Cross Talk Tips

From the moment Pastor Josh took the microphone at Summit this past October, the energy was electric. His topic: how to model CrossTalk. 

As a refresher of our core principles, CrossTalk: 

• Is Bible-based. 

• Is interactive. 

• Is relevant. 

• Allows time for reflection. 

• Not the whole picture. 

• Guards against spiritual abuse. 

• Is trauma-informed. 

Between the upbeat music and prizes, Pastor Josh kept the audience engaged. Making CrossTalk INTERACTIVE is key. 

How can you encourage your CrossTalk teacher to include campers more this summer? 

• Keep things upbeat with energizing songs. 

• Choose songs with big muscle movements. 

• Include choreography/lip sync of Christian songs performed by T.R.A.C. staff. 

• Use games to create buy in. 

• Give tickets to campers that they can redeem for prizes. 

• Involve campers in a skit. The curriculum has a script included. 

• Use costumes. Thrift stores are a great source of inexpensive costumes. 

When should CrossTalk happen in the T.R.A.C. schedule? 

To set campers up for success, morning is the preferred time to have CrossTalk. The reason: campers are more fully awake, and behaviors are less likely to occur. 

Remember: many T.R.A.C. campers have never experienced worship. Please be aware of this when choosing your music. Songs like Move by Audio Adrenaline or Crazy by Newsboys get campers moving around. Have fun with Welcome to the T.R.A.C. by Omar “Boss” Ambrose which is available through the TR National Office.  

CrossTalk lays the spiritual foundation at camp. The theme is reiterated “along the way” (Deuteronomy 6) as camp counselors and staff continue discussing the lesson.  

Make CrossTalk irresistible for campers!