Category: Mission News

Join us at Panera Bread on 15th and Bryant in Spring Creek Shopping Center in Edmond, Oklahoma on February 10, 2011 between 5:00 and 8:00pm. Ten percent of these proceeds will go to the mission. Be sure and let the cashier know that you are supporting Cross And Crown.

It’s Sunday night, January 9th, & I am here, at our evening services at Cross & Crown. A brand new year. The word that keeps coming back to me over & over is faithfulness.

The faithfulness of the Shelton group, & so many others, for 10 years, to not only lead worship once a month, but to bring food & serve everyone from our community who comes to eat.

There are Roy & Louella…Clyde & Judy…Barbara…Jorge & Olga…Socorro…& so many more neighbors…friends from our community whom we met 10 years ago when we first opened…who call us their family, & are faithful to worship with us so regularly.

Roma, who has led our food pantry for 10 years, who will not stay away no matter what the weather may bring.

Luke, who was just a teenage summer intern when we opened 10 years ago, sits with his wife…& Ron, who along with Luke, is making a big difference in the lives of the youth in our community…changing our world!

And countless more friends, staff members, volunteers & those of you who donate regularly, who have FAITHFULLY been a part of the mission for 10 years. But, most importantly, I see the faithfulness of our God…who has blessed this place…this work…this community…this mission…for 10 years. What a special year 2011 will be!

“For the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61

Kathy

The mission will be closed December 19th – January 2nd. To honor the year-long commitment volunteers have made, we like to provide a season of rest. Thank you volunteers! Our Sunday night worship will begin again January 2nd.

Note: Please do not drop off donations at the mission December 19th – January 2nd. These items will be left unattended while the mission is closed.

During the break, donations would be greatly appreciated at the Salvation Army Donation Center located at 311 Southwest 5th Street, Oklahoma City, OK. Thanks.

Tis The Season from http://www.lukewhitmire.blogspot.com/

There has been lots of activity at Cross and Crown during this Christmas season and if you’re interested in being apart of all or some of what’s left then here is how you can help…

1. Sunday Worship

This Sunday (December 12) we will be having our Christmas celebration. It starts at 6:00 with our meal followed by a time of worship at 6:30. Then, around 7:15 or so, following the worship, we will wrap up the night by giving away warm jackets/coats, beanies/toboggans, gloves, scarves and blankets to each family member or individual.

During this time we will, also, be keeping our eyes open for families with younger children to select a toy or present from a small selection of gifts that we have collected throughout the past year.

2. Food Pantry/Clothing Room

As usual, the food pantry and clothing room will be open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to the neighborhood and we are always excited to have some new volunteers helping and praying for the people that come with need for the day.

3. Rock Island

Historically, during the Christmas season Rock Island has done something memorable with and for the most consistent, regular attendees during the previous school semester. This year we’re planning on the same.

In years past we have done gift exchanges (Dirty Santa), delivered gifts to families of Rock Island students and even had the old, traditional ‘Christmas Party’ with punch and cookies but this year we want to do something that we have, somewhat, gotten away from at Rock Island.

We want to get them out of their normal, comfortable setting of their neighborhood and experience, for some the first time, another part of Oklahoma City. It may seem, kinda, silly or insignificant to you or someone else reading this but what we have learned is anytime we can get the kids out of their routine, everyday environment we are able to see a whole different side of some of the kids.

This year we are teaming up with a small group of youth from a church in another part of the city for dinner and a movie. It’s a youth group ‘date’, of sorts.

The plan is simple. Meet up with the other group. Go eat dinner. Talk. Laugh. Go to the movie. Throw popcorn. Get reprimanded. Laugh. Get a few phone numbers during the movie. Talk some more. Head back to Rock Island. Don’t put on a seat-belt. Get reprimanded. Put on a seat-belt. Get back to Rock Island. Merry Christmas.

This year, instead of gifts, we want to give the kids an experience. A memory. We want to give them an opportunity to meet new people in a new environment. To strengthen friendships.

Recap

So there is how you can be apart of what’s going on at Cross and Crown and Rock Island these last couple days and weeks before Christmas comes and goes.

Here’s how you can serve:

Sunday night – Help serve food, pass out jackets, coats, mittens and scarves. Shop the gift area with kids and families. Help clean up.
Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday – Help in the prayer room by meeting and praying for families and individuals. Carrying food boxes for women or the elderly.

