R I Z E • B E YO N D S K I L L Z • L O S - 1
WHERE’S THE LOVE?
WE’VE ALL ASKED THE COINED QUESTION...
FLAME OUR WORLD FALLEN
&
FRED LYNCH UN.ORTHODOX EFREM SMITH MUSIC REVIEWS AND MORE...
THE HUSTLE IS IT WORTH THE GRIND?
A SIT DOWN WITH:
SURREAL PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE CLASSIC... TRUE INDEED!
www.thesoulmag.com Issue #9 // US $3.95 • Can. $4.95
Hip-Hop has been in the frying pan in 2007 as it’s repetitive content continues to get challenged. People from outside as well as inside the culture have been bringing up some real valid questions. Things were already heating up earlier in the year with specials on CNN and PBS, but they really began to boil with the Don Imus controversy as people wanted to hold him accountable for his degrading comments about minority women. That hot water soon spilled over onto hip-hop. The question was, if Imus was called out, then what about these hip-hop artists that say much worse all the time? There was soon a ton of negative press about hip-hop music and the industry once again found themselves in the hot seat. Oprah even did a town hall meeting where she had hiphop mogul Russell Simmons and conscious hip-hop artist Common sit on a panel and discuss the lyrics and the current state of the culture. Of course it was brought up that their lyrics are just a reflection of society, but Common shared all women are “princesses”. It seems there is a consistent contradiction in many of these discussions. Snoop even got into the action in some different interviews and tried to explain away how when he refers to women with certain offensive names its different than Imus. In the past much of the flames of negativity in hip-hop were put out with the flood of sales and it’s domination on the charts. But hip-hop’s flood has been drying up. After about thirty years of growth, hip-hop sales dropped 21% between 2005 and 2006 according to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Yes, the entire music industry is in a major slump, but other music genres only dropped around 6%. Nielson Sound Scan reported that 2006 was the first year in over 12 years that there were no hip-hop albums in the top 10 sellers list. All these figures include physical and digital sales. Some blame the drop in an increase in bootlegging and illegal downloading, but many factor in the growing disinterest in the uncreative negative music. On June 16th, 2007, USA Today featured a front-page article “Will hip-hop regain it’s crown?” It shared how sales in 2007 have fallen 33%. As I travel around the country and build with people in the culture I find this emerging outcry for change. I’m not just talking about Christians either. Many feel that Nas’s latest album title “Hip-Hop is Dead” sums up the culture’s current state. I’ve dialogued with several cats from urban environments that are so fed up with what’s on the radio that they are even starting to venture into listening to other music genres, as they feel uninspired by hip-hop. This movement started out as a positive urban form of expression in the South Bronx over thirty years ago and has evolved today into this commercialized
multi-billion dollar industry that is starting to self-destruct. So, what’s the verdict... is it dead? Is it going to die out and go away? In my opinion... No. Has its influence dropped? Yes. Will it continue to drop? Probably. The masses have been fed a one-sided message for so long that they are now getting sick from its poison. They want something different. Something balanced. Something healthy. Hip-Hop is growing up and people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s want to hear something deeper than just “throwing some D’s on it.” Many of us have kids and teenagers and we see how this destructive music is now influencing them. There is even an emerging group of secular artists now changing their tune. Master P and his son Romeo put out an album the same exact date as 50 cent’s latest album in order to give people a positive alternative. One of hip-hop’s slogans has always been “Keep it real”. We all know that there have been very few artists in the mainstream that have kept it real. The music videos and lyrics have become more of a fantasy than reality. With rented cars, jewelry, and mansions much of it has become smoke and mirrors. It’s tired. People are waking up and looking for a different message, a real message. I believe this is a great time for Christ followers that do hip-hop music. There is a real passion and creativity behind many of these artists, as they’re not driven by the same goals as those that are just trying to get paid. I also believe this is a great time for all Christ followers in our generation to use this music as an outreach opportunity and a conversation piece. Jesus shared in Matthew 5:13-16 that “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (TNIV) Even if hip-hop isn’t your thing, most of us know someone that’s into it. It might be a friend, someone at our job, someone at the local grocery store, or the person that sits in front of us at class. Introducing them to some new flavor by passing along a hot CD from a Christ centered artist can be such a tangible tool. In this issue of S.O.U.L were introducing you to some artists that you can be confident to share with others. Our cover features my man Surreal. It’s been dope to watch his relationship with Christ grow these past few years as he’s been part of the Crossover fam. – we miss him as he’s now out in L.A. following his calling. Then there are those artists that faithfully serve our family week in and week out like Beyond Skillz, Los 1, and Rize – you’ll get to hear their passion for people and making hot music that points people to Christ. So, we’re here to let you know that although hip-hop has gotten pretty stale and dark... we know Christ can redeem it. This is a great time for believers in him to throw some salt and some light in the mix and watch what the creator cooks up. In the kitchen,
Tom m y Ky l l onen ak a U r ba n D . Edi tor - In- C hi ef
S.O.U.L | Pg06
What’s Good!
Welcome to Crossover!
messages and basically everything we do to be real, relevant, and relational as we point you to Christ. Our presentation is definitely different than most, it’s still God’s message for his people. It’s not watered
We’re glad you’re checking out our latest issue of S.O.U.L. Magazine.
down as some may assume because of our appearance. Instead,
If you have recently attended one of our services or events, we thank
you’ll find a solid leadership team that teaches the Word of God in
you for coming to be with us. If we haven’t already personally met you,
context.
we look forward to that opportunity in the near future. You can usually catch us hanging out on the patio after services. Maybe you are
are and what we are about.
We believe that when you come to church you should be real, be yourself, and feel comfortable.
As you are holding this you may be thinking, “Wow, a church that pub-
We believe that coming to church should be a fun and exciting experi-
lishes their own magazine... and it actually looks really professional.” If
ence, not a boring one. We’re here to celebrate what God as done for
you have visited us there were probably a lot of other things around our
us, and learn how we can develop a closer relationship with Him and
campus and in our worship service that smashed some of your typical
make the right choices in our every day lives. More than half of the
stereotypes about church. We love to do that! If you really get to know
people that now attend our church previously did not go to church or
Christ you’ll see there was nothing typical about Him either! He’s real,
have a personal relationship with Christ. For some, it had been several
He’s relevant, and He’s relational! That’s what we’re about here at
years since they walked into a church because they had some bad ex-
Crossover. That’s why we have planned our music, our prayers, our
periences or just thought it wasn’t relevant. Others had never been
reading this and you haven’t actually been to Crossover yet. We hope you’ll have the chance to come out and see us real soon. Either way, this magazine was designed so you could better get to know who we
S.O.U.L | Pg08
The Crossover Cypha’ 5 is a compilation of artists who all are family members at Crossover. Each of the artists have donated their tracks to be apart of this evangelistic project. The artists are joined by other people from the church who share their stories of transformation since they found Christ and got involved at Crossover. All the material is given to DJ.Lopez who then seamlessly blends the tracks together for a solid mix that last for over 70 minutes. These CD’s are mailed as a gift to all of our first time guests from the Tampa Bay area when they fill out a feedback card. They are also available in our hip-hop shop and on our website for purchase.
to church at all. There are also some that already knew Christ, but were looking for a place they could feel more comfortable and get involved in ministry reaching this culture. At Crossover Community Church we believe we are supposed to be a family... we are a growing multi-cultural faith community with people from all different backgrounds. Our family is on a journey together. Our goal is to continue to invite others to join us on this journey as we get to know our creator and fulfill the purposes he has for our lives. God has an incredible vision for our church, and we hope with this magazine you can get to know us a little bit better, and if it’s God’s plan... even become part of our family. If you have any questions please feel free to email us or call the church office. We look forward to seeing you soon. -------> Crossover is located at 7809 N. Orleans Ave. Tampa, Fla. 33604
-Pastor Tommy, Lucy, Deyana & Sophia S.O.U.L | Pg09
S.O.U.LMAG Issue #9 – Crossover Edition
Table of Contents: Pg. 06: Editorial – Is Hip-Hop Dead? Pg. 08: Welcome / Campus Map Pg. 12: History Pg. 13: What We Believe Pg. 14: Meet The Staff Pg. 16: You’ve Got Mail Pg. 18: Sunday Vibe Pg. 19: Sunday Night Vibe Pg. 20: Children’s Ministry Pg. 22: Beyond Skillz Pg. 24: Break Down / The Crew Pg. 25: Leadership Spotlight Pg. 28: Where’s The Love? Pg. 30: 3rd Rail Pg. 33: Heart Felt Hip-Hop – Rize Pg. 34: The Hustle Pg. 37: Media Dept. Pg. 38: Tri-Monthly Concert Events Pg. 42: Hip-Hop and Hoops Pg. 44: Un.orthodox Pg. 46: 1st Impressions / Families Pg. 47: Drama / Poet S.O.U.L. Pg. 48: They Said What? Pg. 52: Surreal (cover story) Pg. 56: Throwback (2006) Pg. 58: Street Stories Pg. 61: Harmony Pg. 62: Prayer Pg. 64: Fla.vor Fest 2006 Review Pg. 66: Life Skillz With Los 1 Pg. 67: Crossover Through New Eyes Pg. 69: Fla.vor Alliance Pg. 73: Flame Pg. 74: Veteran Spotlight Pg. 76: Music Reviews Pg. 78: Connection Classes / What’s Next? Pg. 80: Final Thoughts
The S.O.U.L Team
Publisher: Tommy Kyllonen Creative Director: SPE© Contributing Editors: Jonny Ratke, Tony Bruno, Janine Carrero Contributing Writers: Charity Dawsey, Lily Lorenzo, Tony Bruno, Jonny Ratke, Derrick Colon, Janine Carrero, Mario Armstrong, Concept, Susan Kauffman, Josie Thomas, Theo Meade, Ryan Flemming, Matt Farrell, and Rico James Review Team: Duane, Mario, Brother Greg, Spyvey, Josie, and Janine Contributing Designers: Todd Mitchka Design Department: spec@flavoralliance.com Photographers: Carlos Espinel, James Cole, and SPE© For information on Advertising visit www.thesoulmag.com and check out the press kit for detailed demographics, ad rates, specs, and deadlines. Printed in Canada by: Premier Printing - www.premierprinting.ca S.O.U.LMAG is published bi-annually by Fla.vor Alliance Media Group and is a ministry of Crossover Church. Crossover Church is a non-profit 501©3. S.O.U.LMAG exists to build on this mission as we take it to a national platform through print. S.O.U.LMAG / Crossover Church 7809 N. Orleans Ave. Tampa, Fla. 33604 office: (813) 935-8887 fax: (813) 935-0535 thesoulmag.com • crossoverchurch.org • flavoralliance.com
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rossover 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. Pastor Joe McCutchen founded Crossover with a few other people in the early 1990’s. They moved into a facility that was basically abandoned and very run down on N. Orleans Avenue. Al Palmquist was a member of the church who met Tommy Kyllonen on some basketball courts in Clearwater. Tommy was running a successful urban b-ball league while completing his college internship. Joe and Al challenged Tommy to start an urban youth ministry at Crossover from “the ground up.” In December 1995, Tommy graduated from college with a B.A. in Pastoral Theology, with a concentration in Youth Ministry. He married Lucy Laguerra in February of 1996 and together they founded Crossover’s Youth Ministry with only 4 teens. Over the next six years, they developed a first of its kind Hip-Hop Youth Ministry, which grew to close to 200 youth weekly. During this time, the Adult Ministry at Crossover maintained about 40 regular attendees as there were three different pastors (changing every two years), each of which were bi-vocational. In January of 2002, Tommy Kyllonen became the lead pastor of Crossover; a new vision and structure was birthed for the church. Crossover became “purpose driven” as the leadership team developed and implemented the mission statement: “To relevantly introduce the truth of Christ to the Hip-Hop Culture as we develop worship, purpose, unity, and leadership in their lives.” Crossover began to make several changes to better reach the community. The services quickly grew as several new people visited and built new relationships with Christ. Many soon embraced the vision and began getting involved and serving others. God has called Crossover to be a pioneer church to reach those influenced by Hip-Hop Culture. The church has become internationally known through all of the favorable media articles, as well as the numerous CD’s released by Urban D. and the Fla.vor Alliance. Thousands have visited Crossover’s website and attended the church services, looking at Crossover as a model. The once “run down” facility has been completely transformed into a unique thriving church campus that is exploding with creativity for the Creator. In less than 4 years, the weekend attendance has jumped from 40 to over 400. In addition, the Thursday night Youth services reach hundreds more each week. With all the exciting things God has allowed Crossover to accomplish, this is still just the beginning.
”
These are the roots, the history, and the foundation of Crossover. Check out page 45 to catch a glimpse of the exciting days ahead as the church builds on this foundation and works to accomplish God’s vision for Crossover’s future.
CHRIST UCE THE TRUTH OF OD TR IN LY NT VA LE TO RE DEVELOP WORSHIP, E W AS E, UR LT CU VES TO THE HIP-HOP SHIP IN THEIRstaLI ER AD LE D AN ent Y, tem IT -mission PURPOSE, UN
S.O.U.L | Pg12
”
In the essential beliefs, we have unity.
“There is one body and one spirit... there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all...” // Ephesians
4:4-6
In the non-essential beliefs, we have liberty.
“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls... so then each of us will give an account of himself to God... so whatever you believe about these things, keep them between yourself and God.” //
Romans 14:1,4,12,22
Many people describe us as a “Hip-Hop Church”, and that’s understandable as we target that audience and use elements of the culture in our worship services. That phrase can definitely bring up a lot of questions. If you are reading this magazine, many of you have probably attended a service here and had a great time where you saw that church could be relevant, engaging, and real. At the same time, you may still have some questions about the details of what we believe. You may think it’s all too good to be true. You may also be a parent reading this whose child or teenager recently attended Crossover and brought this magazine home. You’re probably wondering what this “Hip-Hop Church” is all about. Nothing at Crossover is traditional... that’s quite obvious. However, everything we believe and practice in our services is Biblical. There is a big difference. The “church” [as a whole] has gotten the two a little mixed up. Jesus was not a traditional guy! As a matter of fact, he was constantly in conflict with the religious leaders of His day because He kept challenging them. They tried to look “all good” on the outside, but on the inside they were “rotten”. Jesus is not so concerned with how we look on the outside, or how we dress when we come to His house, (they didn’t have suits and ties in His day), as long as it’s modest. He’s not concerned about the music we play, or the style we choose to worship Him with, as long as the lyrics are clean and glorify Him. Jesus wants our hearts to be pure! At Crossover, we will consistently change our presentation to stay relevant with the culture, but our message and what we believe will never change.
THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE
1. About God: God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. // Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22 / Psalm 90:2 / Matthew 28:19 / Corinthians 13:14
In the essential beliefs, we have unity.
2. About Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven’s glory and will return again someday to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. // Matthew 1:22-23 / Isaiah 9:6 / John 1:1-5, 14:10-30 / Hebrews 4:14-15 / 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 / Acts 1:9-11 / 1 Timothy 6:14-15 / Titus 2:13
// 1
3. About the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under his control daily. // 2 Corinthians 3:17 / John 16:7-13, 14:16-17 / Acts 1:8 / 1 Corinthians 2:12,3:16 / Ephesians 1:13 / Acts 2:4
“...If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have faith that can move mountains - but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.”
Corinthians 13:2
4. About the Bible: The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of all truth for all Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error. // 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16 / 2 Peter 1:20,21 / Psalm 119:105 5. About Human Beings: People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme objects of God’s creation. Although every person has a great potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This sin nature (attitude) separates people from God and is the root cause of many of the problems of life. // Genesis 1:27 / Psalm 8:3-6 / Isaiah 53:6 / Romans 3:23 6. About Salvation: “Salvation” is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sins through self - improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer for forgiveness can any one be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our selfwilled lives and turn to Christ in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into their life by faith. // Romans 6:23 / Ephesians 3:8,9 / John 14:6, 1:12 / Titus 3:5 / Galatians 3:26 / Romans 5:1 7. About Eternity: The soul of every human being was created to live forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through salvation and forgiveness. Hell is eternal separation from God. Heaven is eternal union with God. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. // John 3:16, 2:25, 5:11-13 / Romans 6:23 / Revelation 20:15 / Matthew 1:8, 2:44-46
OUR AFFILIATIONS:
Crossover Community Church is a non-denominational church. We have people from all different backgrounds, ethnic groups, and races. You can see from our statements of faith on this page that we are a Christian Church that fully believes the Bible and teaches it in context. Our Pastors have degrees from Colleges where they spent many years carefully studying the Scriptures. All the Pastors are ordained Ministers under the laws of the State of Florida. Crossover is affiliated with the Purpose Driven Church Movement started by Pastor Rick Warren who is the author of the Purpose Driven Life book which has sold over 30 Million copies. The Purpose Driven Church principles (from the New Testament Churches) focus on the five main reasons that the church exists: worship, fellowship, discipleship, serving, and evangelism (Acts 2:42-47). Each one of these purposes is incorporated into Crossover’s mission statement. There are several other pastors of larger churches in this movement that mentor, train, and support our leadership team. Crossover also partners with The American Bible Society, YouthPartnersNet, and Southeastern University as they develop resources, provide training, and equip student interns.
