Two-year-old Sophie and 4-year-old Jake approach the occupants of the dusty, four-door sedan. Exiting off I-17 onto Carefree Highway, the car slows to respond to the childrens’ outreached arms offering a free bottle of cold water.
Standing on tiptoes to reach up high enough to hand the person the bottle, Sophie doesn’t understand when the woman declines the offer. Jake also looks confused, and they turn to their mother.
“How could you refuse that face?” Sophie and Jake’s mother, Tamara Lee, whispered, a little saddened as she tugged on her children to move away from the vehicle.
But the Lee family does not let the people who turn down their offer dampen their spirits. After all, this would not be the last person to turn them down. What motivated them was the hope that at least one would accept their offer, and maybe because of that, one day accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The Lees participated in one of 92 events taking place June 14–15 and June 22–23 as part of Crossover Arizona. A handful of Alabama Baptists were among Crossover volunteers. Gary Rivers, pastor of Meadowbrook Baptist Church, Oxford, and his wife, Dixie, prayerwalked in the Tramonto community just north of Phoenix. Invited because Meadowbrook has been listed in the top 10 in baptisms in Alabama for the last four years, the Rivers were glad to see new ways to evangelize. They also participated in a block party sponsored by First Baptist Church, Payson, June 22.
Crossover is an annual event that takes place prior to, during and following the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting. An evangelistic sweep of the SBC host city, Crossover events traditionally include block parties, door to-door witnessing and prayerwalking. The Arizona events also included skateboarding events, water slides and Christian concerts.
Jerry Martin, director of evangelism/missions for Valley Rim Baptist Association and Arizona coordinator for Crossover, said, “Crossover has been a real shot in the arm for those churches that took advantage of it, and it’s going to be
long-lasting.”
Many of the Crossover events represented “churches stepping out, doing things they’d never done before. Crossover was a huge success in that way,” he said.
Christian presence
The Lees worked with their church, Tramonto Community Church in the Tramonto
community. Tamara’s husband, Darren, and 7-year-old son, Spencer, also helped hand out cold water bottles to weary travelers. And they did this on a hot, dry day in the desert with temperatures reaching 108 degrees.
“We think it’s important to reach out to the community and teach them about Christ and having a relationship with Him,” Tamara Lee said. “We are making a presence and teaching our children to reach out to others.” Currently a missions church worshiping in a local school, Tramonto Community Church held its first service in January.
Tramonto Pastor Todd Felkel, said, “With what our 30-member missions team did and with the folks walking and handing out water, we hope to see a great harvest.”
Volunteers also prayerwalked the community being developed around the land where the church will one day be located.
Former Alabama Pastor Bob Brown, now state director of missions with the Indiana Baptist State Convention, said, “Phenomenal growth is anticipated here.
“We cleared orange groves to build homes in Florida. We cleared corn fields to build homes in Indiana. Now we are clearing the desert to build new homes in Arizona,” said the Selma native.
Southern Baptist work such as the new church start in Tramonto “was one reason we came West this year,” said Jack Graham, president of the SBC. “We came … to support the work of Southern Baptists.”
While reports remain incomplete from Crossover events, John Yarbrough, vice president for evangelism at the North American Mission Board, said June 17 reports indicate that 753 people prayed to receive Christ as Savior. He also reported that 1,700 prospective church members were discovered.
Yarbrough told the story of a group sent to do door-to-door evangelism but ended up shouting the gospel to the top of a palm tree where a worker trimmed the leaves. “They ‘treed’ him for Jesus,” Yarbrough said.
Jason Kim, who works with NAMB’s multicultural evangelism unit, said a homeless man attending the International festival at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix will remember his experience for a while. “I thank the Lord that a homeless person, Louis Griego, won the give-away vehicle,” Kim said. “He was so excited with the gift because he (now) has a place to sleep. He said he was lucky.
“But I told him that God who loves him knew and provided,” Kim said, noting that Griego was one of 817 people registered for the festival.
Alabama Baptist Evangelist Leon Westerhouse provided music for the Celebration Fellowship Block Party at Riverview Park in Mesa. “I led a 14-year-old girl to Christ today,” said Westerhouse, a member of Huffman Baptist Church, Birmingham Association. “That’s what it’s all about. (People) are hungry for good news, and Jesus Christ is the good news.”
(Arizona Portraits contributed)
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