We see courage in others; sometimes we are courageous ourselves.
We want to recognize the courage that comes from faith in Christ.
Christian Courage is humble strength, it is how we show the holy spirit that is within us.
Continue Reading or jump directly to… Meet the Team or Meet our Accountability Board
Christian Courage is an organization that seeks to recognize and proclaim acts of courage by the faithful. We want to highlight stories of courage for the glory of God, and hopefully inspire courage in those who need it most. Check out our stories for messages of hope and stories of courage.
Anyone can exhibit Christian Courage and we want your stories to share along with our own on this website and in our publications. Please submit your story and let your life speak!
If you need more inspiration, you have options. We are getting excited about our upcoming book (we’ll post details soon!) We also have a team of individuals who exemplify Christian Courage and are available to speak to your church or organization. We cover a spectrum of topics and can build a presentation to meet your specific needs. Contact us to see what we can do for you!
If you feel called to do even more, Join the Team!
The Christian Courage Team actively works to spread the message and provide support to the community. There is a place for you on the team in one of our many areas of need:
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Spreading the Message: the easiest way to get the message out is to wear it! When people see you in Christian Courage gear it is a reminder to be courageous and to remember where our strength comes from.
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Supporting the Team: when you buy the gear you are helping to keep this website up and helping us continue creating more. Donating is another great way to help us continue this mission.
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Praying: We accept prayer requests and take them seriously! You can contact us and join our prayer team and receive requests daily, weekly, or monthly which you can send up with your daily prayers. (Don’t worry, we send all requests to multiple people; so even if you forget, the prayers will still go up
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Whether you can do one or all of the above, you are a welcome and needed addition to Team Christian Courage!
So who are we…
At Christian Courage, we are a group of concerned Christians who see a need and want to fill it. To carry over the sports language, we are the Team Managers. We are doing our best to gather the best coaches and team members together, provide them with a uniform, and support them as they are out there playing the game of life.
So… if we’re the managers, who’s the owner…
Well, He not only owns the teams and the stadiums, He created them. He’s the one we’re hoping to please by playing this game. He’s the one who provides our courage. Our God.
Meet the team
Continue Reading or jump directly to… Read About Us or Meet our Accountability Board
Terry Jones, Founder – Click here to read his wife Suzanne’s story
Macie Jones
Katie Schwarz
Nathan Schwarz
Lynette Connell – Click here to read Lynette’s Story
Dirk Gibson
Deborah Henry
Rhoda Gillum
Gedden Gibson
Taffin Hartmann
Elliot Ahr
Karen Channon – Click here to read Karen’s story
Gary & Debbie Landon
Kendall Kayworth
Gavin Gracyk – Click here to read Gavin’s Story
Sarah Whitmore
Mark and Traci Waldschmidt
Ron and Rhonda Willis – Ron is our gifted Poet!
Sharon Conrad – Loving wife, devoted mother, disciple of Christ!
Rick Klinger
Doug Klinger
Gloria Klinger
Lisa Camporelli
Kim Shane
Lori Tuyo
Accountability Board
Continue Reading or jump directly to… Read About Us or Meet the Team
Steve Abbe – Pastor at Crossroads Fellowship Waco TX
Welcome to Crossroads! I love saying that! I’m the Senior Pastor here at Crossroads and this is the greatest group of people to be family with. My wife and ministry partner, Cyndi and our two daughters, Emily and Erin, planted Crossroads in our home in 2002. Over the next year, God built a core team of 6 couples and eventually 40 committed people. We launched our first service on Easter Sunday, June 2003. It has been one of the most amazing and challenging journeys of our marriage and ministry, but there is no place we would rather be at this time in our life. I am the only full time staff member, so a typical day for me looks like answering the phone from my office in my truck as I move around the community building relationships through meetings, counseling and eating!! I am my own secretary, except for Tuesday mornings when our wonderful and committed volunteer comes in. Through my leadership gifts I am primarily responsible for overseeing the leadership of the church, the staff, the Administrative Team and our Elders. I share the preaching and teaching with my wife and co-pastor, along with our staff and other gifted teachers in the church. I carry the load for the majority of counseling needs in the church. And, I have a secret passion to be the Children’s Pastor (but don’t tell anyone). I love kids, they are our greatest resource.