S.O.U.L | Pg13
Tommy Kyllonen aka Urban D. - Lead Pastor
Tommy founded the youth ministry at Crossover in 1996 after graduating from Southeastern University with a BA in pastoral studies and a concentration in youth ministry. Starting with just four teens, he and his wife developed a first-of-its-kind Hip-Hop Youth Ministry that over the span of six years grew to 200, far outpacing attendance in the main Sunday worship. In January 2002, Tommy became the lead pastor at Crossover and a new vision was birthed to specifically reach those influenced by Hip-Hop Culture. Urban D. has recorded six Hip-Hop albums since 1996 and has traveled across the U.S., Germany, Japan and England performing and speaking at conferences. His latest project “Un.orthdox – church.hip-hop. culture” spans three spectrums of media; music, film, and print. His new CD/DVD has major distribution through EMI, and Zondervan published his book. This project is now in stores everywhere. In addition to his role as pastor and artist, Tommy’s perspective as a Christian leader and pioneer in reaching the Hip-Hop culture has led him to be a featured speaker at more than 50 church leadership, youth and worship conferences and workshops. Tommy is also a frequent writer, authoring articles for Relevant, Pastors.com, Rapzilla.com, The American Bible Society, and Interlinc. He has contributed to several books including the Relevant Church Book, Relevant Nation, and penning chapter introductions and articles for the popular REAL Biblezine. Check him out at urband.org and myspace.com/urband813
Tony Bruno aka Tone - Associate Pastor
Tone was born and raised in Philadelphia PA. He got into hip hop in the late 80’s, and got back into it in the early 90’s. Tony came into a serious relationship with Christ at the age of 17. At this time he stopped hangin’ with his old crew, and found himself rollin’ solo as he represented and communicated Christ in his inner city high school. Going to Bible College at the age of 19 had a tremendous impact in his life for his view of the scriptures, and to prepare him for the disciplines and commitments of full-time ministry. He holds a bachelor’s of Science in Bible degree from Valley Forge Christian College, and has completed some credit hours toward his master’s degree at Biblical Theological Seminary. He has a burden to reach urban/hip hop culture by effectively communicating to them the gospel and God’s version of life through scripture. His variety of ministry experience includes involvement with Inner City Missions (N. Philadelphia), Cross Movement Ministries, and Rock Ministries of Philadelphia. He currently serves as one of the pastors at Crossover where he teaches Bible Studies, speaks on a regular basis on Sundays, and leads and oversees several leaders. - myspace.com/tonebruno
Lucy Kyllonen aka Lucinator - Administrator
Lucy was raised in Queens, NY and built a relationship with Christ as a teenager. She moved to Florida for college to graduate from Southeastern University with a BA in psychology and went on to complete her master’s in mental health counseling at USF. Lucy has been working at the church since July 2003, after the birth of her first child, Deyana. Before joining the church staff, she worked with teens in various professional settings since 1994. Lucy has been working under the Administrative Department and has helped organize and structure our current operating ministries and day to day office operations. Lucy also plays a major role in the planning and coordinating of our annual Fla.vor Fest conference. She has been a part of every Fla.vor Fest and enjoys the challenge of finding ways of improving every year, as well as meeting the demands of the growth for the conference. Besides her active role in the church, she is also married to the lead Pastor and raises Deyana and her new baby Sophia.
Derrick Colon - Youth Pastor
Derrick was born and raised in the South Bronx. After being so heavily influenced by the culture of HipHop, God would save him and send him back into the very culture that had his heart. Derrick graduated from Bible College in 2001 with a degree in Theological and Pastoral studies. Derrick developed a monthly outreach at his inner-city church in Providence, Rhode Island called, “To Hip-Hop with Love”. Later Derrick began teaching at a Christian High School as he headed up their Biblical studies department and taught a class on Hip-Hop History. God opened another opportunity at his home church, and after much prayer, Underground 101 was launched. 101 was an in-house outreach café that targeted Hip-Hop. Many were touched and challenged by the innovative methods used to reach the culture. After a year God began to move again, after much prayer, God called Derrick and his family to be the full time youth pastors at Crossover. The ministry is called, “3rd Rail and the motto is, “One touch...the rest is HIStory.” Derrick’s heart is to raise up a youth ministry that counters the culture, but does it in a way that they can totally understand. - myspace.com/3rdrailservice S.O.U.L | Pg14
SPE© is no stranger to the hip.hop culture. His influences are close to home; uncle’s that were bboys and cousins that were graffitti artists around NYC. Growing up in a single parent household, Spec was pushed to fend for himself on many occasions through out his life as he always looked out for himself instead of the well being of others. Now, SPE© spends his days giving of his time, talent, and more. After obtaining an AA degree in Graphic Design & Advertising in 2000; he has been the Director of Media here @ Crossover since. His graphic skills range from flyers, videos, DVD’s, CD’s, music, MAGAZINES, etc.; about 95% of what you see produced out of Crossover is created by Spec. He has stood behind the vision/mission of Crossover since 1998 when he first accepted Christ here at a concert. He also serves as the President of Flavor Alliance Media Group along side with Urban D. & Mike Estep. In 2006 alone, FAMG produced 4 national albums, 2 national DVD’s and several music/short film videos. Along side with Pastor Tommy, SPE© travels the US speaking, teaching & performing at several venues and conferences.
Josie Thomas aka Symalee - Worship Director
Born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn, Josie has always had a passion to sing. After running away several times and watching her father lead a life filled with drugs; her mother and step dad were faced with a decision and moved her out of NYC to Florida. This caused much rebellion in her life. Her parents however decided to make a change for the better as they began attending a church. After many years, she found herself in a youth service where she felt moved to go to the front for prayer. In that moment she felt a hand brush her head and say “I am here, I have always been with you”. In that moment she raised her hands and accepted Jesus into her life. Today her heart and her soul’s purpose are to worship and serve God with all that she is and all the talents that God has given to her. She leads worship, speaks at seminars and conferences and also ministers in music alongside her husband (Jared Thomas) with their rap group Beyond Skillz. As the worship and creative arts director, her goal is to inspire youth and adults to worship in their own way with their life and talents. beyondskillz.net and myspace.com/beyondskillzmusic
Gordon Meetze aka Air Gordon - Treasurer/Finances
Gordon has been in Tampa since 1957, and started his relationship with Christ on July 3rd, 1960 right here in the current building that Crossover is in. Gordon and his wife Carolyn have been a vital part of the several different congregations that have met here throughout the years. They just celebrated their 50 wedding anniversary in 2006! In the late 1980’s Gordon and his family were one of the last few people left at the church. Many people told him to let the church go as he was actually filling in as the pastor. Gordon followed God and held on. Although Gordon is one of our older members he is excited to see what God is doing as the church is now fulfilling a prophecy that was given many years ago. Gordon has always been willing to change and support the vision of the church as he provides priceless wisdom for the team. We say he’s the coolest old guy we know! Serving as the church treasurer, he oversees the church finances. Gordon has his own remodeling company and he also oversees the physical maintenance of the church property.
Eriya Kato aka Elijah - Intern
Elijah was born in Fukuoka and raised in Kanagawa / Tokyo Area in Japan. He grew up in a Christian family but began to stray away from God when he was teenager. At the age of 21, he started building a real relationship with Christ when he traveled to the west coast in the U.S. After he came back to Japan and graduated from the university, he went to JTJ mission seminary for 2 years. In 2002 he started planting a church with his family and also started using his rap music for evangelism. In 2005 he released his 1st CD and he traveled to the States again for outreach concerts for Japanese Churches. Elijah met Pastor Tommy at Purpose Driven Conference in CA in May and then he came to Fla.vor Fest 2005 in November. In 2006 Elijah moved to Tampa to serve as an intern at Crossover. Elijah plans on eventually going back to Japan to plant a church similar to Crossover.
Charity’s Dawsey - Children’s Director
Charity was born into the ministry as a “pastor’s kid” in a small town in Wisconsin. Although born in Wisconsin, she grew up in Virginia about an hour outside of our nation’s capital and later as a teenager moved to sunny Tampa, Florida to finish out High School. Charity accepted Christ to be number one in her life at the early age of five and later on experienced a call to kids and ministry. She graduated from Gaither High School in Tampa and then began her college education at Southeastern University where she met her husband and started a family. With ministry and children on her heart, Charity did Children’s Pastoral work for over two years at a plant church called First Family Church, while continuing her education at Hillsborough Community College where she acquired her Associates in Elementary Education. Some time later she found herself back at Southeastern University pursuing her degree in Church Leadership. Dawsey now serves as Children’s Director at Crossover fulfilling her call and passion for kids. Here at Crossover she oversees children from infants to age 11, which are divided into four departments to ensure that they get an age appropriate service. The services include a variety of learning tools from exciting lessons, games, creative curriculum and more and yes, they do have a hip-hop flavor to them. Charity is married to Will, who teaches history and coaches football at Leto High School. The Dawsey’s have one six-year-old daughter named Cherish who brings them much joy and laughter.
MEET THE CROSSOVER STAFF
Edward Bayonet aka SPE© - Media Department Director
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Subject: what’s up from Botswana, Africa
Hello Pastor .D and Lucy! I saw you tonight on TBN with Dr. Tims. I just wanted you to know that I was so excited to hear about your ministry and greatly encouraged by all you had to say. My husband and I were in youth ministry for 14 years. We LOVE young people and believe that God has a great plan for their lives. We are now full-time missionaries in Maun, Botswana – we live on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. We have been here for 3 years. Anyway – we have three sons (age 14, 12, and 10) that love the “hip hop style” of music. They have KJ52 and the like – but I was so excited to hear from you and about your ministry that I said told my sons we’d have to get some of your stuff! I just wanted to say thank you! It is SO refreshing to hear of your work and catch a glimpse of your heart. You know, MTV is in Africa. Man, it is just controlling our young people – even here in a village with cows, donkeys and goats – hot grey sand – our young people here are so influenced by that music, dress, etc. I CANNOT WAIT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THEM AND OUR YOUTH PASTOR. He is awesome. Sorry to ramble. Just want to say, May God richly bless you, your ministry and your family. Keep us the great work! You make me want to come visit Florida when we are stateside! -Mike and Heather Walker Directors of Love Botswana Bible Institute in Africa
Subject: The Columbian Ghetto Preacher
Dear Brothers and sisters, My name is Alexander Rocha, and I am 37 years old, married and a father of six children who love and serve the Lord Jesus. Also, I am an English teacher at a school in my town called Centro Colombo-Americano (American-Colombian Center), which is in some way supported, by the American embassy. I am also the youth pastor of an Urban Christian church here in Cartagena, Colombia (South America) and I am amazed of how your ministry is continuing to be blessed by the Lord Jesus. I am currently working on the streets of Cartagena with my group called Dinastia(Dinasty) where we are outreaching young people for Jesus through Hip Hop. We have been doing this for two years and it’s working little by little but we believe it’s going to grow bigger and bigger since the hip hop culture is becoming more popular here in the city and the Holy Spirit of God is working with us and through us. We are giving concerts on the streets through BREAK-DANCE, MCING, DJING AND GRAFFITI preaching the word of God. I would like to keep in touch with you, so you can help us in our ministry to reach the youth of Colombia and the world for our Lord Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit of God, by providing us with us advice, literature, videos and anything you can think of. Thanks for your help and I am looking forward to hearing from you. Lots of blessings, -Alexander Rocha The Colombian Ghetto Preacher S.O.U.L | Pg16
Subject: A Crossover Worship experience
Dear brothers Tommy and Tone, Thanks for sharing lunch last Sunday. We we’re blessed as a family to be with you in worship and see the incredible outreach efforts you are making in church planting. It was a blast to meet leaders among your group, pick up DVD’s, promo materials and such and see the excellence you work with. Blessings, -Tim Vink Church Multiplication Coordinator, RCA
Subject: The Fest!
Hey Crossover! Thanks again for having me out to Fla.vor Fest. I really had a blast, learned a lot, and fellowshipped with a bunch of believers I’ve never met. It was truly worth the trip. You really have an amazing thing going on in Tampa and I will continue to keep the movement in prayer. Thanks again and God Bless! -Sivion
Subject: Big Shout from Glasgow, Scotland
Pastor Tommy, Your book arrived at our bookstore yesterday (Friday) and I am half way through it (just reading about the history of hip hop in part 2). It’s a totally cool book. I have been keeping tabs on Crossover and your music for the past five years or so and it is great to see what God has been doing at the Church. Keep at it bro. What you guys are doing is totally unique and much needed. I know that there will be those that oppose what you are doing but Jesus I am sure is well pleased to see you reaching out into the dark places with His light and seeing lives transformed. Love the new CD by the way. I run the music department of a Christian Bookstore here in Glasgow, Scotland and have been pleased over the years to recommend your music and all the stuff that comes from the Alliance. We have a lot of kids here who love hip hop so it’s cool to be able to encourage them to listen to you, Cross Movement and guys like Corey Red & Precise. We even managed to sell a whole bunch of the Flavor Alliance DVD’s in the store and I was really pleased to be able to do that. I will be continuing to pray for you and the Church that God has placed in your hands. May you be blessed Pastor Tommy as you seek God daily in His Word and may He give you the wisdom and the continued passion to lead others to Jesus. Peace, -Doug
* If you’d like to give us a shout here at S.O.U.L Mag... hit us up at info@thesoulmag.com
Our Sunday services give off a refreshing vibe as they reach a multi-cultural urban 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 friendly family atmosphere now than ever before. It has become an exciting place where everyone is accepted in Love no matter how they look. Our church services are geared to be different and cutting edge because the crowd we reach is not into “tradition.” Although we attract people of all ages, the majority of our crowd is younger than your average congregation, [most people here are in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s]. Suits and ties are not required... everyone comes dressed casually, and comes to worship God in a comfortable atmosphere. Our Hospitality Team greets you on the patio with smiling faces while serving free coffee, juice, and bagels. Each person also receives a program, which contains all of our up coming events, ministry opportunities, and additional information.
Our praise and worship is done with a Hip-Hop/Rn’B style with a live DJ... ... a worship team, and a mix of artists, poets, rappers, and live musicians. God’s presence is always evident as people genuinely seek Him. The “message” is always brought in a relevant, practical way where everyone can learn something that is applicable to their everyday lives. Pastor Tommy, Pastor Tone and the speaking team use message series that include various visual elements like original short films, drama, testimonies, and music to help illustrate the messages. Printed hand-outs are often times distributed and the audience is encouraged to follow along with the teaching and “fill-in the blanks”. Power Point presentations and animated images are also displayed on the monitors giving the audience yet another way to easily follow the message. Many services end with a great prayer time or a strong challenge to make life changes, start a relationship with Christ, or to make a stronger commitment to Him. Our prayer patio is open after each service with leaders available to pray for those who felt challenged from the message and need to share and get prayed for. After the service the main patio turns into a great place of community where people hangout, build relationships, and eat together. Food is usually served every week by various ministries after the services.
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Our Sunday night vibe service is generally the same worship and message as the morning with some added extra flavor for those that can’t make it out to the earlier services. We realize many people in our culture now have to work Sundays during the day, and we want to provide a time they can come out to a worship service. Crossover also desires to reach that tough crowd that just can’t roll out of bed Sunday mornings, and this service creates that time slot. This also gives people options if they want to do something during the day with their family and then catch the night service instead.
SNV Gu
est A rtis t:
Ma r
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The first Sunday Night of each month features an Open Mic... where MC’s spit their verses and their freestyles. The freestyle session changes each month from topics on the screens, to objects picked out of box, even to reverse battles. We always have some creative MC’s wow the crowd with a fun time of rhyming that represents Christ. Each of the other weeks always features a set by a guest artist before or after the message. This varies from local acts to nationally known groups. You can check the website each week to see the upcoming artists for that SNV. The urban crowd especially likes to hang out at night so there is always some engaging prayer happening on the prayer patio and lots of great food on the main patio as the basketball courts and break dancing floor are buzzing with activity after the service.
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A
whistle blows, puppets rap, while children are full of laughter and anticipation as they wait to see what this week at All Possible Kidz Church has in store for them. So what exactly do we do with God’s beloved kids each week? To best sum up our Children’s Ministry program is by stating the purpose. Our purpose is “To develop leaders and train children in God’s love through relevant worship, teaching, and reaching others”. Most people assume that Children’s Ministry is all about kids, but it also impacts the leaders who make up the team of volunteers. It gives them a sense of fulfillment and pride for what they contribute to God’s kingdom. The ministry is made up of four departments to make sure that the kids have an age appropriate service. These four departments are: All Possible Kidz Church, Little Believers, Tiny Tots, and last but not least Nursery.
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All Possible Kidz Church (Ages 6-11)
The new name for Kidz Church came about recently and was voted in by the kids themselves. It shows that all things are possible for those who believe in Christ, even the kids. God’s word says to have faith like a child, so we represent that. What makes Kidz Church so unique is that we use a variety of methods and styles to teach kids a solid foundation in the Bible. This is done in a way that is vibrant and that relates to our culture. Depending on the age group, this can range from incorporating in house beat boxers and rappers to puppetry and arts and crafts that follow along with the lesson. We do whatever it takes to get the message out and build up God’s children in him. Our main goal is to give each child a strong foundation in God that they will never go away from.
Little Believers (Ages 3-5)
Preschool aged kids learn and discover what this Veggie-Tales themed classroom has to offer them. With help from characters such as Bob and Larry the teachers get the lesson across in an entertaining way. Little Believers also uses songs, group games, and short videos to emphasize the teaching. It is a positive and enriching experience for this age group as they learn, have fun, and work together with one another and our passionate team.
Tiny Tots
Toddlers from 18 months to two years old roam this spacious fun-filled room full of toys and other adventures. The creative walls make the stories come to life with its colorful cartoon Bible characters. These Crossover kids are built up in God through song, playing, and relevantly themed lessons that range from sharing to learning about Jesus’ love.
Nursery
Our tiniest little ones, from birth to 17 months, enjoy this vibrant and welcoming Nursery each Sunday. This age group also has a curriculum that teaches them on their level. It uses singing and clapping, as well as movement activities to make babies familiar with the words they hear. These infants get all the comfort that they need as they are cuddled and cared for while listening to soft lullabies and videos.
All children’s programs are available during Crossover’s Sunday Vibe & Sunday Night Vibe services...
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W
hen Beyond Skillz’ Josie Thomas started her career-path in high school, she chose architectural drafting as her career choice because she had a passion for building. “Now I’m building up souls for His Kingdom,” she said while taking a break from her duties as musical director at Crossover Community Church, mother of three and musical collaborator in Beyond Skillz with her husband of six years, Jared. “It’s just hard to imagine my job is worshipping God and I get to do that with my husband,” she added. Both members of the group agree it is their passion for serving Jesus along with the love they share for each other, that has made Beyond Skillz as successful as it has been over the years. The group originally started with Jared (stage name Imperial) and his brother John Mark (Amplified) before Josie (Symalee) and Jared were married. “One Thursday I came to Crossover, though I hadn’t been in a while. I just looked up and there she was on stage. I just wanted to talk to her... We built a friendship and hung out for a long time,” said Jared. At a later date, Josie joined Imperial and Amplified on stage and rapped with Beyond Skillz. “I thought it’d be great to have a husband and wife duo,” Jared said.
Since that time, Josie has taken over as music director at the church and Jared runs a Wednesday night basketball ministry. Together, as Beyond Skillz, they recently released their new CD ‘Past Tense’. “It was almost towards the end of the recording that we came up with the name,” the duo nearly said in unison. Adding, “Your future is defined by who you serve, not your past.”
“Your future is
defined by who you serve, not your past.” Jared elaborated on the album title by saying, “We put a lot of thought into ‘Past Tense’, our new album. If you notice, a lot of our songs go hand in hand... Your past doesn’t define your future.” Josie emphasized how Beyond Skillz’ ministry puts emphasis on the following points: “We love the sinner and hate the sin. They are all potential lives for Christ.” And just like in their rap songs, Imperial finished off Symalee’s verse adding, “We may be the only Jesus they ever see.” So, what will happen to Beyond Skillz down the road? - “We’ll pass it on to the kids,” Josie said.
