BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
Two decades ago Natalie and Jeff Storment took a huge leap of faith.
The couple welcomed at-risk boys into their home, fed them, got them involved in sports, tutored them in academics and incorporate faith into their lives.
Feeding them and attending to their needs nearly broke the couple, financially and spiritually. They sold their vehicles and prayed about they were making the right choice.
Despite those early struggles and doubts, Power Cross Ministries was born, and on Thursday, some of those boys who found love, acceptance and God at the Storments’ home, came back to celebrate.
They were joined by other supporters of the ministry for the celebration the organization’s 20th anniversary at The Cove Church in Mooresville.
“For me, it’s just a serious a blessing from the Lord to see so many incredible people in one room,” Jeff Storment said.
The diversity of the room, he said, reflects the boys that Power Cross ministers to on a daily basis.
“Every day at Power Cross this is what it looks like. It’s not just white people. It’s Black people. It’s not just Black people. It’s Hispanic people. People will call you 17 years later and tell you how God affected their lives,” he said.
Showing these young men love and bringing faith into their lives started out rocky, he said.
“We started opening up our home to all of these kids. They wanted to come to us more and more because our home looked different than theirs. The love from Natalie and Jeff and T.J. (their son) was different. And the house started filling up. And when the house started filling up, they started tearing stuff up. Like breaking windows — I’m not joking. Like tearing the carpet up. I mean I can’t tell you what all they tore up.” he said.
But the next test was financial, he said. “And then they started draining our bank account, and I had to figure out what was going to happen,” Storment said.
The Storments sold their vehicles and their account balance kept declining. Despite the challenges, Power Cross began to grow. People heard about the ministry and stepped up to donate, volunteer and help in any way they could.
Alex Rios, now a coach at Power Cross, is an alumni. During a break from performing with a band during Thursday’s celebration, he talked about what the organization has meant to him.
“For my whole life, for all the trials and hard stuff, Power Cross … is still one of the many reasons my relationship with Christ is still strong,” he said.
Natalie Storment said success stories like Rios’ and many others are what keeps Power Cross going. Power Cross now serves more than 350 boys.
“We want to be a ministry that serves every child God sends to us,” she said.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the inaugural Klein Family Power Cross Scholarship. Natalie Storment said the endowed scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte will be presented to a Power Cross student each year. The first recipient of the scholarship was Daniel Gladden.
Giving young boys and men the opportunity to succeed is something Power Cross has literally preached for 20 years and the plan is to give that opportunity to as many boys as possible in the future, Natalie Storment said.
The ministry’s founders also have plans to expand the Statesville campus. The cost for that expansion is $1.7 million and, so far, $1.5 has been funded. The nonprofit is revitalizing the Abernathy Baseball Park with plans for picnic shelters, a playground for community use, a new practice field and horseshoe pits.
The Salisbury campus is also in need of a major overhaul due to a 2023 fire. The hope is to build a 4,000-square-foot permanent campus that will cost $1.2 million.
The Storments said they have faith — just as they did two decades ago — that those plans will come to fruition.
“We can’t do what we do unless you guys help us out. I cannot tell you how much that means to us to wake up every morning and continue to do the work God has called us to do,” Jeff Storment said.