Helping Students Keep Warm and Stay in School

Tulsa, Oklahoma - I would like to introduce you to Sarah W. Sarah is one of our High School students at Highland Park. She is actively involved in HPyouth. She is smart, athletic and a follower of Jesus Christ. And she is doing something extraordinary.

Last summer, we took our students to a CIY Move conference in Macomb, Illinois. Move is a week-long conference that aims to change youth and change the world. Sarah, along with many of our students, was challenged throughout the week to advance her faith and grow stronger in her commitment to follow Christ.

One video and challenge in particular hit her hard. The story of Ruby. Ruby is a High School student that chose to give up her birthday to raise money for a family to have a new house in South America. At the end of the week, we challenged our students to consider what they could do this next year that God was laying on their heart. Sarah decided that she wanted to do something like that.

After returning home, she shared with her parents what was on her heart and in her mind. Together they decided on a plan. Sarah would use her birthday in January 2015 to impact many poor underprivileged children in the Tulsa area. Project Elf is an amazing organization dedicated to helping children get the basic things they need for life and school. They provide them with coats, pencils, toothbrushes, combs and more. Sarah wants to help them.

So, in January 2015, Sarah is attempting to get many donations to help Project Elf be an even bigger impact than normal. The Children’s Ministry at Highland Park has already gotten behind her. The Middle School students of HP took time out of their Christmas party to go shopping for donations to surprise Sarah. Maybe by this point, you’re wondering how you could partner with her too? On Sunday, January 11, there will be a box next to the HP Caboose (the student information table in the downstairs lobby). In that box, bring any of the items in the list that follows to help support Sarah and Project Elf. This will also underscore to our students that they too can change the world for Christ.

 

Items needed:

• Tennis Shoes
• Socks
• Underwear
• Backpacks
• Heavy Coats
• Winter Hats and Gloves
• Composition Books
• Pencils
• Binders (2 in)
• Markers
• Pocket Folders with Brads
• Tri-Fold Science Project Boards
• Toothbrushes
• Money and Wal-Mart Gift Cards can also be given.

Crossers' Update: Important Announcement

To the friends, family and ministry partners of Matt and Angie Crosser, Team Expansion Missionaries…

For 13 ½ years Angie and I have been working for Team Expansion, a mission agency that seeks to reach the least reached people and plant biblical churches in those places. With Team Expansion, Angie and I have travelled to three cities in Italy and back to the states again, pouring our lives into missions and creating missions resources along the journey. That journey is coming to a close.

Yesterday, I was confirmed to become the new Youth Minister of Highland Park Christian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Highland Park has a love for the surrounding community and heart for missions. In fact, for the past decade, Highland Park has been our largest supporting church and we have been they’re largest supported mission.

We’ve been with Team Expansion since leaving college, so it will be sad to close this chapter of our lives, but exciting because I intend to remain partners with Team Expansion as a volunteer. This will allow me to continue working on several of the long term projects of which I’ve been involved in the past few years.

Art always has been and will continue to be one of my passions, but another passion for the past 20+ years has been youth ministry. That is why I actually went to Ozark Christian College, so that I could receive training to do youth ministry. After two part-time youth ministries in college, I started my post college phase doing international youth ministry with Team Expansion in Ancona, Italy. So, I will continue pursuing both of these passions, art and youth ministry, as I seek God and His desire for my life.

I will remain full-time with Team Expansion through the end of 2012 and tie up loose ends in January 2013. If you are a supporter or supporting church, we ask that you continue supporting this ministry through the end of December. In January, we will finish up the 2012 annual finances, create our final newsletter and mail out year-end reports to all supporters along with IRS receipts.

I have been volunteering as a youth sponsor at Highland Park in various capacities for the past year or so. I will start with some part-time hours in December and begin full-time hours in January 2013, as Highland Park Christian Church’s new Youth Minister.

Angie and I request your prayers as we navigate this transition over the next couple months into the beginning of the New Year. Thank you to all of you who have partnered with us in prayer, financial support and encouragement. We have made life long bonds with many of you and are humbled to have been partners with you during the past 13 years of this adventure.

We will continue to dialogue with you throughout this transition and really do hope you will join with us in our excitement to start the next chapter of our lives.

In Christ and for His Kingdom,

Matt and Angie Crosser