Bio
Our Story
CrossConnect Ministries is a nonprofit organization developed out of the teaching of Jackie Oesch and her awareness that many people, have little knowledge of the Bible stories that are essential for maturing their Christian faith. She was especially motivated by young people who stated they wanted to teach their children about the Bible but knew little if anything themselves about what is in the Bible.
Jackie set forth over a span of five years to write curriculum that focuses on major stories of the Old and New Testaments. As these studies were being developed the early units were tested by individuals and by small groups in congregations in the U.S. However, through personal contacts in China, Korea and several African countries it became clear that the need for such studies was significant in countries whose indigenous languages were not in English; therefore, the process of getting them translated began. To date many units have been translated and are available in over 20 languages including Farsi, Arabic, Spanish, and Hindi. Each translation done by natives to the language groups, allowing cultural expressions to be incorporated into the materials.
Jackie Oesch
President & Author
Currently Jackie serves as the president of CrossConnect Ministries. Jackie’s hope and joy have come through a growing relationship with Jesus. She treasures the stories, application and insights discovered in the Bible. Jackie has facilitated Bible study groups, women’s retreats, and ministered with pastors’ wives through the Pastoral Leadership Institute. Her ministry includes her husband Norb, her four grown children, their spouses, and eleven grandchildren with two more coming soon.
Norbert Oesch
CEO
The Reverend Doctor Norbert C Oesch served as lead pastor in San Antonio, Texas, Bakersfield, California, and Orange, California. In 1998 he became the founding executive leader of the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI), a leadership training program for pastors and their wives dedicated to nurturing missional leaders. Beginning in 2006 he expanded the ministry of PLI internationally, now training pastors and leaders in sixteen countries worldwide with over 1500 leaders engaged.
In addition to his teaching leadership principles through PLI International he has held leadership positions on many local, district and national levels. His visionary skills help form local and international ministries, namely, and currently serves as CEO of CrossConnect Ministries, an International ministry that focuses on Bible studies that teach Bible stories.
He graduated from Concordia Senior College in Ft. Wayne, Indiana with a B.A, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, Missouri with a Masters in Divinity, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, California with a Doctorate of Ministry degree. He is married to Jackie, a writer of Biblical bible studies. They have four grown children and eleven grandchildren. They reside in Tustin, California.
Sara Manalac
International Coordinator
Sara received her bachelor degrees from University of California, Davis in both biology and Spanish before the Lord called her into the teaching field. Finishing her teachers’ credential and Masters of Education from Concordia University, Irvine, Sara began teaching high school students in the Southern California area. It is here that her love for serving God’s people around the world began. Teaming up her love for teaching to her love of photography, she traveled from the fields of Malawi to the heart of India.
In 2008, she joined Pastoral Leadership Institute International as a teacher to the pastors’ wives of Ethiopia. Now, a stay-at-home mom with her two boys, baby due Oct 2018 and husband, Norm, Sara joins the CrossConnect staff as the international liaison encouraging and equipping partners and translators around the world to be able to further God’s kingdom by bringing these Bible studies to all who need to hear the life-saving power of salvation through Jesus Christ.