Two and a half years before becoming the Development Director at Crossings Ministries in 2023, I worked on staff at FBC Murray serving alongside a man by the name of Mike Rose. During our time on staff together, we forged a friendship that was built on serving the Lord and His church.
Mike and his wife, Dawn, spent a lifetime investing in the church and the communities in which they lived. Mike served the local church for 51 years as a Minister of Music and taught in the public school system for 23 years. Dawn, a dentist, established her own practice in Cadiz, where she cared for patients for 28 years. In 2018, Dawn passed away, faithfully finishing her race and entering her eternal home in heaven. Throughout her life, she served alongside Mike as a layperson in the church, leading discipleship training for students and directing children’s choirs.
Last year, as Mike began his final year of serving as the Minister of Music at FBC Murray, he pulled me aside after a church service and said that we needed to talk. He went on to tell me that he “[felt] led to support what God is doing through Crossings.”
When Mike and I met to talk about how he could support what God was doing at Crossings Ministries, he spoke about the passion he and Dawn shared for worship and student discipleship. He knew that what God was doing through Crossings was something they would have both wanted to be a part of. After prayerful consideration, Mike pledged $250,000 toward the Crossing Forward campaign, to be given over the following three years. He also made the decision to make Crossings Ministries the primary beneficiary of his estate when the Lord calls him home. He shared, “Dawn would want to do this, and I don’t think there is anything I could do that would better honor her life and memory.”
In 2026, Crossings plans to honor the life of Mike’s beloved bride at Jonathan Creek Camp and Conference Center by dedicating the very room that students gather in every day to worship and experience the teaching of God’s word.
We love to share stories like theirs – stories that remind us of God’s faithfulness and the many ways His blessings can be felt. Mike and Dawn used their lives and resources to impact the Kingdom for the glory of God. By God’s grace, their story is one of several this year that shows how the Lord has moved men and women to invest in the work of Crossings Ministries, leaving a lasting eternal impact.
As we look to the year ahead, remembering the greatest gift the world had ever received in Jesus, we want to invite you to join us in two prayers:
- First, we ask that you continue to pray for Crossings Ministries, its staff, and all of the students and leaders who will be joining us at camp this upcoming summer.
- Second, we ask that you prayerfully consider supporting the work that is happening at Crossings through a financial gift that will have a lasting Kingdom impact.
We are expecting our biggest year ever with nearly 30,000 students and leaders registered for camp in 2026! We are excited to partner with you in proclaiming the Gospel and we pray that God will once again call hundreds to cross over from death to life and follow Him!
To learn more about the many ways you can help support Crossings Ministries financially, visit https://gocrossings.org/give/ or contact me, Jason Ellerbrook, at [email protected] | 615-513-5043.