January 6, 2012


5A Crossroad House provides home and hope for teen moms


BY AMY FORBUS Editor


As a developmental therapist,


Ophelia Mosley works with children ages three and under who have disabilities. She encounters clients in all types of living situations, including children in foster care. During one visit to a client in a


foster home, she overheard a conversation about a nine-year-old pregnant girl needing placement in the foster system. “I said, ‘You have got to have


the age wrong,’” Mosley said. “But they were accurate.” She completed her work and


leſt the home, still upset. “I was really fussing at Jesus, just ranting and raving,” she said. It was then she heard a clear


voice say, “You do something about it.” T e Holy Spirit kept whispering to her, and she knew she had to act. An active member of Christ


United Methodist Church Cabot, Mosley discerned that her calling to help young mothers wouldn’t involve founding just another facility or group home. She knew that it needed to be a real home—hers. Mosley began putting together


what would become Crossroad House. She rented a large, ranch- style home in Cabot and moved in, decorating rooms to make them comfortable and welcoming for


teens and their babies. Bedrooms can accommodate up to fi ve mother-child pairs. T e house includes rooms for studying and pursuing hobbies, and a playroom dedicated to one-on-one interaction between mothers and infants. Teens living at Crossroad House


learn life skills like how to cook using simple recipes and fresh ingredients, the importance of doing well in school and bonding with their children—skills they may not pick up in other environments such as a homeless shelter. She also recruited an executive


director: her daughter, Desiree Kelly, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in human services. As part of her work with Crossroad House, Kelly presents the state-approved curriculum “Making Proud Choices,” teaching prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. “My goal is to help young girls


make good decisions about their life,” Kelly says. “I am a resource ready to be utilized by the community.” Crossroad House has a highly


involved, all-female board of directors, which includes a pharmacist, a police offi cer, a business owner and a United Methodist deaconess. Each board member uses her giſt s to provide assistance for Crossroad House, oſt en working directly with residents. Colleen Caldwell, the deaconess


on the board, was commissioned in April 2011 by the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. As director of community care ministries for Christ UMC Cabot, she has seen the congregation wrap its arms around the current residents of Crossroad House: 15-year-old Kasha and her 13-month-old daughter, Marie (names have been changed to protect privacy). “T at baby has so many aunties


and uncles now,” says Caldwell, who added that the church’s eagerness to include the mother and baby is teaching the value of having a stable support system and faith life. “We have a group of people


ready to welcome girls who are new to the home and let them know they are welcome not only in Christ Church, but also in Cabot,” says the Rev. Jeff Warrick, the church’s pastor. “Kasha is becoming involved in our youth group on a weekly basis, and she’s brought a wonderful perspective to the group.” T ough Crossroad House


currently has only one teen resident, they expect to receive more in 2012. In anticipation of that growth, Christ UMC has donated its church van to Crossroad House, ensuring that all of the home’s residents will be able get to church and other group activities. T e church also gave Crossroad House more than $500 raised


Imagine Ministry (continued from page 1A)


steady in purpose but fl exible in strategy,” said Boggan. He will take charge of recruiting


and training up to 70 Circuit Elders and up to 30 Congregational Coaches who will be deployed by the district superintendents in 2012 and 2013. He also will develop strategies for equipping laity and clergy, and creating accountability for leadership goals. “T e purpose of all this is to


develop and strengthen passion and excellence in local congregations so they can make disciples and transform their mission fi eld,” he said. “I look forward to serving the clergy and laity of the Arkansas Conference.” “T e Center for Excellence in


Clergy and Laity Leadership is really designed to create opportunities for accountability,” said Bishop Crutchfi eld. “It’s designed to create an opportunity for us to build excellence into everything we do,


www.arumc.org


both as clergy and laity. “For a long time, we have said


clergy need to be accountable.... But laity are accountable, too. Clergy are accountable to their vows of ordination; laity are accountable to their vows of baptism and church membership. We talk so glibly about laity-clergy partnerships, but we don’t do much about it. T is is a step in that direction.”