Here’s what you can bring/give:

Jackets/coats, toboggans, gloves, scarfs and blankets.
Small gifts/toys for children on Sunday night.
Financial gifts towards the Rock Island dinner and movie. (We may be eating at McDonald’s depending on what kind of money we can pull in before next Wednesday)
If interested in helping or contributing in any way please email me at lwhitmire1@gmail.com or just show up!

Luke

Thank you to the Help-Portrait group for sharing their time and talent Sunday night. Families were blessed with free portraits for the holidays. Truly a blessing.

WordPress restricts video with music. Click link in message to view on Youtube.

You never know what is going to happen druing our worship services. Here is an example.

http://www.twitvid.com/player/ELSQN

Once a year, the Cross And Crown Staff closes it’s doors for a week to learn how to better serve and partner with our neighborhood. We will be traveling to Chicago to attend the CCDA conference. For more information about the conference and the CCDA

Staff and volunteers pray over food shipment from The Regional Food Bank. (quality low from phone video)

The day started off relatively normal (which, I must confess, I am not exactly sure what normal is at the mission). We had a pretty full house but because we are still in the first third of the month we had a couple extra spots on the food/clothing list.

It was about 11:30 when a couple came in the doorway and made their way up the stairs. I didn’t recognize them. I assumed they were new to Cross and Crown and so I did my best to explain how things worked. They said they were interested in getting some food and asked if we were a shelter. I told them some of the different things we were able to offer them but that we weren’t able to offer much in the way of shelter.

They explained how they were from out of town. They came with a fair, got fired while in Oklahoma City and now were stranded. They said they could definitely use the food but shelter was their number one need.

Again, I explained that we weren’t capable of housing individuals but the good news was that City Rescue Mission located downtown did a pretty good job of handling most housing/shelter needs. As I started to explain how to get to City Rescue they quickly interrupted and said that they had already been several times and had been turned away night after night because the shelter was full.

I found that a little bit peculier. First of all, City Rescue is a pretty large facility. They have mens, womens and family housing available. Secondly, most of the individuals we know and that come to Cross and Crown don’t head down to City Rescue or any other shelter when it is as warm as it has been lately. Generally they head that way when it gets cold.

So, after things slowed down on the food panty end I made a phone call over to City Rescue to find out what the couple needed to do in order to get a bed for the night. The individual that I spoke with at City Rescue was very helpful and straight-forward. She told me they needed to be there by 7:00 p.m. and to have one form of i.d. Easy enough. I asked her about the shelter being full the last several nights and she informed me that they haven’t had to turn anyone away in several weeks. Hmmm.

I reported back to the couple and told them what I had been told. Be there by 7:00. Have one form of i.d. I also told them the woman I spoke informed me that they hadn’t run out of beds in weeks and that there were currently beds available…..

“Yeah, but we aren’t separating”, they quickly replied.

After some q & a I discovered that they had been offered beds but were unwilling to separate into the men’s and women’s dorms. They informed me how they had been married for less than 9 months and were unwilling to be apart. Even if that meant having to sleep on the streets? Yep. They both explained how they had one thing going and that was each other. Fair enough.

We talked for several more minutes and discussed some other options in the city. I directed them to some other agencies that offered meals during the day and they seemed content. I, in order to make sure they understood they had an opportunity but were choosing not to take advantage of it, rehashed their decision not to be apart for 7-8 hours in order to have a safe place to stay for the night. But, they stayed true to their decision to not be apart and ultimately decided the risk of being on the streets was not a big enough threat to split up for the night.

I get that they love each other. In all honesty, they were right, they didn’t/don’t have a whole lot going their way right now and so they have decided the one thing they do have going for them, each other, is too valuable to be without, even if it’s only for a few hours.

I, personally, in their position, would opt for my wife and I to be apart for a few hours each night to be in a safe place, rather than the streets. I value my wife’s safety in the long term and so I would choose to be apart at night, rather than together on the streets night after night. But, I can’t knock them for wanting to stay together throughout their hard times. I might change my mind after having to be apart from her night after night. I don’t know.

So here’s my question. What would you do? Do you live on the streets with your spouse night after night? Or, do you split up each evening to sleep in a warm, safe place?

Luke