And the building of the Lord’s Kingdom will continue. •••
“PAST TENSE” is available nationwide or @ flavoralliance.com for more on Beyond Skillz; visit: beyondskillz.net S.O.U.L | Pg22
This is the place that relationships, fellowship, connection
“BREAK IT DOWN!” That part of the song that deserves special
happen. Ofcourse the weekend services are great, but they
attention when the emcee gives the deejay the go-ahead to do his thing.
are a time of celebration with hundreds of other people. Crew
Well, Tuesday night breakdown is a time where believers are given the op-
Groups is an intimate time of learning together in a smaller
portunity to give special attention to the basic teaching and breakdown of the
atmosphere where you can personally get to know each per-
Scriptures. The agenda is simply meeting once a week to take our time go-
son in your group. Crew groups meet in non-church locations
ing through an entire book of the Bible. We start at the beginning of a book,
such as homes, restaurants, coffee shops, businesses or any
and go through a portion of it every week until we come to the completion
location that is convenient for the group members. They meet
of that book. The purpose behind this method is to create an awareness of
morning, noon, night, any day of the week.
viewing scripture in light of the contextual settings and circumstances before interpreting them for where we are today.
Groups are encouraged to accomplish all five of the purposes that Jesus gave us in the Great Commandment:
At Crossover, we believe this to be the healthiest form of Biblical interpre-
(Matt. 22:37-38): Love God (Worship) and love our neighbor
tation. During Tuesday Night Breakdown people are having their scriptural
(Ministry) and in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) go
appetites fed through the simple, practical presentation of God’s Word, with
and Make Disciples (Evangelism), Baptize (Fellowship) and
a time of Q&A as well. The purpose, however, is far beyond just becoming
Teach them (Discipleship). Being connected in a group will
more knowledgeable, but to show the need for everyday application of what
help you grow through encouragement, accountability and the
we’re learning and appreciating every week. What we learn with our minds
study of the word!
must make its way to our hearts. Tuesday Night Breakdown is a time when we break down the scriptures for the purpose of God breaking us down.
For more information check out:
www.crossoverchurch.org
Breakdown meets every Tuesday from 6:45pm-7:30pm
and follow the links for joining a crew!
for more details email: tone@crossoverchurch.org
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by: Susan Kauffman Something impacted Efrem Smith while attending a Christian youth festival in South Minneapolis at the age of 17. He had grown up in the church. It was a part of his African American heritage. But there was something different about the preachers at the Soul Liberation Festival. They talked about the social issues and injustices that impacted his life. They used contemporary worship styles that he enjoyed like hip hop and rap. “It was refreshing to hear a music style that I liked, and they were talking about Jesus.” For the first time, the gospel became personal to him and it was becoming clear, “This is bigger than a religion. This is bigger than a culture. This is about an intimate relationship with my Creator... a loving God.” Efrem Smith is now an author, speaker, radio host and pastor. SoulMag had the privilege of interviewing Pastor Efrem about his vision and his church. SoulMag: Is there a primary passion that runs through your ministries? Efrem: I think it is proclaiming a message of reconciliation. It breaks down into three parts. First, we can be reconciled to God. This loving awesome God wants a relationship with us in spite of our sin. Second, we can experience unity in the body of Christ. I have a passion for breaking down walls and barriers based on race, class and ethnicity – especially in the church. The church ought to be a sneak preview of heaven. Third, we need to engage the culture instead of painting the culture as primarily the enemy of the church. SoulMag: Tell me about your church. Efrem: Sanctuary Covenant Church, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a church plant of the Evangelical Covenant Church. We started in January 2003 with about 20 people and have since grown to be a church of about 800 people with a membership of about 270. SoulMag: How did your church become multi-ethnic? Efrem: From the very beginning we were intentional about being multi-ethnic and multi-racial. We didn’t even start having weekly Sunday morning services until we were about 7 months into our development. We spent a lot of time meeting in homes, having meals together, having bible studies... really trying to get this message out to people that we wanted to start a church that would be intentionally multi-ethnic and multi-cultural – from the church board to its staff to the very worship experience itself on Sunday morning. SoulMag: What’s the ethnic breakdown of your church? Efrem: We are 56% European American white, 32% African American and the rest Latino and Asian. SoulMag: How do you account for so many whites in your church? Efrem: I served as an associate pastor at Park Avenue United Methodist, which is a multi-ethnic church itself. I already had a platform and a model to follow. I was fortunate to have
a lot of exposure before I started the church. God opened a lot of doors for me in Minneapolis. I spoke at Christian college campuses and large suburban white churches, and was a basketball coach in the community. I would preach this vision of a multi-cultural church wherever I went. When we first started we were 80% white. That was a little scary because I have a very urban African American preaching style. Our praise and worship style is anything from hip hop to Kirk Franklin to Fred Hammond. And yet there were all these whites coming between the ages of 19 and 30. I found that there is an emerging generation of European American Christians that want something more multi-racial. The church is the only segregated thing they go to, and they wanted something more. SoulMag: How do you become a multi-cultural church? Efrem: Find the most multi-cultural area in your community and volunteer. Volunteer at the high school tutoring kids. Volunteer at the park, coaching football or getting involved in Boy Scouts. Know the people. Know the culture. Be praying for them. Develop a genuine heart for the people. From there God will do the rest. SoulMag: What kind of impact is your church having on your community? Efrem: We’re trying not to just be a Sunday morning worship center with a lot of ministry programs during the week. Those things are good, but we want to do justice and mercy in our community. We created the Sanctuary Community Development Corporation. We partner with other churches and non-profits to address youth development, health development and economic development. We can’t guarantee that everybody becomes a Christian, but we can guarantee that everybody we encounter experiences the love of Christ. It’s one of the reasons that our church is growing. We have school principals that say “never has a church come in and had no agenda except just to come in and serve.” We have teachers and principals join our church because we come into their schools and tutor kids – helping kids with their homework, working with hard-to-reach kids, letting them know we care about them. SoulMag: What is on your heart for the hip hop culture today? Efrem: I am very concerned about commercial rap music and the impact it’s having on young people especially. Most of the music you’re hearing in the mainstream - I don’t even consider representing the true principles of hip hop as it has become very degrading to women, very violent, and it portrays the worst of African American culture. The worst of hip hop culture is being used by big corporations for profit. There are many urban and suburban kids that are taking these messages to heart and it’s destroying their lives. So my passion right now is that the church must engage hip hop culture and use these elements for Kingdom purposes. We can’t just sit back and watch secular society use hip hop for demonic purposes and then we just do nothing. My heart is to use elements of hip hop to proclaim Jesus. I believe if this music can cause kids to do destructive things, then why can’t we use the music and the culture so that kids can live a divine destiny? If you want to know more, check out www.SanctuaryCovenant.org S.O.U.L | Pg25
written by: Tone Bruno
Whether from a funny dis or from a deep depression, we’ve all asked the coined question – “Where’s the Love?”
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e can’t help but point it out when we feel slighted or get the short end of the stick. We can have what appears to be a perfect picture, from the type of car we drive, the job we have, the number of albums we’ve put out, the media attention, the person we’re with in a relationship, or whatever. But if a genuine love and loyalty is missing from the equation, no amount of better lookin’ stuff is gonna make up for it. Amazingly, it almost never seems to fail that what we notice right away is our sense of being slighted. But rarely, if ever, do we notice when we’re doing the slighting. We’ll demand an answer when we ask where the luv is, but can almost never think we owe an answer to someone who asks us. As we know, we’ll never get to a level of loving perfectly in this life. But at the same time, I think there’s a difference between messing up in our attempts to love, and straight ignoring what we know needs to be done. We know that God loves perfectly because He is perfect. 1 John 4:16 reads, “God is love.” God is also very gracious and forgiving in our mess-ups. I know He’s definitely been forgiving in mine. As He continues to forgive all of us for the many things we do that aren’t pleasing to Him, what could remain to be a problem is whether or not we really pay attention to what needs changing. More so than just what’s blatantly immoral, but especially the subtle ways that we short-change or slight God by how much of ourselves we really give Him. There’s an example of this in the first chapter of Malachi – the last writing in the Old Testament. The priests of Israel were in a regular habit of performing the necessary rituals and ceremonies. It wasn’t just their own traditions that they came up with, but it was stuff that God wanted them to do. Yet, while going through the motions of what needed to get done, there was something important missing that God wanted them to see. At the top of Chapter 1 the prophet Malachi speaks on God’s behalf saying, “I have loved you,” says the LORD. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us? ‘Was not Esau
Jacob’s brother? Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” So basically, God can’t be accused of saying He loves without proving it. For them, He proved it by choosing Jacob over his older brother Esau, even though culturally the older son always got first dibs and the greatest inheritance. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, and his descendants became the entire nation of Israel, including these priests Malachi was talking to. God showed His love for them by choosing that nation in particular to belong to Him and reflect His light to the world. Now a little bit further into the chapter the coin flips, and we see how it looks from the priests’ side of the relationship. Verses 6-8 it reads: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you, O priests, who dishonor my name. But you ask, ‘How have we dishonored your name?’ You place defiled food on my altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying that the Lord’s Table is dishonorable. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong?” What was required in the Old Testament system of sacrifices was a standard of quality. Think about something that you’re skilled in. Have you ever had someone close to you know what you’re skilled in, and then offer to give you something that they say is going to help you develop that skill, but there’s something strange about it? They’re trying to convince you that you could really use what they want to give you, but you can tell they’re really just trying to get rid of it. Well, in the system of sacrifices in Old Testament law God required more than just any old animal or gathering of food to bring to the ceremonies. It was supposed to be from the best of what they had to sacrifice. Part of the purpose was to show that God Himself was more important to them than the best quality of what they owned, and that He’s more than deserving of that request. Now when God expresses through Malachi here that He’s not getting the honor that any human father or authority figure should get, they don’t get what He’s saying. Then he has to
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“
There are people we love, admire, look up to in life – some who may not even return that love – or who we don’t even really know because we love them through a video, an album, or a concert.
”
point out that they’ve been ignoring how they keep lowering the standard of what they’re giving to God. They’ve been bringing blind, diseased, and crippled animals to sacrifice in their ceremonies, which shows they’ve been greedy and not giving from the best of their stock. God has demonstrated His love for them, but they have demonstrated dishonor for God. Where’s the love? Even though there’s over a couple of thousand years between this writing and today, the more this unfolds the more I see myself in this picture. Sure, we know that Christ’s sacrifice is the end of having to perform the sacrificial ceremonies that they did in the law, but there’s an issue underneath the surface that can be very real and fresh in us today. There are things that we can get used to doing as a part of Christian activity, and the acts of going to church weekly, putting money in the basket, faithfully singing all the worship songs we know by heart, attending the concerts, getting involved in the fund-raisers and events, those activities can get misappropriated. This happens because we can allow those activities to be reasons in our minds for not needing to pay attention to areas of our hearts that God may very much want to address. It’s not that we should stop activity, but what God really wants is activity that’s on the foundation of something deeper. Hard as it is to admit, many times what we give to God that may look pretty good on the outside is a contradicting picture of what we give to Him from within. We can give ourselves to God in ways that other human beings wouldn’t even tolerate.
It’s gets real interesting where Malachi refers to the priests’ sacrifices and says to them, “Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty. There are people we love, admire, look up to in life – some who may not even return that love – or who we don’t even really know because we love them through a video, an album, or a concert. We would do anything to let them know how much we value them and hope they return our effort. What about God, whose greater than any other human being that could ever exist... who’s the reason that the people we admire exist in the first place, and who’s done more for us than anyone would imagine doing?
I don’t think it takes much these days to convince someone that God loves them. It’s become popular to see that now, and even vocalize it. That’s good, because it’s true, but there seems to be a misunderstood response to that reality, which is that since He loves me He doesn’t care about what I desire and how I live. Then, I have to reflect and remember that God’s love is meant to change my life, not for me to make excuses. God has definitely demonstrated His love through Christ on the cross. But if God is looking for how we demonstrate our love for Him, is He still waiting for an answer? •••
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3rd Rail Yo uth Pastor’ s Derrick & Ir is Colon
A live D.J. spinning the hottest Christ centered Hip-Hop, smoke machines to set the mood, a live urban Hip-Hop worship team harmonizing to hot beats, backlit signs reminiscent to that of a movie theatre, and four T.V. monitors displaying videos and images on the screens to grab the crowd’s attention. One might think we are talking about a club somewhere, but we are talking about the 3rd rail Teen Service. It happens every Thursday night @ Crossover Church. As you enter the room and see all the teens (6th-12th grade) dressed in durags, hats, braids, timberlands, jerseys, etc. It is so clear that they are accepted just as they come. From every background, and nationality, it’s all love in this place. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and many other spots up north have moved to Tampa and made 3rd rail their Church. Many will never go to a traditional Church, but they feel very comfortable here. It’s also important to note that many originally from the Tampa bay area have also felt the urge to hang out here as well. The service sparks off at 7:30 and ends at 9:00 sharp, with an after service hangout time till 10:00. This is not your typical service: it’s geared to reaching out to those who are influenced by Hip-Hop culture. The basketball courts open from 6pm till 7:30, and then reopen from 9pm to 9:45. There is also an open break dancing floor following the service as many of the local B.Boys come to practice and show there skills as others watch. The first Thursday of every month is S.O.U.L. Session which stands for Speaking on Urban Life. It is done in a talk show format with live poetry and emcees spitting on the mics. The crowd is also involved as the two hosts go out into the audience and get them to participate. We can’t forget the Hip-Hop shop located in the Church lobby. This is the spot to cop some of the hottest Hip-Hop joints for your soul. If you’ve ever wondered if Christians can rap and still represent the Creator...well, come check out the Hip-Hop shop. Every first time guest gets a free crossover magazine and more.
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But what’s up with the name 3rd rail? In the Subways the 3rd rail is the power source that moves the train. Without it nothing happens. In the same way our lives need to be plugged into a power source. That power source is our creator, for us He is the 3rd rail. Most Thursdays have a special guest Hip-Hop artist do a mini concert before the word is presented. This always gets the crowd hype and ready for what God wants to do. In 2005, the youth ministry went through a serious change in its service. The youth ministry was slowly turning into a college age ministry and older. The majority of people coming were now in their twenties and even older with a packed house, but what about the teens? In 2005 that all changed, with a shift in its focus, and a desire to see the teens of this city reached for Christ. The young adults were eventually no longer permitted to come on Thursday nights, as we started our Saturday night service and Thursdays then became totally geared to the youth. Long before the change, they also prayed about bringing on a full time youth pastor to dedicate his entire time to youth ministry as the pastors and leaders running it had other responsibilities that had become their main roles. In January of 2006 that became a reality. But it was important for Crossover not to just hire anyone, but someone who had experience. Not just in youth ministry, but also in Urban Hip-Hop culture. After several possibilities we soon found that Derrick Colon was the best fit. Born and raised in the rough section of The South Bronx Derrick knew all to well the reality of urban living. After coming to Christ out of the Hip-Hop culture in 1991, he would later be called back to the very culture he had come out of, Hip-Hop. Pastor Tommy (Urban D) and Derrick met in the late nineties, and they had always kept in touch, never realizing that God would put them together to help further His work of reaching the culture.
3RD RAIL SKATEPARK: “ride the rail”
Graffiti covered ramps, Hip-Hop through the speakers, skaters, graph writers, breakers... in short - the place to be! Under new management, a new vision, and a new focus to combine skating, Hip-Hop, and the creator, you have - “3rd Rail Skate Park”
Now a part of the youth ministry of crossover church, 3rd Rail Skate Park / Splinter is expanding it borders to reach a multicultural group of youth who are not into tradition or religion, but truth. The park is opened every Tuesday from 47:30 & Thursday from 4-6:00. Another hot feature is that this park is the only park in the area that is absolutely FREE. The skate shop is also opened where you can buy some drinks, candy, or just hang out and watch some videos. We also have boards and other accessories for sale in the shop. Stay tuned as we plan to expand hours in the future as we get more adult volunteers from Crossover involved. For more info on the park or to volunteer - visit the website crossoverchurch.org or visit myspace.com/crossoverskatepark
TUESDAY NIGHT TEEN BREAKDOWN:
Teen small groups // Every Tuesday night from 6:30pm-8:00pm teens gather together to build and discuss issues that affect them and their life. There is a session for the girls and the guys. Iris who is the assistant youth director for the 3rd rail Hip-Hop Teen Service leads the girl’s session. Pastor Dee and Jay Apostle lead the guy’s session.
AFTER SCHOOL HOOPS:
Every Tuesday & Thursday from 4-7:30 the courts are opened as an after school program to hang out and build on the crossover campus. // Tuesday at 7:30 the courts close in order to get ready for breakdown, we only ask that if you come to play on the courts, please consider staying for the breakdown at 7:45. // Thursday at 7:30 the courts close in order to get ready for the Hip-Hop teen service - 3rd rail. We also encourage you to stay as the courts will reopen at 9:00 and stay open till 10:00 for 3 on 3 tournaments. (In order to play after the service, you must stay for the service).
TALENT DEVELOPMENT CLASSES - “THE FOUNDATION”
Discover / Develop / Display This takes place every Tuesday night from 6:30pm-8:00pm (in semesters) the goal of this program is to help teens that have talents and gifts to learn to use them in a positive Christ centered way. We have a team of teachers who are products of the culture of Hip-Hop, and who now use their gifts for the Creator. THE CLASSES: it was very important for us to have classes that spoke to the current mindset of young teens. There are many places that offer classes on sewing for the girls or woodshop for the guys, and those in and of themselves are not bad, but we felt that most teens today are influenced by the current Hip-Hop culture, and needed something that would speak directly to them. The classes include: “Graffiti Art” w/ SPE©: This is designed with the artist in mind, and it is our intention to encourage them to use the gift of graffiti, not for vandalism, but for the beauty of the art form. Spec being a graffiti writer himself, offers a lot of experience, and knows how to take the art of the culture and present Christ. “Drama” w/ Spivey: Our intention here was to present a program to youth of the inner city that would encourage acting, prop design, set design, spoken word poetry, and any other expression that would encourage and build up the gift of drama in them. Spivey comes with experience in set design and stage management. Her excitement for drama is contagious. “Youth Choir” w/ Symalee: This class will be both for girls and guys. The Hip-Hop emphasis is clear when it comes to the youth choir of 3rd rail. They are not just singing old hymns, but a new expression of praise, while rocking to Hip-Hop rhythms that are all Christ centered. Symalee brings much to the table when it comes to music. She is the worship director for Crossover, and has a heart to combine the spiritual and the urban flavor to create a new sound for a Hip-Hop generation. “Emcee Class” w/ Imperial - This class focuses on rap. It will cover the history of Hip-Hop, how to write Christ centered rhymes, stage presence, breath control, and much more. This is for the true emcee that wants to develop his or her craft, and bring a positive message to a negative culture. Imperial brings years of experience to the mic, and takes his craft seriously. He is part of the group “Beyond Skillz” along with his wife Symalee, and has a heart to see the youth of the culture be influenced by the word. There will be many other classes added as the semesters continue. So if you are in middle school or high school (6th-12th grade only) these classes are for you.