I am a home grown Robinson boy and that’s where I began my ministry work through the local church, as a youth pastor and in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. My wife Cyndi and I met at Baylor, married in 1984, and moved to Fort Worth. While Cyndi coached and taught, I served as an Associate Pastor and was a seminary student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. We served together at Birdville Baptist Church for the next 10 years. Then, in 1993, our lives took an adventurous turn by relocating just outside of Washington, D.C. for a life-changing ministry together. We enjoyed another 10 years pastoring together at the First Baptist Church of Wheaton, Maryland. Following a trip to Africa, I found myself standing at a crossroads in ministry life. After much prayer, we believed God had given us a new vision. This new vision became the heart and mission of Crossroads Fellowship. We know that God used our time in D.C., and as a result of that experience and the work God did in and through us, to birth something new in our heart. God wanted us to take the values He reshaped in our lives and go home to impact a community that included family and friends, many of whom did not have a relationship with Christ. God’s dream from that moment has been to create a church that desires to be a place where anyone standing at a crossroads in life will be welcomed to journey along and discover truth in the values God has for their own life.
Life Verse: Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is our sun and shield; He gives us grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk along His path.”
Pat Cummings – Pastor Patton Baptist Church Patton Texas
Eliska Smith – Associate Vice Chancellor TSTC
Eliska Smith’s career in marketing and communications began more than 20 years ago. Her experience spans across marketing in an economic development and consulting arena, to publishing, health care, and education. Eliska’s tenure with Texas State Technical College System began in 2002 when she began leading the efforts of TSTC marketing system-wide to ensure coordinated and consistent marketing and communication. As Associate Vice Chancellor, Eliska is responsible for the integration of marketing activities among functional teams. She also serves as the System public information officer, the brand manager, and social media champion. Additionally, she specializes in communications, public relations, leadership, writing, and editing.
Having thrived by the grace of God despite adversity, Eliska became the first in her family to graduate from college and has enjoyed a successful career, while balancing her life as a mother of two children.
Church, Community and Professional Service: Eliska has served in leadership positions within her church, community and professional associations alike including: president, Baptist Young Women, director, Women’s Missionary Union, chair of the committees for Public Relations and Committee on Committees, First Baptist Woodway; volunteer, Center for Action Against Sexual Assault; secretary, board member, and president of the Central Texas Chapter Public Relations Society of America; District IV Executive Committee Member for the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations, member of the Leadership Waco Class XX, board member of the Leadership Waco Alumni Association, member of the Rotary Club of Waco, and board member of the Waco Aviation Advisory Board.
Honors and Awards: Eliska is a four-time recipient of the TSTC Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, in the areas of marketing and public relations branding, web marketing, communications, and most recently stealth marketing.
Education: Eliska received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Baylor University, an advanced certificate in mid-management from SMU/Cox School of Business, and a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications and Leadership from Seton Hall University.
Cory Priest – Entrepreneur/Businessman Lorena Texas
Cory along with his beautiful wife Patti have 3 children, Laramie, Dakota and Steelie. They live in Lorena, Texas on their ranch. The cattle business is Cory’s primary endeavor but he also is a partner in JoCo Builders, a construction company.
He has been a teacher at his church for more than 20 years and loves to disciple people through sharing God’s Word. The truth of the Bible is the key to living a meaningful Christian life. Cory also is involved with Legacy Outfitters, a Christian men’s outdoor ministry. The platform allows for men to connect with other men who share a passion for the outdoors and who want to leave a legacy worth leaving. His interest includes everything his kids are involved in and hunting.
