Elise Kosumcu, Schools’ Worker, London
The surname's Turkish which makes it really hard to pronounce. I didn't learn how to until I was about 20. Anyone who takes less time to manage it wins my respect!
I joined Crossteach having grown up in Camden as a Christian teenager and finding it pretty tough at times. I would have loved to have had a Crossteach worker in my school to teach me the Bible and help to encourage me to share the gospel with friends. After a variety of jobs, I decided to go into teaching. A real highlight as a teacher was running a lunchtime Bible Club. We were a funny rag-tag bunch that met once a week. It showed to me the importance of good Bible teaching in schools and I decided to leave my full-time job and spend two years learning how to do this better. I was already friends with Crossteach workers, so I'd heard great things and saw the opportunity to work for Crossteach in the area I'd grown up in as a real privilege.