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“Heartfelt Hip-Hop” is available @ flavoralliance.com
Rize is continuing to elevate. We caught up with him to talk about his ministry, his music, his family and where he sees hip-hop going. -Interview by Mario Armstrong aka Marz
S.O.U.L: How long have you been following Christ and how long have you been doing music? Rize:
I’ve been a Christian most of my life and serious about it and my music for about 15 years. My family brought me up in church.
S.O.U.L:
How long have you been performing? I have been on the mic since 91’. I was in a group called T.R.I.B.E. It was myself, Reflex (another Crossover/Fla.vor member), and another cat (Real) that passed away.
Rize:
S.O.U.L:
You have a new album... so what number is this? This is kind of my third album... actually my second solo, but my group T.R.I.B.E. put out an album in 99’ called “True Revelations”. My first solo joint was in 2003 entitled “Hard-Headed”, and my latest album, “Heart Felt Hip-Hop” came out in 2007.
Rize:
S.O.U.L:
What is the main focus of this album? Hip-Hop from the heart. Sharing personal stuff, my life story. My testimony on wax... what a man goes through everyday and how he can put Christ in his everyday life. Sharing the message of Christ. At the same time it’s real showing Christians still have worries and problems.
Rize:
S.O.U.L:
What track on the CD best portrays you? The one closest to my heart is “Hypocrite”, talking about how I look at my son, and I see so much of myself in him. The flip side of that is it worries me because of all the mistakes I made. I just wrestle with the whole idea of watching him growing up in my shoes and wanting him to be a better man that I was.
Rize:
S.O.U.L: Does he listen to your CD? Rize:
Yeah, all my kids listen to my music. It’s real cool. They are the first people to learn my lyrics, so you know my biggest fans are my little ones. That’s how I know I have a hit, when they are singing it in the car!
S.O.U.L:
Do you think they might go the same route as you, recording-wise, or being in the ministry? Rize: Hopefully, the love for Christ is all I care about. Whether they preach or do music, I don’t care. As long as I instill in them the fact that they should love Christ, that’s all I’m trying to push in them; love Christ, and build a personal relationship with him. I have a song called “Remain” on my album that talks about that. It’s talking about truth, and in how society, truth can be relative to your situation. But, when you really want to search for real truth, you’ll find it, and find it’s absolute.
S.O.U.L:
On the ministry side... besides the music – how are you involved? I’m active at Crossover Church, teaching single men Bible Study, and interacting in the lives of a lot of men. I mentor and work with the fellas to let them know that someone loves them and is there to hold them accountable. They work I am doing now is building up young men, men of God, and showing them an example.
Rize:
Rize is not just a talented MC that shines when he’s on the mic, but more importantly he’s a dedicated father and husband, and a ministry leader that pours into single men at Crossover... and that’s heartfelt! S.O.U.L | Pg33
by: Pastor Tommy Kyllonen aka Urban D.
Imagine having everything you could ever dream of wanting? The highest luxury the world had to offer. TV shows and movies can paint this fantasy for all of us that we might find ourselves daydreaming in at times... but for a cat named Solomon it was no dream – this was reality. He was known as the wisest man that lived during his time. Historians look at his life and calculate he was the wealthiest man to ever live. They’ve even calculated his wealth into today’s economy and say that he was 8-10 ten times richer than Bill Gates. He had everything his culture had to offer... and if his culture didn’t have it – he invented it and built it. He worked hard and he studied. He was driven! Solomon built cities, parks, gardens, and palaces. He was a poet and a writer. This artist found himself on the top of the pop charts of his day as he wrote over 1,000 songs and over 3,000 proverbs. Leaders of other nations traveled months to come and sit with him to gain some knowledge and try to build a relationship with him. And if he wasn’t rich enough already – people that came and visited him to sit with him brought him extravagant gifts to honor him and impress him. Chariots full of silver, gold, animals, fur and perfumes. Solomon was the man! This was considered Israel’s golden age, and he was the greatest King that ever lived. He was the definition of hustle back in his day. His kingdom was prosperous and he became a real popular dude! He had God’s favor, but as his wisdom and his wealth grew, his relationship with God became more and more distant. He began to indulge more and more in his earthly pleasures and riches. It seemed he couldn’t say no to himself. Solomon wanted to experience absolutely everything he desired. He took on hundreds of wives and many of them worshipped other foreign gods that drew him even further away from God. But, he lived it up! He hustled! But, soon his life was coming to its closing days and he looked back on it
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and began to reflect. Check out his words from Ecclesiastes 2:11, “Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.” (Message Bible)
Most of the book of Ecclesiastes is filled with heavy depressing content just like this. King Solomon’s hustle was impressive, but when you look at his reflection it just doesn’t seem to be what we thought it would. Especially when we live in a culture where most people are trying to hustle to achieve some things or acquire some things. But, usually once we achieve it or we buy it, many times we find it doesn’t quite bring us the feeling we thought it would. It doesn’t bring that closure or that satisfaction that we expected. We might feel a little cheated... many times this is supposed to be a wake up call for us, but most of us just push and hustle a little harder and keep looking to see what’s next. We tell ourselves, “There’s got to be another achievement or thing I can get that will finally bring me that happiness and contentment that I’m looking for.” But, it doesn’t happen! I know all of us reading this have watched Sesame Street back in the day. Some of ya’ll might have forgotten a lot of it, but wait until you have kids – you’ll be watching it again! Some of ya’ll know the deal as you got shorties now! They have this game segment on Sesame Street that helps kids learn patterns. It’s the little song that says, “One of these things is not like the other...” They would show five umbrellas going by and four of them are polka dot and one is stripped. Kids begin to learn the pattern of the stripped one stands out, as it’s not like the others. If you were to open the table of contents in the Bible and look at the sixty-six books listed - Ecclesiastes is that one you could point at and say this one is not like the others! Now the book of Job may be similar in that it has some heavy depressing stuff, but if you’re familiar with the book of
Job the content includes him losing his family, his possessions, and then to top it off he got physically sick. That would be expected to be heavy and depressing – no doubt! But, on the flip side here you have King Solomon who didn’t lose any of that. He was the icon of success... the leader of this golden era! He had it going on! He was on top of the world! That’s the stuff we’d all envision that we want, right? And then you see his response to it... and it’s crushing! It smashes our picture of what it could be like, right? It smashes the MTV Cribs and the Lifestyles of the rich and famous mentality. It pulls the rug out from under that stuff. It’s some heavy stuff as King Solomon basically reduces just about everything down to being meaningless, vanity, emptiness, vapor, or as the message bible says it – Smoke.
...his wealth into today’s economy and say that he was 8-10 ten times richer than Bill Gates... As Solomon reflects he does give some us some positive, solid advice in Chapter 5 verse 18; “Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during his few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift from God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of the heart.” (NIV) Solomon lost that gladness of his heart. He lost that joy he once had as he used to be close with God. Now, as he looked back on his life he realized it wasn’t about all the riches, the accomplishments, and the women... because they all just eventually vanish. Because he focused on those things his relationship with his creator suffered and he soon found all the fancy stuff just didn’t do it for him. We have to learn to live faithful to God and appreciate what he has given us. Without God we’ll never find any real happiness or enjoyment – it will be a never-ending hustle! We see Solomon’s reflection of life without God, and it’s ugly – it’s depressing – it’s bleak! But that outlook is very different when God comes in and changes you. So, I challenge you as you finish up this article to put down the magazine for a minute and pause and reflect...
What are you
really
hustling for?
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The Media Department @ Crossover has taken over... taking up space that is. All around the campus of Crossover you will see several productions from the Media Dept. Our media director, Spec oversees all of the production from the team which includes: print, videos, sound, etc.) The past year has been an incredible year of growth in so many areas of the church and this is especially true of the media department.
Crossover might look like it has a lot of mula, but that is just plain WRONG!!! With the technology that is pushed into our culture every year, we are prone to keep up with these advancements at an alarming rate. We can’t even remember the last time we used a VCR tape in a service, and that is just one example. Crossover began with the freshest technology of it’s time back in the late 90’s. We had the astounding “Over Head Projector” with marker written transparencies. Yes ladies & gentleman, it is fair to say that we have come a LONG way. Now don’t be fooled, Crossover might look like it has a lot of mula, but that is just plain WRONG!!! See what we have here is a lot of talent! The media team @ Crossover goes far beyond the boys in the booth. Many individuals contribute in several viable areas. Some of these important areas include: writing scripts for the short films, filming/editing, photography, working the lights and stage props; honestly the list could go on and on. Granted, we do have a few church family members who love to just help us out and volunteer their time and talent in our media department. We truly appreciate these people and their willingness to help out; we can always use the help. Many of our volunteers have gone above and beyond working in the sound booth at the church. Two of our media volunteers work for a major audio/video company here in Tampa. Several individuals have a passion for film and have taken courses of study in those areas. A husband and wife duo took it upon themselves to edit our services for local broadcast on public access channels... we never asked them! It was in their heart and a lot of fruit has come from that. Numerous testimonies can be heard at Crossover and even around Tampa Bay about the hip.hop church on TV. Some of our fam have uncanny writing abilities and have shown favor to Crossover by blessing us with scripts that help produce/proof our short films & stories for our magazines. All churches have talented people. You may have to dig for a while and be patient, but they are out there. You have to give them a platform. Crossover is a living example of that. The media team @ Crossover along side with Flavor Alliance Media Group recently produced a new film series called “Press Play.” This is the second set of short films that our media team has produced. These videos have also been submitted to film festivals across the country. The DVD is designed to mirror certain topics for sermons; it is basically a visual illustration. The response from these DVD’s has been incredible. Get ready, we’re just getting started! We look forward to the next couple of years to see what God has in store for us. It’s amazing when we take a step back and see that it all began with an over head projector...
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The Fla.vor Alliance crew and Crossover members have put on more than 40 major concert events consistently every three months at Crossover. These events feature a nationally known Christian Hip-Hop groups as the headliner. Flavor Alliance, Crossover groups, and other local artists are the opening acts. Each event is more like a mini-festival as we have several things happening around our campus during the concert. All the elementz of Hip-Hop are represented as we have a B-Boy/B-Girl (break dancing) expo and competition in the Turnstyle room or the basketball courts as a live DJ spins some old skool break beats. We have a graffiti expo outside in the skate park; a DJ expo takes place in the main auditorium with several DJ’s that run the music throughout the night. In addition to all that... the patio is open with food for sale, the basketball courts are open, the skate park and skate shop are open, and the vendors alley on the backside of the building is open with several product and resources available. There’s lots of action at the spot! These events are an exciting time at Crossover with over seventy-five of our church family members volunteering to help out each time. Hundreds attend the concerts and over 1,000 attend the Fla.vor Fest concert nights as we have people attend from across the state and beyond. These events are geared to be evangelistic as we reach out to the community... but they also serve a dual purpose! Christians also need a place to come out and have fun! The results of these events have been incredible as hundreds of people have built a relationship with Christ, and many believers have been encouraged and inspired! The magazine you are holding in your hands was designed by a brother who met Christ at one of these events several years ago! >>SPE© Our concerts have included nationally known groups such as: The Cross Movement, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., Flame, KJ-52, Pettidee, Corey Red & Precise, Lecrae and many others.
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The Crossover Courts were built a few years ago and have served thousands in our community. We have open court nights on Tuesday and Thursday’s after school. Wednesday night is our Men’s Basketball league (ages 18 & up) where we have open court and our very own street ball league. About 30-40 guys attend each Wednesday night. The evening starts out with warm up time and several pick up games. There have been some special nights where we’ve had a DJ spin some hot Christian hip-hop during this time. Everyone then takes a break and gets into a short Bible Study where one of the leaders shares from his heart as they tie it in with sports and every day life. Occasionally some of the MC’s from the church will also come and drop some lyrics on the players and speak some words of encouragement.
“
This has been a great outreach ministry as several guys who just came to play ball have now come to know Christ...
”
The second part of the night then kicks in as everyone hits the courts for the actual league games. The set up is official- complete with referees, a game-clock, score board, camera man, and stat recorder. The league even produces a weekly newsletter with the player of the week, stats, standings and a brief summary of each game that highlights some of the key plays and players. This has been a great outreach ministry as several guys who just came to play ball have now come to know Christ and have started attending our services.
A three on three tournament is also held during each one of our tri-monthly concerts. Several teams from all over come to compete on the courts as the concert is rocking inside and activity is popping all over the campus. Hip-Hop and Hoops has been an incredible outreach and it’s also created great fellowship and exercise opportunities.
To get involved – just come out on a Wednesday night!
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by: Pastor Tommy Kyllonen
aka Urban D.
Placing church and hip-hop together in
the same sentence is definitely an unorthodox combination. Growing up as a pastor’s kid in Philadelphia, I had both of those words in my environment a lot. They helped shape my identity. When I committed my life to Christ in my late teens, God soon revealed his calling for me, and it became clear that my ministry wasn’t going to be “normal.” This was both exciting and scary since these were uncharted waters. I didn’t set out to have a ministry that was going to include a hip-hop flavor; my heart was to reach unchurched people in the urban community, and I was willing to find a way to do so. Even then I knew it was going to be unorthodox, which Webster defines as “breaking from convention and breaking from tradition.” My biblical beliefs and doctrine were still very orthodox, but my ministry approach and how I lived out my faith were anything but conventional or traditional.
“
When people hear Crossover is a church that targets hip-hop culture, they usually have some questions and oftentimes even some stereotypes.
”
After I graduated from Bible college in 1996, I founded a youth ministry at a young church in Tampa, Fla., called Crossover. Basketball leagues and hip-hop concerts became two major ways Crossover Church started to connect with the community. The more we got to know our community, the more we quickly noticed the majority of teens and young adults were highly influenced by hip-hop culture. Soon we discovered many of the people accepting Christ in our services were talented rappers, dancers, artists, poets, and
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DJ’s, and we saw the need to give them the opportunity to use their gifts and talents for their Creator. By 2002 the youth and young adult ministry had grown to hundreds, and the church asked me to take over as pastor, as most of the 40 adults coming on Sunday were there as a result of the youth ministry. It took some time, but my wife and I soon realized this was what God had planned for us and our faith community that we cared about so much. As the year progressed, we knew God was calling our entire ministry to reach out to this emerging culture. We had a lot of questions and doubts, as there was no model to look to. A few pastors began to mentor me, and our church soon transitioned to become Purpose Driven as we implemented the C.L.A.S.S. structure (Connection Classes) and began focusing on the five purposes of the New Testament church. These past five years have definitely been an unorthodox story. Our campus is bursting at the seams as we now have three Sunday services. True church growth is taking place, as the majority of our congregation previously didn’t attend church. We have become the model for the groundswell of young urban churches across the country that are focusing on reaching into the hip-hop culture with the Gospel. Crossover holds an annual conference called “Fla.vor Fest” that exists to train, network, and resource emerging leaders to effectively impact the hip-hop culture for Christ. When people hear Crossover is a church that targets hiphop culture, they usually have some questions and oftentimes even some stereotypes. I’ll get all kinds of crazy questions like, do you rap your sermons? Or, do you guys read and study the Bible or are your services mostly just entertainment? They may be funny, but honestly, some of these questions can be somewhat offensive. As I put myself in their position, however, I realize many people simply don’t understand our current culture, and God has called us to build bridges and educate others. Crossover’s worship services have many elements that any Christian church -
might have – singing, prayer, offering, announcements, teachings, and special music – but it’s the way we do these things that is different. We’re obviously not traditional, but everything we believe and practice in our services is biblical. Remember, Jesus was not a traditional guy! He was constantly frustrating the religious leaders of his day. You can see this throughout the Gospels as he challenged many of their man-made rules and the ways they interpreted some of the commandments:
(Matt. 12:1–14 and 15:1–9)
The hip-hop culture wants realness. Although the services are professional, well prepared, and well thought out, they are open and honest. If you were to walk into one of our weekend services, you’d find we welcome everyone and start off in prayer as we lead into worship. Music is a huge element with our crowd, so our worship style reflects our cultural context. We have a DJ spinning a Christian hip-hop or R&B instrumental. Our worship team sings many of the same songs other churches do, but with a remixed flavor. A rapper or two will mix in on some of the faster songs and rap between repetitions of the chorus. The worship team will also sing some slower songs with R&B ballads, sing a cappella, or sing with someone beatboxing in the background. Because they are comfortable with the music, people can authentically engage in worship with God.
“
Dead air is usually awkward, so we always have our DJ on the tables... They clap, raise their hands, cry, sway side to side, or sit quietly. We’re learning from the Scriptures that worship is more than just singing. At many services, we’ll mix in rap, poetry, Scripture reading, and occasionally dance or an artist painting a mural during the slow reflective songs. Our worship team has produced several CDs complete with instrumentals, so they can be used as a resource by other churches. At Crossover, we generally create a time after worship when people can say what’s up to each other and say hello to new people. Dead air is usually awkward, so we always have our DJ on the tables playing a backdrop instrumental during these times and during the announcements to keep the atmosphere upbeat.
Hip-hoppers are visual learners, so we keep this in mind as we present the message. Some churches may tie in special music, drama, or a video at the beginning or the end of a message. We tend to mix it into our messages at several points to illustrate themes and Scripture. The reality is our attention spans have become short, and for the younger generations, it’s even shorter. It may seem like an obstacle, but it doesn’t have to be. Our average message is still 35 to 40 minutes long, but it includes other elements we tie in to keep the crowd engaged. Our media team produces some innovative graphics on the screens to illustrate certain points and display some of the Scriptures we read together. Many times we provide notes in our programs so they can follow along and take additional notes. The layout of our service constantly changes because Crossover wants to be predictably unpredictable. We don’t want it to become routine. Sometimes we may do a slower worship set after the message, or do an offering right in the middle of worship. Our average service is around 75 to 80 minutes long. We plan services together as a team, so there are many people and many creative elements involved. We believe that God is pleased when we plan ahead and that his Spirit is involved when we are putting the services together. Each week we have regular attendees and new people alike share that what took place in the service was exactly for them at that time. That’s God putting the pieces together! •••
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First impressions mean a lot! Statistics show that most people that visit a church will already decide if they are coming back before they ever hear the pastor speak. Some make their choice even before the service starts! The past few years we’ve made great strides in trying to make a better first impression on all of our first time guests. We have a
HOSPITALITY TEAM that sets up free bagels and coffee on the patio for our weekend services. They are
also the first ones that greet people with a smile and hand them a program as they walk in. This is the team that also runs our information area on the patio where you probably received this magazine. As you noticed most of our services are pretty full, our
USHERING TEAM assists people in finding seats as they enter the main auditorium or our outdoor
video cafe. They also assist in passing out additional material, keeping order, and helping take up the offering in our services. Crossover has a lot of activity around the campus. Our
CLEANING TEAM keeps the facility looking fresh.