Bridging a gap T ompson, who lives in Marion


and serves as instructor of historical theology and Wesleyan studies at Memphis T eological Seminary, is a T .D. candidate at Duke University, where his dissertation focuses on the means of grace in John Wesley’s doctrine of sanctifi cation. His appointment as Wesley scholar for the Conference began on Jan. 1. No other annual conference has a clergyperson appointed specifi cally


to provide insight into the Wesleyan roots of United Methodism, so T ompson expects his role to evolve over time. He will work with the Holiness of Heart and Life Network, the Center for Clergy and Laity Excellence in Leadership and with local congregations. “I think direct engagement with


local churches will be a signifi cant part of this ministry,” he said. Bishop Crutchfi eld believes that


having a Wesley scholar will help churches learn to more intentionally use John Wesley’s teachings as a foundation for ministry in the name of Christ. “When we talk about the


business of the Conference, where are we as Wesleyans?” he asks. “And how do we strengthen that connection? “We think having a scholar like


Andrew, who is also deeply committed to the life of the local church and the Annual Conference, is a great way to keep this unifying


through its community fall festival. Individuals from the church


have helped with a variety of tasks, from providing diapers to installing wireless Internet access. One church member who prefers to remain anonymous builds dollhouses, and has donated two for fundraisers. T is year’s dollhouse, which was given away Dec. 18, raised almost $1,200 for the cause. “My church is wonderful,” said


Mosley. Christ UMC Cabot surrounds Kasha with love and encouragement, and Mosley says it would be impossible to sustain Crossroad House without the church’s support. Kasha says she and Marie enjoy


living at Crossroad House. “It’s better than anywhere I’ve


been,” she says. “I tell Ms. Ophelia that all the time.” Soon aſt er she gave birth, Kasha


spent a few weeks in a homeless


factor before us—that is, our theology of grace.” Before completing his doctoral


studies and becoming a professor, T ompson served two appointments as a local church pastor. T rough these experiences, he has seen the gap between the church and the academy—“a gap I think is much too wide,” he says. “With [my] duties as Wesleyan


scholar for the Annual Conference, I will be able to focus that much more directly on how the work of a Wesleyan theologian should serve the life of the church at the ground level.”


Creating a network Watson, a former administrator


for two UMCs in Arkansas, is an active member of canvascommunity UMC Little Rock, and also sings in the choir at Highland Valley UMC. Her experience at the local


church level, including leadership training in Bible study and discipleship, contributed to her willingness to take on the volunteer


Ophelia Mosley, founder of Crossroad House, displays a dollhouse made by an anonymous donor. The dollhouse raised close to $1,200 for Crossroad House’s residential program for teen mothers.


AUM PHOTO BY AMY FORBUS


shelter, with no clue where her child was in the foster system. Crossroad House has given her a fresh start in in caring for both herself and her daughter. She plans to be caught up in school by summer break. “T e shelter I was in before


here told me, ‘You can’t do teenager stuff . You’ve got to be a mother.’ But you can be a mother too, and still have fun at the same time, as long as you’re doing your job right.” And she does do her job right.


Kasha handles all of her child- rearing duties, and she gets the kind of support that allows her to focus on her studies and participate in youth activities at Christ Church. “She’s got a good frame of mind


to raise her baby, and that’s the way it should be,” Mosley says. For more information on


Crossroad House, or to volunteer, visit crossroadhouseforgirls.org.


role of lead facilitator for Holiness of Heart and Life: T e Network of Discipleship and Mission. Bishop Crutchfi eld will name four additional co-facilitators from across the state. “Over the past couple of years


we have had an opportunity to dream and imagine where we can go and what can be accomplished through the body of Christ,” Watson said. “As we now put these thoughts and prayers into action, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I know great things are in our future.” T ough Watson offi cially begins


work in July, she looks forward to meeting with other leaders before then to begin bringing more pieces of the Network into place. “T is is really diff erent, and it’s


not going to be easy to make this work,” Bishop Crutchfi eld said. “I appreciate Sandy’s willingness to walk along with us in kind of an undefi ned way to build the future.” “I am extraordinarily excited to


have all three of these people involved in the Annual Conference’s life going forward,” he added.


Arkansas United Methodist


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