The Mission Continues

“It starts with a ball.”

A single soccer ball was what started the creation of Sports Outreach over 30 years ago. When our founder, Russ Car, was visiting Uganda he threw a soccer ball in the middle of a field and began to play with the team he had brought. As the game progressed, more and more children from the community began to join in the game. It was then that he realized that sports could be used as a tool to gather people together and share the truth of the Gospel with them. That became the foundational mission of Sports Outreach and it continues to be carried out today.

In Kampala, Uganda, this mission has continued through the Good News Soccer team. They have been able to conduct trainings twice a week with an average of 13 staff and 6 volunteers and recently were able to host two outreach games playing against teams in other districts. The first outreach game was played at Bekiina village in Mityana district. The match ended 3-2 in favour of the Good News team and was watched by a great crowd of over 500 spectators. At the end of the game, 23 people gave their lives to Christ! The second outreach was at Kikaaya village in Wakiso district where the Good News team played two games winning both of them 1-0 with a crowd of around 200. The Gospel was later preached and four people gave their lives to Christ Jesus! That is 27 people in total! That is a great victory!

This is a great example of that core mission of Sports Outreach; to use sports as a way to gather people and Step On the field, to then Step Off the field and share truth with them! Stepping On the field gives coaches the opportunity to train children in physical, mental, and relational skills, while Stepping Off gives the coaches the opportunity to train the children up in truth, teaching them spiritual and emotional skills.

Please be in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Uganda as they continue to love, serve, and teach those in their own communities. As Coronavirus cases are spiking again in Uganda, we ask for prayers of safety and deliverance from the virus!

If you would like more information on the ministry in Kampala, Uganda, click here!