Another Ministry Opportunity

God has opened a door of opportunity for our church to take the Gospel to children and their families in a way we have never done before.

Upward Sports Ministry was begun at a local church in Spartanburg, SC over 20 years ago and by 2003 had spread to over 1,000 churches around the country. (see www.upward.org) Upward offers Basketball, Cheerleading, Soccer and Flag Football for boys and girls from kindergarten to sixth grade. It is a Christ Centered ministry that stresses the value of each child. The children learn the rules of the game and the concepts of teamwork and sportsmanship. Emphasis is not on winning, but on equal participation and sharing the Gospel of Christ with young people and their parents.

Upward incorporates all of the good aspects of youth sports programs under a Christian framework. Each team will practice once per week. Game day is Saturday and each team will play one game per week. Unlike secular programs, practice and games NEVER conflict with church services. All coaches and officials are Christians. A Christlike attitude prevails in each practice and game. Poor behavior will not be tolerated on the part of anyone involved or any spectators.

There are no "try outs". Every child plays. Evaluations are held and a computer program evenly distributes the children to the various teams based on the talent and skill levels of the players. Children will share starting honors and every child will play in every game. Each game begins with prayer. The kids hear a Gospel presentation at every practice and on game day. Furthermore, all those in attendance will hear the testimony of the life changing power of Christ at half time of each game. The season lasts for 8 weeks and there is an awards celebration at the end of the regular season. Our plans at this point are to offer Upward Basketball, Cheerleading, and Soccer. Our initial basketball season will be done in conjunction with "Upward of Huntington", which is presently made up of four other churches in east Huntington.

How important is it to us to reach children? Jesus seemed to think it was very important. Consider Mark 10:13-16, "Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him. When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, "Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God. I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does." Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them." (CEV)

We will be enlisting the help of nearly every church member for this ministry, and EVERY member can help. Some can help with coaching, officiating, concessions, logistics, devotions, publicity, evaluations, scholarships, etc. All of us can pray. We are seeking 100 willing members to form an intercessory prayer team. We have ten "prayer captains" on board and, after the first public appeal on Sunday night, over thirty of our members have volunteered to serve on the prayer team! Prayer is something even homebound members can do to support this important ministry.

Upward will bring us a new vehicle to impact our community for Christ. My prayer is that every member will catch the vision.