None of us want to go into a dirty bathroom, or walk into a building that smells with trash everywhere. The cleaning team keeps God’s house looking good. We want people to come in and have a good experience and a good first impression so when it comes time for worship and the teaching they can enter in and listen without being distracted. If you want to help us continue to make good first impressions, you can see someone at the information booth to get involved.
Marriage is an institution that was created by God. It’s a commitment that is supposed to last for life. With all the pressure and stress in our culture it seems like commitment is becoming a tough thing for people to stick with. We see families breaking up all the time. The effects it has on children and adults can be devastating. We know that God desires for us to build solid families that are healthy as they grow in him. In 2004 Crossover developed its Marriage Ministry. This ministry is designed to help couples strengthen their marriage and their families. This ministry sponsors a quarterly event which usually consists of a dinner, a workshop, or a trip that features teaching, fellowship, and fun. During the in between time several of the leading couples pour into younger couples by spending time with them and mentoring them.
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The Drama Department
has developed and performed several original productions here at Crossover. These productions included acting, video, dance, song, rap, and poetry. This creates a platform for people to discover, develop, and display their talents and passions. Some of the events had a cast of over 40 people including a stage crew and set designers. Recent full blown productions included “The Mission II”, “Jesus... one of us”, and “To hip-hop with love.” We’ve seen many people build new relationships with Christ and other believers get seriously challenged. Short skits are also frequently used during our services. They are sometimes live, and sometimes filmed and edited on video. These skits are sometimes funny and sometimes serious as they deal with real issues that vividly paint the picture to illustrate the message that Pastor Tommy, Pastor Tone, and the speaking team are sharing. The Drama team is made up a group that is very diverse in background and ages. Drama is not just entertainment, but a form of communication. Through drama we communicate how God’s word relates to our everyday lives.
“We’ve seen many people build new relationships with Christ and other believers get seriously challenged”.
PoetS.O.U.L.
- Poetry and Spoken Word Cypha is an event held a few times a year much like our concerts... just on a smaller scale and appealing to a more “laid back” audience. Poet S.O.U.L. features performers doing poetry and spoken word, reflecting real life laced with Christ centered worldview. This is an outdoor event held on Crossover’s patio complete with torches, candles, and a live DJ spinning mellow hip-hop, R&B, and jazz instrumentals. A special feature of PoetS.O.U.L. is the R&B style artist/singer/group that performs two separate sets in between all the poetry. PoetS.O.U.L. has featured such national artists as Lisa McClendon, Demetrus, Bobby Roman and many more...
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Newspaper “Shouting Hip-Hop’s Praises” story by: Cathy Grossman November 28th, 2005 (front page of Life Section)
“Welcome to hip-hop church - a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, mega decibel, authentically biblical worship service where urban street sound and style take a holy spin. Crossover does 21st century church in a first century fashion, going into the world like the apostle Paul in Athens, telling of salvation in the language of the streets.”
Internet
www.usatoday.com
“A Hip-Hop Church’s Search for Purpose” story by: Tobin Perry Purposedriven.com/Pastors.com
“Crossover Community Church has learned to use the Purpose Driven Model of ministry in a way that is uniquely their own. After getting a handle on who their target
Magazine “America’s Most Innovative Churches” story by: Morgan, Lowry, and Choi January/February 2007 (cover story)
ment on what their Christ-centered songs mean to them.
“We cannot ignore the pervasive nature of hip-hop culture,” says Tommy Kyllonen, the 33-year-old pastor of Crossover Church, an urban hip-hop styled church in Tampa, Fla, and No. 13 on our America’s Most Innovative Churches list. At Sunday worship, it’s indeed obvious that Crossover is reaching this generation. A rapper takes the stage. He sways to a driving beat, but his rhymes wax poetic on the profundity of God’s grace. Dancers move and spin as the congregation rises to their feet. The DJ mixes in a swell of orchestration and hundreds of voices join in worship to sing, ‘When the spirit of the Lord moves within my heart, I will dance like David danced.’”
At the end of the night Kyllonen and other speakers
www.outreachmagazine.com
was, the church began to use any method necessary to reach them. For example, every three months they have a hip-hop concert at the church where they bring in well known bands to play. Throughout the concert a low-key gospel message is weaved in as artists com-
fully explain the gospel and give an invitation to accept Christ. Many in the congregation came to know Jesus for the first time through these events. Lily Lorenzo attended one of these concerts after seeing an article in the newspaper about it. She was so impressed with the church that she moved from Orlando to Tampa just to attend on a regular basis. The decision changed her life forever. Now just five years later she serves as the church’s small group director.” •Crossover was also honored with a: “Church Health Award” @ Rick Warren’s: Purpose Driven Church Conference in 2006.
Television Tampa Bay’s 10 CBS News affiliate
Tampa Bay’s 10 did a major news story on Crossover Church with Sarah Dorsey in July 2007.
www.tampabays10.com Crossover has also been featured in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, CCM Magazine, Relevant Magazine, Charisma Magazine, The Tampa Tribune, and the St. Petersburg Times among many others.
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interviewed by: CONCEPT
S.O.U.L: Well S.O.U.L: Well where where do do we we begin? begin? Were Were you you born born and and raised raised in in Tampa? Tampa? Surreal: No, I’ve in Tampa a little overover 20 years. I was bornborn in Sacramento, California. My real daddad waswas kindkind of aof rolling stone, I guess you SURREAL: No, been I’ve been in Tampa a little 20 years. I was in Sacramento, California. My real a rolling stone, I guess would say.say. He rolled a lotaaround, stoned. And And yeah,yeah, he was drug dealer. So we around a lot. aWe six or different states you would He rolled lot around, stoned. he like wasalike a drug dealer. Somoved we moved around lot.lived We five livedorfive six different my firstmy eight life. ofAnd landed here, and my grandparents are here. And I’ve been age 8.age 8. states firstyears eight of years life.we And we landed here, and my grandparents are here. And I’vehere beensince here about since about S.O.U.L: Okay. S.O.U.L: Okay.Well Welllet’s let’sget getinto intothe thebackground backgroundof ofSurreal. Surreal. Surreal Surrealbeing, being,the thechoice choiceof ofthe thename, name,first firstof ofall...how all... howdid didthat thatcome comeabout? about? Surreal: Yeah. It was anof odd WhileWhile I was Ihanging out with homeboy Tess, and graffiti artist and heand used hangtoaround SURREAL: Yeah. It kind was of kind anthing. odd thing. was hanging outmy with my homeboy Tess,he’s anda he’s a graffiti artist hetoused hang a lot of aartists. We were at over someatguy’s he and had he a Black one of his said “Journey Into theInto Surreal”. I was always around lot of artists. Weover were somehouse guy’s and house had aBook Blackand Book and onepieces of his pieces said “Journey the Surreal”. I was like, man, word just really wonder what that word always like,that man, thatisword is justfresh. really Ifresh. I wonder what thatmeans. word means. looked itit up up and and itit was was the the ill, ill, because because it’s it’s ambiguous. ambiguous. It’s It’s really reallylike, like,ititjust justmeans meanslike likeotherworldly, otherworldly,basically. basically. People, People,when whenthey theycan’t can’texplain explain II looked something, when when they they don’t don’t have have aa better better word word for for it, it, they they say say “surreal”. “surreal”. So So II was was like, like, “Yeah”! “Yeah”! Then ThenIIconnected connectedititwith withsurrealism, surrealism,which whichhaphapsomething, pened we we have have the the Dali Dali Museum here in St. Pete. So it just kind of pened of was was all all aa part part of of me me learning learningabout aboutthat thatart artform, form,but butalso alsojust justliking likingthe theway wayit itsounds, sounds,having havingthe theword word“real” “real”ininit itbut butit itwasn’t wasn’tlike liketoo tooreal. real. S.O.U.L: What S.O.U.L: Whatare aresome someof ofyour yourinfluences influencesthat thatbrought broughtabout aboutSurreal. Surreal. Surreal: Earliest hip-hop that Ithat wasI into Run DMC. The The first cut was “My It wasItlike And then ’88, SURREAL: Earliest hip-hop was was into obviously was obviously Run DMC. firstI ever cut I heard ever heard wasAdidas”. “My Adidas”. was1984. like 1984. Andinthen I wanted to rap but it was eight I started to try to try breakdance, because it wasitthe that I that could do atdo that in ’88, I wanted to rap but only it waslike only likeyears eight old, yearsSo old, So I started to breakdance, because wasonly the thing only thing I could at time. that I couldn’t put sentences together like some of theofrappers. But in ‘88inI‘88 sawI saw the Rakim “Microphone Fiend” video andand it was likelike bump that, I’m time. I couldn’t put sentences together like some the rappers. But the Rakim “Microphone Fiend” video it was bump that, gonna try to He He waswas justjust so calm andand collected. AndAnd he had thisthis ill voice andand the the wayway he walked down the the stairs in the I was just just like, I’m gonna tryrap. to rap. so calm collected. he had ill voice he walked down stairs in video. the video. I was manman I want to betoa be rapper. So I started to try to to try rap,toyou how ithow is, back school cafeteria. You know, the whole nine. Inine. was doing around like, I want a rapper. So I started rap,know you know it is, in back in school cafeteria. You know, the whole I wasitdoing it the house, “What heckthe is that? What is that rappity, Then in about grade I seen some of the artists out here around the getting house, yelled gettingat, yelled at,the “What heck is that? What is thatrappity?” rappity, rappity?” Then10th in about 10th grade I seen some of the artistsin Tampa, like Kenny K’s show, I saw a show withathem. It was like, man I want to doI that. wantknow, to rap. out here man, in Tampa, man, like KennySandman. K’s show, Sandman. I saw show with them. It wasthese like, dudes, man these dudes, want You to doknow, that. I You I So I started rhymes. Andrhymes. it was like years, all those ideas and allideas the styles incubating, basically. Like I knewLike I wanted to want to rap. to Sowrite I started to write Andallit those was like all those years, all those and allwere the styles were incubating, basically. I knew it but to they sat, and bysat, the and timeby I wrote my Ireal official firstofficial rhyme,first it was like itthere no doubt that was I wasI supposed to be Ido wanted dojust it but they just the time wrote my real rhyme, was was like there was that no doubt thatwhat was what was supposed doing. ThereThere was no doubt that I that had Iahad knack for it. for I recorded my first thinkI think in ‘93.in ‘93. to be doing. was no doubt a knack it. I recorded mycut, firstI cut, S.O.U.L: You S.O.U.L: Youwere werepart partof ofaalocal localhip-hop hip-hopgroup grouphere herefor foraawhile. while. Tell Tellus usabout aboutthat. that. Surreal: Oh yeah, yeah.yeah. It’s one myofcrowning accomplishments, dude.dude. I’ve got tattoo. It wasItawas group calledcalled Double Helix.Helix. And I And mean, it was SURREAL: Oh yeah, It’s of one my crowning accomplishments, I’veagot a tattoo. a group Double I mean, the highest level talent-wise that I’ve partaofpart or ever I still love you know. The group was made itprobably was probably the highest level talent-wise thatever I’vebeen ever abeen of orspearheaded. ever spearheaded. I stillthat loverecord, that record, you know. The group was up of myself, Synapse 9 the other and heand goes Bongo Dread Dread and myand homeboy DJ Balance. BongoBongo to me, to man, probably one of one the top made up of myself, Synapse 9 the MC other MC heby goes by Bongo my homeboy DJ Balance. me,isman, is probably of ten top MCs I’ve ever met in my He’s gotjust pure raw talent. He’s got the got delivery. He’s got the got look, looks cooler I look. the ten MCs I’ve ever metlife. in my life.just He’s got pure raw talent. He’s the delivery. He’s thehelook, heway looks way than cooler than I look. And Balance is just ill, man. We had a real chemistry. Just like I said, the sound decisions and the decision-making is such a big part of it, that And Balance is have just ill,a man. We had a real chemistry. Justenough. like I said, the soundyou decisions and decision-making is sucheven a bigapart of thing, it, that even when you glue talent-wise, sometimes it’s not Sometimes just kind ofthe have to move on; it wasn’t bitter even you a glue directions talent-wise, sometimes it’schange not enough. Sometimes you justfall kind to and move on; itchange. wasn’t even a bitter we justwhen had to gohave in different because people and grow and the leaves off of thehave trees, things But, that wasthing, one wemy just had tosituations. go in different directions because people change and grow the leaves fallof. off the trees, andadult things change. that was one of favorite I mean, creatively having someone that you canand bounce ideas off It was a real thing, man. But, Enough respect of those my favorite mean,guys. creatively having someone that you can bounce ideas off of. It was a real adult thing, man. Enough respect to to guys, situations. man. I loveI those those guys, man. I love those guys. S.O.U.L: How did this new quest of film school come about? How did that morph from being an MC, to doing beats, to film school? SURREAL: My whole life, there was always this mountain of music, this huge mountain that I wanted to scale. You know, you start at the botS.O.U.L: How did newhow quest filmup school HowI’m did climbing that morph being an MC, doing to film tom and you’re likethis “Man, doof I get there,come man?about? You know thisfrom for 13 years. And to now I’m beats, nowhere nearschool? the top. I’m at like Surreal: My whole life, there mountain of music, thisBut huge mountain that I this wanted to larger scale. mountain You know, theI bottom barely above the base. I canwas see always the citythis a little bit in the distance. there was always much in you the start back.atAnd never and you’re like “Man, how do I get up there, man? You know I’m climbing this for 13 years. And now I’m nowhere near the top. I’m at like barely above the base. I can see the city a little bit in the distance. But there was always this much larger mountain in the back. And I never even wanted S.O.U.L | Pg52
wanted to ponder trying to climb that. I was too busy trying to climb this one. You really, to being really good at something you really have to engulf yourself in it. So with music, I’ve always just been so wrapped up. But little did I know, I always broke movies apart and looked at them from every possible direction. And was always interested in like the color schemes and how they presented it. I’ve always loved photography too. But, when I watched a few, four years ago before I never even decided I wanted to make films like City of God, I was just like... the yellow, it’s so yellow, how did they get it to be so yellow? And finally, man, it was I was just at an odd place in my life where I just had my child, been married for a year and change, had been with my wife for eight years. Music’s doing good but I felt stagnant. I could drop a platinum record tomorrow, I don’t think I would be satisfied. I don’t think that I’d feel like I’m living up to my full potential. And there was also that part of me saying I’m not making enough money off of records. What is something that I can do that I enjoy that there’s a possibility of making a living? So it was like, all right, forget that. Just keep working at your job. Kicked it out again; this was a couple of years ago, I was even thinking about it then. I was too afraid to dream about that. In September of last year I was reading Rolling Stone and I was real down. You know, I had some stuff happen and I was in that same place. Why do I feel like this? So I read an article about Jack Nicholson, right. I’m feeling old at the time, like, man, I’m 28, my life’s over, dude. You know, I’m never going to do nothing. I’m just going to be a minimal rapper. So I’m reading it and I get to this part and it says that he was 32 years old before he got his first real acting gig. And I was like, I’ve got four years to be the next Jack Nicholson. I can dream as big as I want. And if I have faith, like it’ll happen. I was saying that to myself in my mind. Flipped the page, on the other side of that article was an ad for the Los Angeles Film School. And I was like... shut the book, put it down. And it was like talking to me; I’m trying to do my job. There was a web site address on there. I opened it back up. I like went on the web site. I’m like, oh man, this is crazy. I’m reading all the course descriptions. I’m like, that’s it. You know, I’ve always been wanting to shoot videos. I’ve always used my camera. It’s always been there, let’s put it like that. But it was such a big mountain, I didn’t even know how to begin to head in that direction. So then I sent in an application. I had to write a couple of essays and get financial aid... and all the pieces came together, I got approved! S.O.U.L: Well let’s get back to the main reason why we’re here. Throughout your travels, what brought you to know Christ? I mean, how did; as a former nonbeliever you can say.... SURREAL: Skeptic. I was a skeptic. S.O.U.L: A skeptic, okay. SURREAL: Man, it was a series of events. I mean, I got to a point in Double Helix where we all recognized that there was a God. We understood right and wrong. We understood justice. Those things are all godly, you know. I thirsted for some sort of reciprocity from the world, some sort of balance. Because there’s so many things that were wrong. When you start looking around, poverty and death and just AIDS. And it’s overwhelming how much bad stuff there is. So we were at a place where it was we kind of thought all paths lead to God. Which is just fundamentally wrong. I’m not saying because of my religion is better or anything like that, it’s just if you think about it, like there’s no such thing as personal truth. Truth is truth. Like my name is Jeremy. You can call me Bill if you want, but like the end of the day my name is Jeremy. So your personal truth can be that my name is Bill and you can live your whole life that way. But in reality the real deal is truth is it’s own thing. And that was something we didn’t really grasp. I mean, truth, you don’t bend truth, you bend yourself around truth. If you really want to be a part of something truthful, you have to bend yourself around it. You don’t conform it to your own ideology. You know what I mean? So we understood that. And then there was a series of events; I have a homeboy named Wreck 1 who’s in a group called The Unseen out here that we were all real close with. And he was a producer and we were working on stuff. And I remember about two weeks before he passed away he gave me all of his CDs. He was like “Hey man, this is every beat I ever made.” Like ten CDs. And he’s like “I don’t know why I’m giving these to you. I believe in you. I think that if you decide to use anything, you’re going to do something really great with it. But I’m done producing.” He was like “I feel like I want to quit” and he gave me everything. And I was like, wow. And at the same time I had moved to a new place, a new area in my job. I had met a couple of new people there. And one of them was like a hip-hop dude, he was smart, he rapped. But he was a Christian. And at that time I didn’t really have real good feelings towards Christians. And a lot of them, I still don’t. I’ll say that. But he was different, man. I would talk about righteousness, but he would like actually be righteous without talking about it. I would talk about being selfless and giving of myself, I’ll talk about it. But he would actually do it. He was really different. And the only thing that he said made him different was this dude named Jesus. I’m like, oh that guy. Like, I thought I knew everything about that dude, for some reason. I think we all do. We get these cultural bias and all these things that we’ve heard and we’ve seen. He’s really popular in so many different ways, and he’s hated in a lot of other ways. So I thought I knew Him. Like, yeah man, the Bible, the schmible. Like I know all about the Bible, it’s a tool to control people and the masses. And it’s this and this and this. And I was like, I’m not going to read the Bible, dude. He just kept talking to me about Jesus all the time. Wreck’s still alive, mind you. I had been seeking, so it was like I was trying to hear new things. He bought me a Bible. I put it in the drawer. After several more conversations he said, “You know what, man? Only thing I know to do is I’m going to bring in this movie for you, man. It’s called Jesus of Nazareth. You watch the movie and we’ll talk about it. You won’t read the Gospels, you won’t read the Bible, just watch it.” I was like, you know, I can do you that favor. So I took the movie. Got a phone call from homeboy T. he’s like “Yo man, there’s this Grand Agent show on Orlando Tonight, you should come.” And I’m like “Yeah man, no doubt. I’m coming.” He’s like “Well Wreck’s going to drive, you can just ride with us.” I’m like, word. So I get home, I got off about nine. They were supposed to pick me up about ten. And I was like, oh man, I’ve got to watch this movie. This dude’s going to want to debate me tomorrow and I’m going to say I didn’t watch it. I called T like, you know, I’m going to have to skip tonight, man. I’ve got this dude at work, I’m going to try to debate him tomorrow. You know, I’m going to try to prove him wrong and blow holes in his theory. So I popped the movie in. It was boring, dude. I fell asleep probably 30 minutes into it, I didn’t even see it. And then the next day I go to work and you know he’s like, did you watch it? I fell asleep on it, I’ll watch it tomorrow. My man Doug called me at me job and he’s like “Yo, man, I got some really, really bad news.” And I was like “What do you mean, man?” He’s like “Wreck didn’t make it.” I’m like “What do you mean, Wreck didn’t make it?” He’s like “They got in a car accident in Lakeland and Wreck’s dead.” And I was like “What? Like what about T?” “Well T’s in the hospital. His face is all busted up.” And they had hit the back of a semi going like 100 miles an hour. Wreck had fallen asleep. I was in tears. Like Wreck’s gone. I went in and told my bosses, then I left. I Went over to T’s house and we mourned. I took some time off from work, and it hit me. I was like, yo; because Wreck was shorter than T, and that whole side of the car was ruined. Like the side of the car that I would’ve been on was behind Wreck. And that whole side was demolished.. I would have died. Jesus saved me. It was a microcosm for salvation. And I didn’t get it at the time; But it was so real to me that like he literally saved my life. You know I stayed home to watch a movie about him that I didn’t even watch. Mind you, I didn’t pay attention to him, I could care less. And my friend died and I would’ve been in that side of the car. And it was like all this stuff rushed on me. And I was like, the least I could do is like maybe read one of the Gospels. Like, is it going to hurt me to read the Gospel? Why am I so afraid to read the Gospel? I read
