN COUNT HOW MANY SEEDS ARE IN AN APPLE, BUT ONLY GOD KNOWS HOW MANY APPLES ARE IN EACH SEED.
The seed may remain dormant for years waiting
Fifty percent of our food consumption comes from
the extremely versatile fruit that we eat. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can cook it or eat it raw, freeze it or puree it. But, past this, I don’t think we give it much more thought. We know they are
picked or harvested from trees and from plants and that they come from all over the world. But where
does the actual fruit come from? How does the apple
get on the tree? How does the watermelon grow from a plant?
This brings us to the seed. Fruit that ends up on your plate more than likely had its humble beginnings in the ground. It came from a seed - an apple seed; an
orange seed, a watermelon seed; a cantaloupe seed, etc. The apple seed has all the information it needs to produce apples and the orange seed has all the
information it needs to produce oranges. The seed
was needed to provide and transfer the information in order to produce the exact fruit it would become
and it was God who created every single seed on the face of the earth. (Genesis 1:29)
That’s a lot of power packed inside just one seed that multiplies and becomes a harvest. Knowing this, we
really shouldn’t judge a seed by its size, because this tiny little thing can obviously pack a big punch. A
tiny little seed under the right conditions results in miracles taking place.
never sprout out and experience it’s full potential. for the nurturing that it needs and to reveal the extraordinary life that it has inside of it.
In the Parable of the Growing Seed found in Mark 4:26-29 Jesus made a comparison between the
growth because it is inevitable that God’s seed will
hearer. That seed grows independently in the heart. Just as the earth produces the crops on its own, the
culmination of the Kingdom of God does not depend on human action. However, if the seed of God’s Word is going to bear fruit, it’s got to rest on fertile soil in
responsive hearts. Fertilizer in our lives is like going through the tough times and pressing in to God.
And it was all possible, because the seed was always there, waiting for the right conditions.
Kingdom of God and a farmer. As He was speaking
An excerpt from the book, The Seed Was Always
Kingdom of God in the hearts of the hearers. The
but joyous in and of themselves, but they can
these words, He was planting the seeds of the
farmer goes out and scatters the seed on the ground and he went about his business. Through a process, the earth then produced the crops on it own. The
farmer doesn’t understand the process, nonetheless, when the grain is ready, he goes to harvest it but it was God who gave the increase.
IF HE GIVES YOU WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU WANT IT, YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BEAR THE GOOD FRUIT.
There, reads, “The trials we go through are anything produce a fruit of righteousness in each of us when we change our perspective regarding the situation.
As difficult as it may seem, going through a trial often works in our favor when we ask God to make use of
it for us. And when our faith has been strengthened and our endurance has grown, there is an even
greater assurance of what we will receive in eternity with Him.” (Faith Chapter, page 91-92)
My apple can go bad, but not the seed inside
of it. When everything on the outside begins to
deteriorate and bruise, a seed is waiting to grow,
break-through the dirt and produce a harvest. And
Has God ever done something in your life that left
this right here is where the miracle takes place.
You analyze the situation from every angle, but deep
a parent returns to the ways of the Lord; where
you don’t know how you got that promotion because
takes place; where courage takes root; a new journey
you wondering, “how in the world did that happen?”
Where marriages are restored. Where a child or
down, you just don’t know how it was possible. Like,
emotional healing takes place; where forgiveness
you didn’t meet all the qualifications.
begins. But the question is, can the seed of your faith
You don’t know why he asked you to marry him
physical and spiritual restoration and provides it for
patiently puts up with you. You don’t know how you
but few want to fertilize their soil.
because you know you are a hot mess and he
survive the conditions of your soil? God is all about
each of us. However, the harvest is plenty available,
got through the death of your child, parent, uncle,
grandparent. You didn’t think you would ever smile
again. You don’t know how you got accepted into that school or program. How did it all happen?
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here is so much I could say about Gordon. I knew him for over 21 years. I’m not
it was so short. He said he would go longer in the second service, it was 14 minutes.
leaders that pushed for me to step up. He believed in me, even when I wasn’t
Gordon was a hard worker, he was persistent, faithful and he loved God, loved his
sure I would be the pastor today if it wasn’t for Gordon. He was one of the key
so sure that I was called to fill that role. He supported me, even when I painted
a big graffiti mural on the back wall of the stage and built a DJ booth on the platform.
People from Gordon’s generation many times are known not to like change. They don’t like new music, loud music... especially hip-hop music! Many of them don’t like new methods. They stick to their preferences and they fight for them. They resist change.
