The Youth Ministry at Crossroads Church brought some skillet-bending, baseball bat-breaking action and a message of encouragement to work hard, love your neighbor and follow your dreams to Russellville Independent Schools students last week.
The fun was in the form of Xtreme Impact assemblies at Stevenson Elementary School and Russellville High.
“Over this past year I have been so impressed with the huge heart our school administrators and teachers have for their students,” Crossroads Pastor Chris Cowen said of why his church wanted to bring the Xtreme Impact message to students. “Then, when I heard Xtreme Impact’s message of dreaming big and that there is a hope for each child’s future, I knew this was a perfect fit.”
Xtreme Impact is a Christian organization made up of “world-class athletes who perform amazing feats of strength and use their athletic abilities to grab the attention of today’s students,” according to the organization’s website at www.Xtreme-impact.org. “They deliver cutting- edge and motivational messages that relate to the problems students face every day. Xtreme Impact uses a visually explosive approach as they confront key issues.”
The group performed at Stevenson Elementary School on Thursday, when one performer bent a straight steel rod into a knot. Another of the Xtreme Impact team used his concentration and strength to break a wooden baseball bat with his bare hands. One of the performers rolled a metal frying pan into the shape of a taco.
Xtreme Impact took their performance to Russellville High on Friday.
Cowen hopes all who had a chance to see the team’s feats and hear their message of encouragement will take the words they shared to heart.
“It’s my prayer that this weekend was a booster shot of encouragement to everyone who heard this message of hope in whatever their state of life might be, especially the children,” he said.