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the Gospel of Matthew and I was like, this dude? This is Jesus? Like, this guy here who’s bucking, he’s bucking the government? He’s telling the religious leaders that they’re false and fake. And I’m like, I didn’t know about this dude was like this. I thought he was... I thought he wore a pageant sash and like floated around on a cloud. And he looked like, you know, Dolf Lundgren or something. I just steadily was like interested in the person of Jesus. Forget all the other crap, I want to know what did this dude say? What was he about? I’m reading and reading. Like man, this dude’s healing people, feeding people, and they killed him. But it dawned on me that he was the revolutionary. He was the one; This dude. And he did it without being political. And that’s what was like so different from the Christianity I thought was Christianity. So little by little, man, the message itself, Christ’s message of freedom and freeing captives and saving people, he’s rescuing people, just started to resonate in my heart. You know, it was like, I can believe in that. It was a process. S.O.U.L: How did you connect with Crossover? SURREAL: That was a big part of it too. I left that out on purpose just because I wanted to kind of delve in on that a little bit more and about those guys there, and what they do and how they do it. I actually had gone there in that in-between period, after Wreck died and before I really committed to Christ. And I went there, and it wasn’t even the message, it was the people. It was the Pastor. It was the people who worked there that just came up to me and were like “Surreal”. I had been to FlavorFest prior to that, but like wasn’t anywhere near believing at that time. And I guess they remembered me and I didn’t even really remember them. And they came up to me with this real warm, like “Man, we’re so glad to see you here. And little do you know, we use your beats in worship.” And like “We’ve been praying for you.” And I’m like “What?” Like little did I know there’s this group of people that know about me and know that I’m seeking. They heard the Double Helix record. They know I’m looking for that thing, and they’re taking time out of their day to talk to this God for me. You know, and say, just help him out. Help him get there. And I just felt like I could come there, and truly be accepted as me. And they don’t force you into a place of damnation. They don’t curse you. They don’t scare you. I mean, there’s some heavy stuff said there, obviously. I mean, life and death and afterlife, that’s some heavy stuff. Even if you crack a joke about it, it’s heavy. But they have a way that they’ve really stripped away all of the stuff that I hated about Christianity. You know, just the robot, just that whole robot mentality of, are you covered in the blood of Jesus? You know, all that stuff that is just so foreign to everybody else. It’s foreign to me. To this day I don’t say stuff like that. They stripped all that away. They teach right out of the Bible. They put it up on the screen so you can read it, even if you don’t have a Bible. And then when you talk to them they’re like “What’s up, man? Chillin’, chillin’. What’s happening?” You know like “How you doing? How you feeling, man? How’s everything going?” It was a whole different atmosphere. And it isn’t necessarily just the hip-hop vibe. I love that, obviously, but that place is special, dude. There’s no doubt about it. God lives in that place. You go there and God shows up every time because they’ve stripped all that other stuff away and they speak real truth. And I’m just so blessed to have met those dudes, man. And it isn’t, like I said, about music, man. I would take a bullet for Tommy. I would jump in front of a bullet for that guy. Because I know he’s anointed. And I don’t say stuff like that. You know, you hear “Oh he’s anointed. Look at the anointing flowing off of him.” You’ll hear stuff like that. I never say stuff like that. But that guy is governed by God. He’s human, and makes mistakes just like the rest of us. He has a hard life, got a wife, two kids. But he is the real deal. Tone is the real deal. Spec is the real deal. Los is the real. There’s so many real cats there that just love people and love Jesus. And like when you see that in action and you see people fellowshipping and hugging and laughing, you realize what it’s supposed to be like. I was grateful for those guys and they support me. They let me know, they call me, they’re proud of me. You knew what I mean? They’re there for me. They’ve been there for me, man, I went up there bawling, fighting with the wife, whatever. They’re always like “Oh man, come on in. Let’s talk.” They never shrug me off, not one time. S.O.U.L: How has Crossover influenced you musically? SURREAL: Tommy’s a really talented MC. Los is a really talented MC. Spec’s a talented MC... there’s a lot of talented dudes there. And where I think we were able to meet was; you know I have my ideas about music. I’m kind of like a stickler for certain things. I’m real picky, they’ve always really appreciated my honesty and just respected me on the music tip. They knew that I’d been making music and they respected where I was coming from, and I respected where they were coming from with their message. So I was able to learn from them on how to present the message. You know, in a way they helped me to learn an authentic way to talk to people about Jesus. I got to know other cats that are Christians that rap; Mars ill, Braille, Lightheaded; a lot of the dudes that I met that were in boats up the river, that called me to their boat. It was because of Crossover. Because I was fellowshipping with them and learning about these people. The Hip-Hop Shop... I used to buy two, three CDs every Sunday just to find out, how are these people saying these things? Because once I knew and understood that it was true, I almost wanted to give up rapping because I didn’t know how to do it and represent my faith, because there’s a lot of people who do it real formulaic, there’s a lot of people who say certain words. And Tommy and those guys aren’t like that. They’re a lot more, say, evangelical, than me. But they’re still really from the heart. Tommy will talk about poverty and all these things, and you can tell he just really means it. I learned from the abundance of the heart comes out of the mouth. So they were really just encouraging me to be me. They said “Just be you, man. You don’t gotta rap like them. Or them. Or these guys. Just be who God called you to be.” And you’ll hear them say that a lot. They say that to a lot of people. They’ve allowed me to grow, man. They have never listened to a song and went “Mmmmmm, you’re bragging too much in that song.” Or “Mmmmmmm, I don’t know, you didn’t say “Jesus” in that song.” Never, man. S.O.U.L: Like...You’ve got a Jesus quota on the song. SURREAL: Right, They just let me be me. And that whole place is like that. You know, and if I was wrong, they would say something. You know, and luckily, God has been governing my steps for long enough that it hasn’t been that many times that they’ve even had to be like “Hey man, what’s going on with you?” I’ve been following God wholeheartedly and being honest with them, man, when I slip up and do something, I’ll tell them. You know, like “Oh I messed up, man.” you know what? They pray for you, encourage you, and challenge you. I did a beat on Tommy’s new record, on Un.orthodox; I love it, dude. I love the cut. I did a verse for it, and I hadn’t been writing for a long time. I made the beat and did the verse, and it’s called “Appreciate”, and he loves it. It was really good to connect with him like that. We hadn’t done any songs together. These guys are like my brothers, they really are. I really just value them as people. I can say I trust them with my wife and my kid! And there’s not many people who can say that about their pastor and their friends at church. I mean, a lot of people think that they may have a tightknit community, I mean, a lot of times it’s not. A lot of times there’s stuff going on in the background. And I just never experienced that there. Never. S.O.U.L: Is there anything else you want to close out with? SURREAL: I would just say, man, Recognize God. Recognize Him in people. Recognize Him in the world. Recognize Him in your family. He’s everywhere. He’s there. You wake up in the morning and you’re breathing. And you don’t make yourself breathe, you just breathe. Just be thankful for the opportunity to live and understand that it’s a gift. Understand that with our gift of life we have the opportunity to give a gift to other people that are either not advantaged enough to see it from that perspective or are ignoring that or are so hurt from past experiences. We have an opportunity to really touch people. And I don’t mean going around and just yelling at people about the Gospel and yelling to people about Jesus, I’m talking about; and I don’t even do I lot this myself; I’m talking about cook a meal and drive around until you find somebody that doesn’t have a meal and give it to them. All of this is a gift, man. It gets hard, it’s stressful, money, bills, your girl, or whatever. Try to remember, dude, that this is a gift. Be happy that you’re going through what you’re going through. And I gotta say this... the most cliché thing ever said in the history, Jesus loves you. And I mean it, man. I don’t mean some dude floating around on a cloud, dude. Like, sending down Cupid arrows. I mean like the creator of everything; from one end of the universe to the other; knows you and loves you. And yeah, if you see my records, man, pick ‘em up. Help support a brother.
•for more on Surreal visit: soulkitchensound.com S.O.U.L | Pg54
Crossover & FAMG releases it’s second DVD edition of “Press Play” This is a collection of original short films that tie in with message series.
Crossover was listed as the 13th most innovative church in America in Outreach Magazine. It was humbling to be on the same list as churches led by Ed Young, Bill Hybes, Rick Warren, and many other well respected ministries. “Sunday Night Vibe” Service was launched at 7pm as our new third service. We kicked it off with a full house as we launched our new series “The Hustle” and had guest artist Braille in the house.
The 7th Annual Fla.vor Fest -hip-hop/emerging ministries conference is held @ Crossover with a record attendance of nearly 300 attending the workshops, and over 1,800 attending the evening concerts!
“The Convict” Drama Production was a moving event that was remixed from Les Mirables. The Play was presented 3 times and drew many first time guests and over 40 commitments to Christ.
The Relevant Nation book is released in stores. This book features 50 people under that age of 40, all whom are living active, passionate lives that have grown out of their Christian faith. Pastor Tommy (Urban D.) is featured as one of these leaders as the article also highlights Crossover.
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The new Prayer Patio was dedicated on the front side of the church as a large space available for prayer before, during, and after services.
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Hip-Hop legend Kurtis Blow was in the house as we continued our Heroes Series. He was interviewed and did a set of music. Nearly 600 people attended the services as Sunday Night Vibe was standing room only. Over 40 people accepted Christ.
The “To Hip-Hop with Love” drama production was presented in all three services. Pastor Derrick wrote this screen play and God used it to touch everyone in the building as it got real on the block! Pastor Tommy’s Book/CD/ DVD “Un.orthodox – church. hip-hop.culture” was released in stores everywhere and caught major media attention through Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, CCM Magazine, and many more. The 1st “Fla.vor Fest Summit” launched in Chicago at The House with Phil Jackson and his team. This enabled many people throughout the Midwest to get some solid training to better reach the culture.
Channel 10 (CBS) did a major story on Crossover and it’s unique approach to reaching those influenced by hip-hop culture.
Pastor Tommy was featured on the TBN network on their main show as he was interviewed about Crossover and his new book. Millions of viewers heard about the movement that is taking place.
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Spe©, (Crossover’s Media Director) got married... ;)
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Here are some testimonies from a few of our Crossover family members.
Check em’ out, see if you can relate.
If anything, say wassup to them on the patio if you see them...
Travis Settineri aka MeekOne - Using Art for the Creator...
Meek One is a 21-year-old Graffiti artist from New Jersey that grew up in a Catholic home. He didn’t grow up in church as his family went maybe every other Christmas. Travis wrestled with his relationship with his parents and searched for love in all the wrong places. He tried everything the world had to offer from drinking, drugs, partying, “friends”, crime, etc. In high school he found himself in a lot of trouble, but somehow made it to college. Freshman year he hit rock bottom after living a stereotypical college lifestyle resulting with depression and unhealthy anger/ relationship problems. God then revealed Himself in a supernatural way after praying and crying out to Him in bed one night for the first time because He was the last thing left. Shortly after that he met a Christian who introduced him to the Bible. Travis’s life was changed when he gave his life to Christ shortly after that. Travis found Crossover about a year after he built a relationship with Christ. As a hip-hopper... he couldn’t believe the place – he was beside himself and began bringing lots of friends from his college. He was so happy to find a place where he could truly be himself and grow in his walk with Christ in an authentic way. Ever since, he has built a great relationship with his parents and has been substance free for nearly three years. Today he has a successful barbershop and clothing line, and is engaged to a godly female he met at Crossover. If you come out to a service you may see him painting a mural on stage during worship. meekone.com
Cedric Brown aka Ceddybear - The Camera Man
Cedric really never lived a bad life, but he pretty much grew up being the man of his house from a young age. He did give a lot of love and respect to his mom, as he never really had a father figure in his life. After high school Ced got caught up and did the strip club thing for a while until he recognized the effects of that lifestyle. He soon found himself empty, lost, and broke. A couple of years later he met this crazy girl (Melissa Pagan) at work who was always talking about her church. Cedric wasn’t really feeling her at first, because he really wasn’t sure about how the church life was or how he would be treated. At a young age he went to his grandmothers church from time to time but it was never anything consistent. He eventually got to know Melissa and took her up on her offer to check out this unique church. Five years later Cedric is still at Crossover and shared, ”I’m blessed that I have been part of something really special. It is so fun to come to church and know people share the same feelings of the Lord that I have.” Ceddybear has also gotten involved and serves as the lead camera operator on the media team. S.O.U.L | Pg58
Albert Lopez aka Lopes - A New Heart
Albert grew up in the rough streets of North Philadelphia. The streets sucked him in and he became a deceiver, a drug addict, and unfaithful to God and his wife. After years of this lifestyle he moved to Tampa to try to restart his life and get back on track with God and leave the drugs behind. Albert has been at Crossover since 2004 and he’s shared how he’s grown in Christ more than ever before as he’s now part of a huge family that he has become very close with. As he’s grown spiritually he’s learned the importance of giving back and serving. He’s been a faithful leader in Kidz Church and has helped out in many other ways around the church. Even at a young age in March of 2007 he went through a major open-heart surgery due to damage from his years of drug abuse. It was during this time he really saw the love of his church family poured out for him. It was so strong that it spoke volumes to his real family that visited from out of town. They shared they saw real Christianity through the love of his Crossover family. Albert has had a speedy recovery, but it’s still had its challenges and complications. So, if you see him on the patio or in the Kidz Church room... now you know it’s a miracle he’s still alive – God isn’t through with him yet!
Maria Bass aka Metaphor - West Side Story
Maria grew up in west Tampa with her great-grandparents and her little sister. Maria went through her childhood with a father and mother that came and went. At the age of 11, her great-grandfather passed away leaving three women in the household taking care of one another. Maria found herself roaming the streets during the day, fighting sexual predators, and coming home at night and struggling with suicidal events with her family. When she started High School her great-grandmother became very sick, so she moved in with her grandmother in North Tampa. Her grandmother introduced her to The Centre for Girls to keep her out of trouble. It taught her a lot about life and what to do in certain situations. Maria was only 14 when she got her first job as she had over 30 hours of community service and had her babysitting license. She met Lucy Kyllonen at the Centre. At that time, Lucy was the site manager and a counselor. Lucy introduced Maria to Crossover and invited her to attend a Teen Youth Service on a Thursday night. She was somewhat interested but refused to go because it dealt with believers and God. She found herself struggling with the relationship with her family so she decided to give Crossover a chance. Maria attended and found a home and found an authentic relationship with her creator. Today she is very involved and is a part of Crossover’s worship team “Harmony”. She stated, “If it weren’t for the struggles I dealt with as a kid, I would not have found Christ. I found ways to forgive my parents and I am now trying to introduced them to Christ. God has led me to new adventures and to my long lost brother in Georgia. I am Blessed to be loved by someone!”
Lucille Alicea - A Sign from God
Growing up in Lorain, Ohio God was tapping her on the shoulder, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Even after two failed marriages, struggling with addictions, and trouble with the law... she still wouldn’t listen to him. So, God used her son Jimmy. He had been attending Crossover and God had really changed his life in a big way. Jimmy flew up to drive his mom down to Florida to get her out of her old environment. When they crossed over into Florida they both saw a falling star. They both felt like that it was a sign from God welcoming her into Florida... into a new chapter of her life. She soon began attending Crossover stopped running from God. Lucille found an environment filled with love and even found a cultural connection with the music where she knew she could be herself. She shared, “My life has changed so drastically I can’t believe it. I thank my heavenly father everyday for saving me from myself. I was blind, but now I see God’s plan for my life, and I realize I am a somebody... a princess now, because my father is a king!”
