November 2021 - A Look Around Sports Outreach
Hello again!
A few weeks ago, we looked back at the history of Sports Outreach and learned that the original vision of sharing the Gospel through sports ministry is still being carried out today in our various ministry sites. This month we’ll look around the world of Sports Outreach through the lens of the Stepping “On the Field” and “Off the Field” model, a model which outlines what takes place when people begin to see God’ s love expressed to them through those they meet from Sports Outreach.
ON THE FIELD
TRAIN
Coaches initially “step on the field,” or in some cases “up to the chess board” or “onto the court,” to reach out to interested youth in the community or students attending local schools. They set up skills trainings, clinics, or matches with other teams in the area, to provide meaningful ways for people to learn a sport. As participation continues, the coaches get to know those they are working with and t rusting relationships develop. At left, local youth take part in a “friendly” soccer match at the Koro Farm near Gulu, Uganda.
TRUST
Building t rust on the field can be as diverse as Sports Outreach staff members themselves. I t can happen as Muan Haulai facilitates an opportunity for children to come learn the game of chess in the Manipur State in India (at right), or it can look like Dan Narvaez interacting with youth during a baseball clinic in the U. S. (also at right). Once t rusting relationships are established, the t ruth of the Gospel can be shared with those eager to hear.
TRUTH
For team members working with Sports Outreach, when you talk about t ruth, it always means sharing the Gospel story or other principles from God’ s Word. The Gospel is often shared during halftimes of outreach soccer matches, after a chess tournament or sporting event, or at a community Vacation Bible School (VBS). This past September the Sports Outreach team in Kenya hosted a VBS in both the Mukuru and Kibera slums in Nairobi, with 250 children able to attend.
OFF THE FIELD
DEEPEN
As relationships develop, Sports Outreach staffmembers step “off the field” to go deeper into peoples’ lives through mentoring and home visits, or by meeting practical needs such as providing food, medical care, or education scholarships. Here, children in Nairobi, Kenya receive a meal as part of our daily feeding program nourishes over 2,,000 children!
DISCIPLE
Discipleship is a key component in bringing people who are young Christian believers to a place where they can share biblical principles with others in their spheres of influence. Staff members work in small group Bible studies or meet one- on-one with people who have a hunger to grow in the ways of the Lord. It is so exhilarating to see a former sports trainee come to asaving knowledge of Jesus Christ and continue to learn how to walk the Christian life and want to share what they’ve learned with others. Derrick Mirembe (standing in photo at the Sports Outreach Resource Center), who joined the SOM Chess Academy in Kampala, Uganda in 2013, recently received a Mechanical Engineering degree and now helps conduct computer classes at the chess center.
DEPLOY
The final part of the mission of Sports Outreach is to deploy (by definition, to come into a position ready for use) committed Christian leaders who will be able to use sports ministry, share the Gospel, and have a heart to alleviate human suffering. The larger Sports Outreach community is rife with Christian leaders who have been “deployed.” One such person is Fatima Martell (standing in picture to the right) who began learning English as a Second Language from the Sports Outreach team in El Salvador and is now teaching handicrafts to children each Saturday morning as a way to share her love for the Lord and pour into the next generation.
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We hope this letter has shown how the many facets of the mission of Sports Outreach f i t into this proven model of sports ministry. As we look around at the many ways people' s lives are transformed, we give thanks for all that God has done and for the special part you have played. Next month we’ll look ahead to future plans for ministry, as Sports Outreach continues to “go into all the world.” In the meantime, please consider how you may want to help Sports Outreach carry on the v i s ion of a brighter future for generations to come.
Serving Together,
The Sports Outreach Team