About Crossover Music Festival
The Crossover Music Festival story began in 1999 as a combination Southern Gospel and Contemporary Music Festival.
Crossover Contemporary applied for and was granted “not for profit” status in September 2018 as a 501c3 organization under the name Crossover Contemporary Festival. The music festival is held annually at the Ozarks Amphitheater, in Camdenton, Missouri at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Through the years, we have learned how to do great music concerts on the stage. However, the Lord has put a greater purpose on our hearts. In 2019, with the vision of providing hope, we began promoting and including several local non-profit organizations that serve specific needs in our communities around the lake. These organizations were given the opportunity to present from our concert stage and tell their story.
Vision: Transforming lives by serving the community with love and hope
In 2021 and 2022, we further clarified our purpose to become more intentional about drawing people into a relationship with Jesus through music and the spoken word. Also in 2022, with clarity of focus, we revised our Vision and Mission to reflect this calling from the Lord to see lives transformed (Romans 12) by loving, serving, and providing hope.
Mission: Fulfilling spiritual and physical needs with music, worship and outreach
In 2018 we believed that God was asking us to be more than a “one and done” music festival. Additionally, we were called to also support our new mission of promoting unity among our churches with worship and outreach. That year, Crossover hosted the first-ever, all-community worship service at the Ozarks Amphitheater, with nearly 2000 people in attendance on Sunday morning, September 16, 2018. This Sunday worship as the Body of Christ continues each year. Our worship team is comprised of musicians and vocalists from churches all over our local area, providing a unified sense of togetherness. Rather than focusing on our differences, we focus on our common bond through the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
To honor our local pastors, we host an annual dinner free of charge for pastors and their spouses. It is amazing to see these godly men and women fellowshipping, laughing, and enjoying meeting each other. We believe this is a positive step in building unity in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4).
Finally, the Lord has opened our eyes to the growing population of homeless teenagers in our area. Officials tell us that over 300 of our teens are considered homeless and often have to resort to nightly “couch surfing” for survival. We believe we have been called to be a vehicle of community awareness as well as a funding source for “Teen Harbor”, a safe place for our homeless teenagers
Teen Harbor would be under the umbrella of Kids Harbor, an existing local non-profit organization that advocates for abused children. However, Teen Harbor would target our homeless kids with the goal of helping them avoid abusive situations by providing a safe place to
go after school.
At its beginning, Teen Harbor would not be housing kids overnight but would provide for basic needs, such as hot meals, safe showers, help with homework, counseling, companionship, structure, and lots of love. A building is needed and many other details must be resolved. Estimated budget for the first year, including building and staff approximately $1.5M. Many decisions must be made, including hiring a director, renovating an existing building, or new construction. We have received enthusiastic support from school officials and local law enforcement. Eventually, we believe that we can develop an overnight facility.
It will not be the intention of Teen Harbor to be an organization of handouts that simply enables a teenager. Nor is it our intention to further perpetuate homelessness by perpetuating the attitude of learned helplessness. With structure, mentorship, and guidance, the goal of TH will be to equip these teens with skills that will enable them to go on to lead successful, responsible, adult lives.
We believe that God expects us to care for those within our influence who are in need. This is our calling… to build upon a foundation of music and spoken words in truth, with loving action and community outreach
for the Kingdom.
1 John 3:17-18
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Matthew 25:34-36
Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.