Anthony, Loriana, Elizabeth, and Olivia Depaz - A New Familia...
Anthony and Loriana got married as they lived up in Rhode Island. They went to church once in a while, but Anthony wasn’t really feeling it. He was into hip-hop and he felt really disconnected at church, as there seemed to be nobody that could relate to him including the style of the worship and the speaking. In 2002 they moved to Tampa to pursue school and a new life. They had heard about Crossover up in Rhode Island and Anthony looked up the number in the phone book. He called one Sunday morning and pastor Tommy happened to be by the phone and answered it and gave him directions. They soon attended and felt like this was home. Loriana was always supportive and didn’t push Anthony, but she was really excited they found a faith community they could both fit in and feel comfortable. Anthony has made some huge changes in his life as he went from a guy on the fringes of faith, to one that now teaches Bible Studies, shares his story, and even plays parts in some of the drama productions. Loriana also leads a women’s Bible study and is actively involved with working with women at the church. They have two beautiful daughters Elizabeth and Olivia that both love coming to church to go to their classes and see their teachers and friends.
of smoke fills the It starts... the lights flicker in color while a layer It sets just the air... A comfortable atmosphere, you feel relaxed. The DJ beright mood and tone for what’s going to happen next. You feel the need gins scratching in a beat and the music kicks off. stage begin to fill to clap, and sway as the sounds coming from the been waiting for, the very depths of your soul; this is what you have ers. Finally you are the moment when nothing else and no one else matt in your style, your way. in fellowship with other believers worshiping God to judge you; this With your braids, hat and kicks and no one is going your day, your week is your moment where you can be free and surrender and your life to God. women, and teens who The worship team “Harmony” is a group of men, motto is “United in follow the vision and purpose of the church. Our ng to the ear and complete agreement to musically create sounds pleasi se, fellowship and spirit”. The team meets on a weekly basis to rehear grow spiritually. The to participate in devotionals so they can continually ip experience, as we goal of “Harmony” is to provide an innovative worsh other churches and teams also teach, disciple and provide resource tools for hip-hop. The main with the same vision to reach those influenced by is so that the believer purpose of bringing worship in their unique format be themselves in the and the non-believer alike can feel comfortable and to come just the way midst of worship. They believe if you invite people hip hop culture and then they are, provide them with music relevant to the provide them with an atmosphere where they can worship freely and be themselves - the people will worship! And that’s exactly what happens each service at Crossover... People authentically engaging in worship to their creator!
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In 2007 Crossover opened it’s new Prayer Patio on the front side of the church. This specific space and ministry has been established to support the various prayer-related needs of the Crossover family. This includes praying after services with those who have been especially challenged by the message, praying with someone to build a relationship with Christ, and praying during the church services. We engage in and encourage every type of prayer that is consistent with what we find in scripture. Crossover regularly schedules meetings where we participate in corporate prayer as defined by Jesus in Matthew 18:19-20. “I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. Whenever two or three of you come together in My Name, I am there with you.” We also make an effort to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable in being transparent and offering spiritual support to each other as instructed in James 5:16. “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” Additionally, this ministry provides an opportunity for members to receive prayer for specific needs as indicated in James 5:14-15. “If you are sick, ask the church leaders to come and pray for you. Ask them to put olive oil on you in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” Prayer is a necessity as it is communication with our creator. We believe that it is crucial for a growing relationship with God and for the advancement of His Kingdom in this world.
If you have any prayer requests or praise reports you’d like to share with our staff or Crossover family; please email or write us:
info@crossoverchurch.org Crossover • 7809 N. Orleans Ave. • Tampa, FL 33604 S.O.U.L | Pg62
Early on Thursday, November 2nd, 2006; my wife, Stephen (a member from our church), and myself began our long anticipated journey from the cold Northwest Indiana weather to the warm tropical atmosphere of Tampa, FL. My wife and I reminisced over our first trip to Flavor Fest in 2003 and were looking forward to this year’s conference. For Stephen, he was excited to get out of the cold and have time off of his job and school. Of course, my wife and I tried to catch him up to speed with Crossover and Flavor Fest to prepare him and yet I knew he just had no idea of what he was in for. My prayer was that God would speak to his heart and blows open the possibilities for ministry. We arrived in Tampa in the afternoon and quickly got our rental car, cranked up the radio, and rolled down the windows as we headed for the hotel. Due to traffic and the need to fill our empty stomachs we arrived at Crossover a bit late. We were warmly greeted by the Crossover staff and were in awe of the atmosphere. In actuality, it felt like we were home. Registered, we eagerly flipped through the S.O.U.L. Magazine as we nestled in our seats for the 3rd Rail hip hop teen service. Flavor Fest had begun! Upon arriving back in our hotel rooms we began to go through the goodie bag full of freebies from Crossover, Flavor Alliance, American Bible Society, and other sponsors. I’ve been to many conferences over the years and have often been given a bag full of stuff that often doesn’t make it past the hotel room’s garbage can. However, this bag of goods was different. To set it off, Spec put his foot, naw his whole leg into the S.O.U.L. Magazine. The layout was very professional and creative and the content was relevant to both the artist and minister alike. Next, American Bible Society included their Elementz of Life magazine with great articles and crazy artwork by Ron Pichardo. They also gave away a very nice compilation CD “Concrete Angels.” Also included were the conference T-shirt, a DVD, another CD, the “REAL” New Testament, and more. After a short nights’ rest and a quick breakfast we headed to Crossover for the workshops while checking out the new CD’s we got the night before. The day started off with a short general session before we broke up into the different workshop tracks; Emerging Urban Church, Hip-Hop Youth Ministry, and Artists in Ministry & Industry. The workshops were exciting for me as a pastor of an emerging urban church. One of the things that many of us find in reaching Urban America is that there are not many conferences or materials that specifically and relevantly address our audience. As a result, we often have to remix what is out and sometimes create new materials. Although creating something out of nothing is seemingly part of hip hop, it can leave one tired and on the verge of burnout. Enter Flavor Fest’s workshops. These workshops were lead by competent individuals with experience in their given fields that fill in where so many other conferences and seminars leave off. Although I obtained a lot of great information and was made aware of more relevant resources, the greatest thing about the workshops for me was the encouragement that came from them. The presenters were touchable and many of the workshops provided
Workshop Attendees
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time to ask questions. Overall, there is something special when God’s people who are going through similar struggles and victories get together and share from their hearts. After the second day of workshops, God answered my prayer for Stephen and was speaking to him heavily through the workshops and atmosphere at Crossover. In fact, he told me that he needed to stay in his hotel room to process what God was speaking to him about instead of going to the concert that night! As I said earlier, I’ve been to a gang of church conferences and often the lunch time is the time I’d rather do without. Often the food is not the best and it is just dead time. Not at Flavor Fest! This year they had a bus outside that was converted into a mobile entertainment stage on wheels. The DJ was nice with the turntables and invited people up to freestyle. Everyone was able to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the food. The first day Chick-Fil-A provided chicken sandwiches. For those who don’t know, Chick-Fil-A, hands down, makes the best chicken sandwich, in my opinion. The second day American Bible Society donated the lunch that was off the chain! Can you taste the Puerto Rican/Dominican styled chicken, pork chops, pork roast, platanos (plantains), yuca, rice and beans, and so on? Whew! Combine that lunch with the warm tropical sun and hip hop, no conference can compare!
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From the moment we stepped on Crossover’s campus to the moment we left Sunday after their service, we felt loved and welcomed!
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One of the highlights of Flavor Fest for many is the hip hop concerts on both Friday and Saturday nights with both national and underground artists. What was dope was that they had several venues open at the same time. They had the City Stage and the Turntstyle Café venues where the artists ripped the mic. The City Stage was more of concert vibe, where as the Turnstyle Café was just that, a café vibe that was intimate and a nice change of pace from the City Stage. One highlight, among many, had to be Gavin, the beatboxing Anglican Priest from the UK. He ripped it! In addition to the concerts, there was an area for the breakers, their basketball court was open, a nice outdoor area for the vendors, and of course the patio was open to chill and watch the monitors broadcasting the City Stage artists while eating some of the food you could purchase. What was so refreshing to me was that they know how to put on a concert and how to keep it moving. I think that artists and churches should take note and learn some from they way they do what they do.
Flavor Fest 2006 was great in many ways; excellent workshops, dope concerts, inspiring facilities and warm weather! Yet, what I came away with from Flavor Fest and Crossover had nothing to do with what was advertised. It had little to do with the music, the lights, or the relevance, though all of those were present. It had everything to do with realness. It is the same thing that struck me three years earlier but hit me in a deeper way this year. It’s not about hype, but it’s real; real ministry and real church! From the moment we stepped on Crossover’s campus to the moment we left Sunday after their service, we felt loved and welcomed! I also watched as many volunteers sacrificed time and energy to serve and be the church. They didn’t ask for recognition and they were not paid, yet they gave of themselves make Crossover what it is, even if it meant doing the not so fun things. Shout out to ladies continually checking the women’s bathroom to make sure it was clean- my wife made many comments about that! The realness is what will stick with me far after the memories of the concerts, food, and workshops leave. Isn’t that what Christ was all about anyways? •••
L: Roy Saringo @ a Fest Workshop, B: The Ambassador w/ the Crowd
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Carlos “Los-1” Ramirez II, in partnership with A Woman’s Place / IMPACT has written a dual curriculum / hip-hop album entitled Los-1: Life Skills, designed to promote sexual integrity among teens in the U.S.
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ur entertainment today is impurely sex driven. Sexxx creates curiosity. Curiosity sparks attention. Attention makes DOLLAR$. How does one keep their programs running if they own a huge media corporation? Use sexxx and sexually stimulating situations of people. That’s it. Why can’t I turn on my favorite countdown show without feeling like I’m watching porn? Because people need to keep their programs running in order to pay their bills at home too. Oh I’m not condoning it and saying that it’s right for them to do this, I’m only a messenger of truth. It’s like Paul said to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:10 “The love of money is the root of all evil”. That’s it. People do whatever is necessary to look out for themselves... selfishness is a form of evil. As envy of another media station getting better ratings than another, one does whatever’s necessary to keep up with them. Viola! Every problem answered in one Biblical verse. Get rid of the love of money and the world would be a much brighter place to live. You might think I’m way off topic here, but I’m actually way ahead of the game by speaking on this. It all starts right here at evil, selfishness and choices. Is it just me or did God already say “I’ve put life and death in front of you, blessings and curses, choose life so you’ll live.” Yes, He did. So if the Bible is a step by step manual for living securely, then why the heck aren’t we following it? Change what’s in your mind and you change the world... it’s not much deeper than that. Our media has gone overboard with stimulating our senses with sexuality, but who says you have to tune in? Don’t buy it and they won’t play it anymore. Matter of fact complain about it and push the raunchy recorders out of business. Then make your own shows about wise living! Personally, when I was in school I seldom had someone really hit home about the truth of sex before marriage and the consequences of it. Sure I had sex education class where the fifty-five year old P.E. coach talked over some paper charts of the human sex organs and what one uses them for. But, it definitely wasn’t “cool” or “hip” to sit through and I didn’t feel like I had the specific answers I was searching for. Once class was over I wanted to fit in with what was normal to do at that age. Sex was always in-style and the smoother you were at getting it, the more popular you were among classmates. I remember loosing my virginity at sixteen to a girl that said she loved me, but we didn’t last longer than a year. I remember life getting much more complicated afterwards... the consequences kicked in. I hid from my parents, lied to them about where I was and who I was with after curfew, worried over possible pregnancies and had huge expectations of my partners to satisfy me physically and emotionally on a daily basis. Life became terrible! All because I started having sex, other areas of my life got super confusing. Well, it hasn’t changed much now-a-days among Jr. High and High School students. On top of that, there’s little out there to represent the inner city teen that wants to remain sexually abstinent until they find their life long spouse. Bombarded by media from every direction, today’s teens are molded to treat sex as a “getting to know you” act of friendship or something that strangers do to thank each other for a good night out. But once that’s over and real their life sets back into the fact that one could now be HIV positive or HIV pregnant because of they’re choice to have sex. The media has little answers for that person. Do I really need
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I had sex education class where the fifty-five year old P.E. coach talked over some paper charts of the human sex organs... to go into today’s Hip Hop music and the influence it has on children and teens? ...I didn’t think so... The IMPACT Program and I would like to present a resource for parents, teachers, speakers and teens that would be an aid to teaching and learning sexual purity: a hip hop CD that anyone can play in their cars or in any MP3 player as to get positive and insightful “edutainment”. It is hip hop music that is morally sound for the ears of learning teenagers while putting at ease the nerves of parents and teachers, knowing their younger ones are being taught to maintain their integrity towards risky behavior. The purpose behind the lyrics of Life Skills is to give students an inside look at sexual abstinence from an urban street level of understanding, delivering medically accurate information to secure authenticity and credibility, while using real life everyday situations. It’s also intended to give teachers and speakers something to use in a classroom that students can relate to and learn from effectively and with style. Pick up a copy of this innovative curriculum to use in one of your programs today!
For a FREE DOWNLOAD of Los-1: Life Skills, visit www.los1.com or www.whatisimpact.com
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By: Janine Carrero
n a word, Crossover Church is... priceless! At this very moment lives, relationships and marriages are being saved by the faith filled community at Crossover Church. I know this because in revealing God’s truth in a relevant and real way through music and media in addition to prayer, fellowship and most of all love... Crossover Church saved my husbands life, as well as my own and our marriage. When you look in the mirror what do you see? For a long time, all that I saw was ugly. My name is Janine, but more importantly, just like you I am a beautiful child of God worthy of our Father’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Something that I didn’t believe until I opened my heart as well as my mind and walked into Crossover Church, where God certainly makes His presence known. Instead, I deceived myself into believing since the age of twelve that I could find love in promiscuity. Needless to say, I spent years chasing a false high that only worsened with time as I found myself more and more depressed and insecure. Still searching for something real, I turned to alcohol. Mixed with a twist of false hope I found myself in situations where I selfishly gave back what I now know were blessings from God. Not having a Crossover community in my life, nor the guidance of the Connection classes they offer, I turned to drug abuse to numb the pain of the bad choices I continued to make. Sadly, because I never physically stole for my high, it took years for me to realize I had in fact committed a crime. I robbed myself of a life free from the addiction that made me believe God had abandoned me. Unbeknownst to me, He was by my side all the while and led me into the arms of another beautiful child of His, my husband Mark... who is alive today solely because of God’s grace!
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every lost soul that enters the doors at Crossover Church will hear God Himself say, Welcome Home...
Mark’s reflection in the mirror tells a similar, yet different story. With one grandmother dead and the other in Panama, Mark was solely influenced by an alcoholic father and abusive mother who suggested crime as a means of helping to take care of ones family. As a result, he made several wrong turns into dark alleys with no light shining bright enough for him to see his way out. Not having an Urban Youth Program and Skate Park like Crossover Church does, he had no positive home away from home. Therefore, by the age of twelve Mark began stealing cars to get further and further from home. By thirteen he traded nicotine for marijuana which not only numbed the pain of his life but seemed to
alleviate the headaches he had been experiencing for quite some time. A year later, Mark found himself in prison. A fourteen year old convicted as an adult for living the life of a child lost to the streets. At the age of nineteen, Mark was released back onto streets that seemed to take him nowhere. More hopeless than ever before he met another hopeless soul... me. Being the daughter of a NYC Police Officer, my views on crime were very different. This allowed me to help him strive for something more, quickly after being released. However, my need to numb pain as well only enabled him to continue to do so. That is until God intervened and Mark found himself in handcuffs for possession. Subject to drug testing, Mark had no choice but to refrain from smoking. This is how he found himself in the ER being diagnosed with a brain tumor, common only in children. Told he might die, we didn’t know much more outside of the fact that in the five years we shared together, we loved the other in a way that we could never love ourselves. A week later, we were married. Five more years have passed and in that time four brain surgeries along with suicide attempts could have ended Mark’s purpose filled life. Instead, God blessed Mark with a shining light in my mother’s unconditional love for us both. Determined to make her proud, we overcame addiction together. Like his, every lost soul that enters the doors at Crossover Church will hear God Himself say, “Welcome Home” and in time reveal your souls purpose. In keeping a promise to take care of me, Mark led us both back to God. He had been attending Crossover Church with our neighbors, when I felt unworthy of God’s love. Intrigued by Mark’s new found happiness while reflecting on Pastor Tommy’s sermons, I attended a service and found myself saved along with my husband and our marriage. Crossover Church helped Mark and I build a faithful relationship with God and each other through prayer and reading of His word. We now view our past drug addictions, ongoing battle with Mark’s brain tumor and our financial struggle as the bearing cross that has brought us closer to God and His will for us. Through volunteer work and the Marriage Ministry we know the importance of keeping God at the center of our lives together. In renewing our vows with our loving Crossover family we have eased many pains and learned to close the loop on ineffective communication. In making a choice to have more of an obedient ear to God’s word, we have found the unconditional love and home we have been searching for our whole lives. No longer are we saddened by our pasts or the thought of not being able to have a biological child of our own thus far. For we know our purpose is to touch as many children as we can and share the Good News that will prevent them from becoming high on anything other than the God’s Spirit! It is our prayer that you too will open your mind and heart as you check out an insightful and worship filled service at Crossover Church where your eyes will without a doubt, open as well. •••
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What: Flavor Alliance is a solid ministry team made up of different artists and people who are directly involved in the hiphop culture. This team is dedicated to using their time and talents to minister to a dying culture that many in the church have rejected. We believe that Christ can redeem the culture! Who: Urban D: Lead pastor of Crossover Church, national author/speaker, co-founder of Fla.vor Allliance SPE©: Media Director for Crossover Church (print, video, and web) & Fla.vor Alliance Operations Mgr. DJ Dvize: Worship Team DJ, Fla.vor Organizer, radio show - Friday night on Spirit FM 90.5, spiritfm905.com. Rize: Leader of single men bible studies group & co-founder of Fla.vor Allliance. Los-1: National Abstinence speaker for high schools - Hospitality leader @ Crossover. DJ.Lopez: FCA student organizer / high school teacher, co-host of radio show every Friday night on Spirit FM. Beyond Skillz: Imperial, Teacher of MC class and Basketball ministry & Symalee, Worship director @ Crossover. Reflex the Son: Host for all concerts and major events held @ Crossover. Legacy: Our in-house producer/recording studio for Flavor Alliance. Elijah: international Flavor artist from Japan, full time intern @ Crossover. Brother Greg: Hip-Hop shop ministry leader and promoter. JABo: High School student: Teen leader, DJ @ 3rd Rail’s Teen Service, and Kidz Church worker. Why: Flavor Alliance was created for a more serious accountability group among those who have a direct impact on the hip-hop culture. Keeping each other uplifted and encouraged, we meet once a month to have a bible study and share what’s going on in our lives. During this time the crew also shares new opportunities that come up for us to go into the culture and make a real difference, showing the light of Christ through the avenue of hip-hop.