Unfortunately this is why so many churches are dying. But, this wasn’t Gordon’s story. Gordon was an Anomaly. He was exactly the kind of leader that our young, creative, out of the box urban church needed. I NEVER heard him complain about all the changes. He admitted he wasn’t a big fan of all the music, but he saw it reaching so many people, so he embraced it. His response was
Gordon got to the point. When he shared, it was short, concise and powerful.
family and loved people. There were several times Gordon opened up his home to
have groups of men come over to his house so he could pour into them, share his story and pray for them. I was in several of those meetings. His wife Carolyn would bring us some cookies and juice and then disappear into the bedroom.
I believe if Gordon could speak to us today he would share 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “ For I am
already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth
there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
always joy, encouragement, excitement and support.
office at the old church. He would always stop in my office
Philippians 4:9 would also be another verse I believe he would share, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you .”
share some stories, give some wisdom and update me on
The thing that got Gordon the most excited was when he
As the years passed, I grew to have a close relationship with Gordon. I saw him almost everyday as he had an
and check in and see how things were going. He would
would share his excitement about how many people were
his latest job he was working on. I eventually knew I was on
coming to know Christ and how many people were getting
the inside track with Gordon because he let me in his office.
That was like the Holy of Holies. Very few people got to go in
Gordon’s office. He would slip in there like a ninja and quickly close
the door behind him. If you knocked, he would usually step out into the hall
and close the door behind him. His office was like a museum. Not necessarily a neat
museum... but a museum nonetheless. He had stacks and stacks of old yellow papers
on top of big filing cabinets. He said he knew exactly where everything was. There was
baptized at our church. About 10 years ago, when we were still at
the old campus and much smaller than we are today, he shared that
in the past 2 years there were more salvations and baptisms that in the past 40
years he had been at the church. With tears in his eyes - he was get choked up and say “The Prophecy is coming true!”
this old painting of the Lord’s supper that matched well with the shag carpet that was
Back in the late 70’s there was a prophecy given that the church from that building
as only a few people ever saw it. And even fewer people got to see Gordon’s old barn
believed this was a word from God. But, in the 1980’s the church rapidly declined and
the original flooring from the 70’s. His office had legendary status at the old campus out in plant city. It was like a city size version of his office. He had a few acres full of all kinds of stuff from tools, to car parts to pipes and more filing cabinets. Gordon
was a unique guy. He was a one of a kind. He could build anything, fix anything, find anything, he could figure it out.
would become a lighthouse to the city, the state, the nation and the world. Gordon
by the end of the decade the pastor left and everyone was gone except Gordon and his wife and one other older couple. Every Sunday they would come to the church turn the lights on and pray that God would send them a pastor. Many of his friends and family told him to just let the building go and give it up. But, Gordon held onto that word
from God. He was believing God was going to do something special in that little old church building.
In 1991 he met Pastor Joe McCutchen. Crossover Church had just started and needed a place to meet. My wife and I came in 1996 and started the youth ministry and in 2002 the church was relaunched with new vision when I became the lead pastor.
Gordon and his family were the last remaining board members on the former church’s paperwork. In 2007 they transferred the paperwork and officially gifted the building Gordon loved Crossover Church. It truly was his life. He served in just about every
area you could imagine. He even used to teach kids church! He taught bible studies, he prayed with people in the prayer room, he was the official maintenance guy that
and property to Crossover. Before that we were paying rent... it was $1 a year. I’m not sure if we ever paid it - lol. We outgrew that building and that property and when we sold it, we used the money to rebuild the former Toys R’ Us store we now meet in.
fixed everything, he was on the church council (the board), he was an usher, he was
What if Gordon wouldn’t have listened to God’s voice? Where would Crossover Church
1980’s. Before it was Crossover he shared how he served under some good pastors
able to come to church the last several years due to all of his health issues. God used
the treasure, Gordon even served as the acting pastor for a short period of time in the and some bad ones. Gordon even preached one time on a Sunday in 2005. He told
me that he felt that God had a word for the church. Gordon had never asked to preach
before... so I knew this must be serious. Although Gordon had a stuttering problem at times, whenever he got up front to pray or share, God helped him to speak smoothly.
be today? Most of you reading this never had a chance to meet Gordon as he wasn’t
him to propel our church to the place we are today. Crossover is Gordon’s legacy. We are all part of his legacy. We are so grateful for his obedience and sacrifice. •••
- Pastor Tommy
Many times he sounded like a different man. I remember when he preached in the first service it was a full 16 minutes long... I had to go up and fill in the gaps a little bit as
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