Local Church IMPACT! – Sports Ministry And Community Impact tagged: ,

Local Church IMPACT! – Sports Ministry And Community Impact

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About seven years ago I drove past a moderate sized church in Shreveport and saw the sign, “Upward Basketball.” I had no idea what it was, so I did some research and found out it was a sports league designed to share the gospel with kids. My next thought was, “Hey, we have a gym, and we’re looking for ways to reach kids.” So, I went back and talked to the guys who played basketball on Friday nights. I asked them to think about this ministry. They said they would, and kept playing basketball.

Fast-forward about 4 1/2 years. A man in our church wanted some time to talk. He said he had a new ministry idea. I asked what. He said, “Upward Basketball.” I said, “You’re in charge.” There were several reasons to do it. Sports is king in this area, and we had a hard time penetrating the junior basketball and dixie league baseball programs. Parents were also very disenchanted with the attitude that pervaded those leagues: i.e., parents being arrested at games, coaches going ballistic. I wasn’t wild about investing in a “Christian” sports league, but the ability to share Christ and to show the love of Christ was too much to pass by.

Let me tell you about our community. 3,500 people in the largest town in the parish. 28,000 people in the most rurally dwelling parish in Louisiana. 35-40% black, 35-40% white, and 20-30% hispanic / native american. Almost 100% redneck (and I say that affectionately). Something about our church. 175 regular attenders. 130 in Sunday School. 100 in cell groups. AWANA program. Youth ministry. 50% under the age of 18. Transitioned traditional church. And, we’re usually broke.

We did our first Upward Basketball season. 90 kids played. We did Upward Soccer. 100 kids played. By the way, we had no soccer of any kind here. We did another basketball season and added cheer. 140 kids played or cheered. We’re now doing Upward Flag Football. 160 kids playing football. 50 kids cheering. At every practice, part of the gospel is shared. At every halftime, after the cheerleaders do their cheers, a testimony and the gospel is shared. Upward costs money. The kids pay for a kit from Upward that includes uniforms and devotional materials. We pay for everything else. We’ve received grants from a few businesses. Our gym is pretty run down, so we had to do fundraisers to buy a new scoreboard. We made our soccer goals out of PVC pipe. We play on the old junior high football field. We try to get other churches involved. We might pick up a coach or two from others.

First season, about 85% of the kids were churched. Second season about 80%. Third season about 70%. Now, for football, I’m guessing that about 40% of the kids are practically unchurched.

Is it worth it. Yes. It’s not a Christian sports league. It’s an 8 week evangelistic event. It’s hard. It’s time-consuming. We need more workers, and 190 kids and their families hear the gospel for 8 weeks.