“To always produce excellent Music and Media that will relevantly Minister the message of Christ to those influenced by hip-hop.” www.flavoralliance.com
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pt.1
Flame, a.k.a. Marcus T. Williams-Gray, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up in the inner city of St. Louis where he was influenced by the Hip-Hop culture. Signed to the most influential Christian hip-hop label, this St. Louis emcee unleashes not only one, but two albums this year... “Our World Fallen” & “Our World Redeemed”. A huge follow up from his past albums (Rewind & FLAME). We had a chance to catch up with the Cross Movement Recording artist; and ask a few simple questions about the ideas and topics of these two albums. This is only part one of the interview, stay tuned for part two in the S.O.U.LMAG issue #10. S.O.U.L: For those who may not know/understand, what is the basis or foundation for “Our World Fallen”? FLAME: The sole foundation of the album is trying to explain to the non-believer, the current condition of our world. The album is Very evangelistic in nature. S.O.U.L: How is this album different from your first two releases? Those where very evangelistic in nature. FLAME: It has a lot more storytelling. Written from the perspective of the non-believer. Not many tracks are designed this way in our genre. S.O.U.L: Currently in your life, what is more important to you at this point... would it be the music/message or hitting the streets? Or a balance between the two? FLAME: Definitely a balance between the two... My life is very evangelical in nature, so I express that not only thru hip-hop but also thru my everyday life. Hitting the streets is a must too... God’s call all of us to the Great Commission... so keeping a balance is a must! S.O.U.L: As I play thru the new cd, one songs continues to jump out to me; “World View”. You touched on some real political & heavy social issues that are affecting this planet. What brought you to this point to create this track? FLAME: We cannot be blind to what is going on around us. It would be ignorant to ignore what we know is going on. I wanted to bring the global perspective on the suffering, the hurt, and the neglected. So others could see what others face. S.O.U.L: Track number 13 “Desires In Conflict” also hit some real tough areas... (homosexuality, sexual confusion, hate crimes, etc.) most would not discuss in the church body. How did this song come about? FLAME: By always being exposed to those in that lifestyle. I saw them as regular people; but it always seem to be something I was trying to understand. I wanted to be very careful how this track would come across. The tracks is to be sympathetic and not judgemental. S.O.U.L: I know you gotta get going and we will pick up on the next article. To end off this half of the interview, do you believe holy hip-hop is reaching the lost? FLAME: I do, but at the same time only to a certain extent. It’s limited any way in what it can do. We should be trying to build a bridge between the church and the movement.
Be sure to check out the follow up article on Flame & his upcoming album “Our World Redeemed” in the next S.O.U.LMAG issue. for more info. on Flame visit his website: flame314.com
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by: Renard “Rico” James aka Reflex the Son It was a warm, breezy Sunday afternoon on the back patio after second service at Crossover. I sat across from a brother that I, along with many others from my generation of Holy Hip Hop heads, consider a pioneer in the industry. It was Fred Lynch; formerly of the now defunct, trailblazing Christian Hip Hop crew P.I.D. (Preachers in Disguise). After several personnel changes, 5 albums, and a name change (to Preachas), the crew is no more but Fred Lynch remains a part of the culture as a representation of the courage that caused many young emcees to pick up a mic for Christ. He had just closed the service with a track from his upcoming project “The Epic” - a musical translation of the Gospels into Hip Hop. After 20 years he still has that twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face shows... it’s still real to him.
Reflex: At what point did you realize that hip-hop could be used to spread the Gospel to the culture? Fred: I was always taught that every Christian is an evangelist. The hip-hop aspect was just a tool. I found it was a great way to do what I was already doing. I played around with it for a while before I realized it could be used to reach the culture. I was just doing house-to-house ministry. I started going out on the street with it and people started to come listen. Till I started preaching... (laughing)
Reflex: How did P.I.D. (Preachers in Disguise) form? Fred: As a youth worker at church, I started using rap because it was popular with the kids. I had
heard a mix tape, memorized the raps and used them on the streets. There was a true B-boy in the youth group and he was like “How you doing Christian rap and you biting somebody else’s rhymes?” The kids’ name was Barry Hogan AKA Barry G. I realized then that I was out of touch with the culture. So he started schooling me on the fundamentals of hip-hop. It was like God was saying, “This is my heart”. I started immersing myself in the culture. Hip-hop “saved” me from being fake. God can use you best when you are who you are. That was the start of P.I.D.
Reflex:
Why do you think it has taken so long for Christian Hip Hop to be embraced as a legitimate effective form of ministry?
Fred: Hip-hop is very... cutting edge and real time to culture...so it’s hard to control. made it hard for the church to swallow.
That’s
Reflex: What were the circumstances that brought P.I.D. to an end? Fred:
Some messy, messy circumstances. We became fragmented in friendship. We started out as brothers... encouraging each other in the Faith. We ended up just trying to survive... it all fell apart piece by piece. The hardest thing was the decision to let Barry go.
Reflex:
How are the other former members doing now?
Fred: I still have a good relationship with Barry... that relationship suffered
the most damage. My brother Kevin a.k.a. (DJ) K-Mack the Knife...at one point became a Muslim...God’s still working on him. King Solomon J...left the crew in the middle of a tour. He was like “Yo, I got family, wife & kids. I’m out!” My prayers go out to him...his family suffered a tragic car accident killing his daughter and left his son with a serious disability. Then there’s Rich...Ace M.C. from NY Everyone was like “This kid’s cocky and just wants to shine on stage.” But I’m most proud of him because now he’s a senior Pastor at a church in Arlington, TX.
Reflex:
What’s yet to be expected from Fred Lynch?
Fred: The biggest thing to be expected from Fred Lynch is me multiplying myself. The Epic project is Mr. Lynch’s Opus...a gift to Hip Hop and culture.
Reflex: Any words to those who are reaching out to the culture for Christ? Fred: The world is yours! Dream big! Be audacious with it... but do it for God’s
glory. When God opens those doors remember to be just as zealous (for Christ). And at the end of your life, the love will not dwindle. Never skip out on getting closer and closer to Christ even if it means crucifixion... because Christ is the resurrection.
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for more info. on Fred visit: gettheepic.com & godstyle.com
Christian hip-hop has truly come a long way. So many have come up in the ranks of being quality artists who flip the message of Christ and make the great commission their mission through their music. The pool of albums from these mission-minded quality artists has gotten so large in the effort to counter the norm of modern-day hip-hop content, and every year that pool is growing. Of course, time and space doesn’t allow us to review all that we would like to, but we picked a few this year that are definitely worthy of recognition... -check ‘em out...
If you would like your album reviewed by S.O.U.LMAG or would like to have our Hip.Hop.Shop carry it, contact: hhs@flavoralliance.com
Night Owls 3
“The Chiropractor’s Goldmine”
A Syntax Sandwich. We start with the bread: the record label and producers. This is Syntax Records’ third installment of Night Owls. No one said you couldn’t make the perfect sandwich more than once! With producers like Shane Newville, Tommy Percival, and sir ROCDOMZ, everything is held together perfectly. Freshly baked beats from these producers are always key to keeping the sandwich held together from top to bottom. There always has to be meat on a sandwich: skill and scripture. Anything else would be... a salad with toast. A few stand out joints were by RedCloud (Big City of Dreams feat. Pigeon John), Tre9, S.O.M., & Cy (What You Know), Freddie Bruno, k-Drama, & Dirt (Hidden in the Bushes), Braille (Guilty by Association), LA Symphony (Got It Get It), and Urban D., Spec, & Los-1 (The Principle). MaxOne (Chiropractor’s Goldmine feat. Sam Hart) is thinly deli sliced, stacked high, and makes you want to nibble on it a little before the sandwich is complete. Go ahead, it’s your sandwich! Of course we can’t forget the spread on the bread. DJ Wise (Start From Scratch) opens up the top slice with some spicy mustard! On the bottom, holding the foundation together, we have DJ Promote (Thank You and Goodnight) with the zesty bread spread, complimenting the rest of the sandwich, and giving it a good aftertaste. -Marz
Everyday Process
“The Process of Illumination & Elimination”
This is 2007’s “How To” manual for today’s Christian. “Give ‘Em the Gospel” is a groovy, bass driven encouragement for folks to remain ambassadors and continue to unselfishly bring the truth to the masses. “Grace” is an adrenaline riddle joint that gives you a viewpoint of a man who should have been destroyed and in his grave but God’s “Grace” and forgiveness is sincere and sufficient. “The After Party” may be the theme song of the year as EP reminds us of the joy that awaits when the struggle of this world comes to an end. The always famous and now synonymous Cross movement collab/cypha doesn’t disappoint by ANY means. “Holla At Me” features one of 2006’s hottest young artists Trip Lee on a speaker killing, slow roll Lecrae produced track. These Philly boys successfully blend that authentic Philly sound and the energy of the Holy Spirit with talk real enough to grab ears from the suburbs to the hood. Definitely a non-stop ride of encouragement!
-Duane S.O.U.L | Pg76
Surreal & The Sound Providers “True Indeed”
The first time I vibed with the smooth sound of Surreal was on the “Crossover Cypha 4”. I later picked up his “Future Classic” album at the hip-hop shop and really got drawn in. But, his new release is definitely a must for your CD collection! Whether your influenced musically by hip-hop’s Common, R&B’s James Brown, or Jazz legends like Dizzy and Miles... there’s a little something for everyone in there! To really get your vibe on – check out track 5 “Truth Be Told” and track 11 “Life and Rhymes”. You’ll hear some of Surreal’s background and how God has developed him spiritually. You might have seen his pic on the cover and read his article... but I encourage you to cop his music and listen to his heart.
-Brother Greg
Michelle Bonilla “Phenomenal”
Move over R&B, no more Blues. Michelle Bonilla is bringin’ Rhythm and Salsa! Put that Spanish flavor on the good news. From Be-bop to Hip-Hop, Calypso to Latino, Bonilla takes her place in the musical bouquet of fragrances we call flavor! As one of God’s flowers, she confesses her love for Jesus Cristo; our Phenomenal Father. All the while she reminds us that the reward for faith and obedience is Paraiso! Paradise Baby! On her latest CD, Bonilla worships with The Holy Spirit, and hip-hop artists Da’ T.R.U.T.H., and Eric E. Purified by the fire, satisfied by the water, and lifted by Love; she “...was bound and now free...” Heaven is where she will be. Eyes on the Prize; Paraiso! -Spivey
Rawsrvnt
“In Rare Form”
Where do I begin? In Rare Form is an album that will never collect dust on a shelf, as RAWSRVNT truly sets the mood for love and worship. From the moment you push play, no matter where you are... alone or not... you will want to spend more and more time with God! Every track on this album is soulful and worthy of praise. From the first track “Breathe”, Raw engages many with the powerful message on devotions and worshipping our creator. For those moments when you are truly in need of some saving grace, my picks would be “Savior My Savior”, “More Love, More Power”, “All About You” “Holiness” and “Submit”. Raw did a great job of remixing some popular worship songs that many believers know, while introducing us to some hot original joints that will help you enter into God’s presence. -Janine
Lecrae
“After The Music Stops”
Music is a powerful tool to share the gospel through and it should rock you and have you moving from the outside all the way to the inside depths of your soul. This album really rocked me; lyrically and musically this album really spoke to me. A lot of times you listen to a hip hop track and the beat is blazing but some lack the musical collaborations that take it from just being a beat to a song. This album definitely is music in the making and it has tracks that can hold their own against anything the mainstream puts out there. Take “Jesus Musik” feat. Trip Lee for example; this track gives the listener a fun song they can literally bump in their ride, with their top down with and rep Christ anywhere. Personally, the track that really hit home for me was “Prayin’ For You”, if we were all to pray for ourselves in this manner we would so see God working in our lives on the daily. This album is a must have for your collection and all your friends collections. Cop one for yourself and a friend... sow that seed! -Symalee S.O.U.L | Pg77
These are a series of classes that help people grow in their personal spiritual commitments. Our goal at Crossover is to always help people take their next step of growth in their relationship with their creator.
101Membership Connection Class: In this workshop you’ll learn more about Crossover’s unique vision, strategy, structure, and goals. This class is all about connecting with Crossover (your family) as you also are connected with Christ (your leader). We’ll be sharing the story of our church’s beginning and our incredible vision for the future. If you feel comfortable at Crossover and would like to get more involved, we encourage you to come out and officially join the family!
201Maturity Connection Class: In this workshop you’ll learn more about maturing in your relationship with Christ. You’ll hear several important ways that your connection with your Creator can be strengthened.
301S.H.A.P.E. Connection Class: In this workshop you’ll discover and reaffirm what you were shaped for. Each of us was made with passions for certain things. In this class you’ll get connected to a ministry where you can grow and serve others.
401Mission Connection Class: Coming in 2007!
*Connection Classes are offered quarterly on a Saturday from 11am - 3pm with free lunch provided. You can sign up on the patio at the information area or visit our website @ www.crossoverchurch.org to get the dates and register for our next class.
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As Crossover continues to grow we are aggressively trying to maximize the space God has given us. In 2006 we opened our outdoor video venue for more seating during services. We have multiple services on Sunday, and we have a service on Thursday night service that is specifically for teens. Even with all these additions we know that we will still soon have more space issues again as we continue to grow. These are great problems... but what’s NEXT? Even though we love this campus and many of us have worked hard on customizing it make it the unique place that it is, we know that God has an even greater vision for our church. Crossover plans on relocating in the near future to facility on a main street that will provide plenty of square footage, parking, and visibility. Our new campus will expand all of our current services, programs, and ministries while it will also give us the ability to add several new ones. When, Where, and How are the questions! With every major project we’ve undertaken, these have always been the questions. God has always answered them and always provided every need. Our story is one that is filled with miracles, and although relocation would be our biggest challenge yet, we know that this will be an even greater opportunity for God to shine and get his props! Although we’re excited about a new building, we know it’s not our final destination. It’s only part of our journey. What we are doing as we journey defines who we really are. Our church is reaching people from all over the Tampa Bay area, but we are also touching people across the country and even over seas. Crossover has become internationally known as the first church model that is effectively reaching the hip-hop culture. The ministry has developed several resources with some featured on page 87. What’s NEXT with our resources? As there are virtually no other resources to equip leaders to reach the hip-hop culture we plan on continuing to fill that gap. The staff and leaders are currently developing several new CD’s, DVD’s, curriculum, and books that will be released in the near future. We believe that God has called us to impact this culture worldwide. Keep our team and our ministry as a whole in your prayers!
How can you stay connected to WHAT’S NEXT?
You can become a Ministry Partner. By checking out this magazine many will quickly assume that Crossover has plenty of finances. In actuality, Crossover is made up of predominately lower to middle income urban young adults. Many of them have also recently started their relationships with Christ. Although our church is quickly growing in numbers, our finances are much lower than your average congregation of our size. Even though our resources are limited, we still believe in doing things in excellence. We have a committed staff that has financially sacrificed to work full-time at the church. Many people in our congregation also volunteer countless hours. We are building a team of like-minded people that will become part of our “team” through prayer and financial support. Although we started a building fund and many of our members are actively involved, we know we need people from the outside to come along side and join us. You can be a part of what’s next! We ask that you look over this magazine and prayerfully consider being a part of our extended family. For information and details on Crossover’s Ministry Partners visit our website: www.crossoverchurch.org
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Hopefully this magazine has provoked some of your spiritual thinking. Before you put it down, I want to leave you with two final thoughts. The first one is that each one of us is made with a longing to know our Creator. At some point we’ve all questioned why we are here. Now, more than ever our culture is searching for meaning and purpose. If you look around you can observe that search everywhere; you can hear it in music, see it in movies, and watch it play out in every day real life. We soon figure out that this materialistic lifestyle that the media has pushed on us... just doesn’t satisfy! Even when we get some of the stuff we wanted or achieve some of the goals that we worked so hard for... it seems we still long for more! There’s still an empty spot inside of our souls. That spot can only be filled with a personal relationship with Christ. Until we understand this, our lives will continue to seem like an endless cycle of searching. If you feel like this your search can end today! We’ve all messed up and made mistakes, but we now have an opportunity to get things right and get reconnected with our Creator. This can happen by building a personal relationship with God’s son -Jesus Christ. He came and paid the sentence for all of our sins as he died on the cross to be the sacrifice in our place. The Bible shares in Romans 10:9-10 that if we have faith and believe then we will be forgiven and will have life forever in heaven. You don’t have to wait to come to God until you get everything together... because you’ll never get it together on your own. Right now as you hold this magazine you can simply talk to God and tell him that you need him and want to do it his way. Let him know you are sorry for all the things you’ve have done wrong. That relationship that will change your eternity can start right now! What happens next is the second thought I want to share with you. Each one of us is made with a need to belong to something. Many people try to find this in fraternities, community organizations, political groups, even in street gangs. These groups can provide some form of belonging and ownership, but God has something much more fulfilling for all of us. If you ask most people they will tell you that they believe in God, but the majority of our society has no real involvement in a local church family. Many will say, “Well, I believe in God, but I just study the Bible at home.” Or some will say, “I watch church on TV, and that’s my church.” Each one of us is called to belong, not just believe. Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” (LB) According to the Bible, being a member of the church means being a vital organ of a living body. The church is a body, not a building; it’s an organism, not an organization. For the organs of your body to fulfill their purpose they must all be connected to your body; it’s exactly the same for you as a part of Christ’s body. Each one of us was created for a specific role, but you will miss a major part of this if you’re not attached to a living, local church family. We all have our different gifts and talents that God has given us so we can help each other. Crossover is a growing family of believers. There are many different talents and abilities that our family has. We are just common people, but together, as we work towards our vision, we attain uncommon results. We’re not perfect, and we never will be, because we are made up of humans. However, we are a family that is there for one another and clearly understand that our purpose is to reach out to others that need to know Christ and discover their purpose in life. If you believe in God and don’t belong to a church family, I encourage you to get involved somewhere! Don’t miss out on what God has for you! If you feel comfortable here at Crossover, we’d love to have you become part of our diverse family. If you need anything... let one of our family members know. We’re here for You!
Peace and God Bless,
S.O.U.LMAG & Crossover Staff
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