From March 10–12, Sports Reach partnered with the Lord’s Gym in Cincinnati to host a three-day evening soccer camp for kids ages 6 to 13. Most of the kids were registering for the upcoming soccer season, so this camp gave them a chance to get some early playing time, meet the Lord’s Gym coaches, and connect with other kids.
Sports Reach brought in coaches to lead skills training, share testimonies, and present the Gospel. Coaches from the Lord’s Gym also assisted, which was a huge blessing since our own coaching team numbers varied from day to day. At the end of the camp, we gave every child a soccer ball and offered Bibles to those who wanted one—30 were taken, including 9 in Spanish, as many of the families spoke Spanish at home.
The Lord’s Gym provided shin guards and a hot dog dinner for the kids and their families. In total, around 95 kids attended the camp at least one day, with our highest turnout being 83 kids in a single evening. We couldn’t have asked for better weather!
From the Sports Reach side, we had 10 coaches participate across the three days. Personally, I was grateful to bring my two boys each day. They had a blast meeting the other kids and coaches and helping me with setup and teardown. It was a great opportunity for them to see what I do—both locally and around the world.
Also during this week, I had the privilege of hosting two sports ministry leaders from the North American Sports Movement: Roman from Houston and Rance from Albuquerque. They arrived early to help with the soccer camp on Tuesday and had the opportunity to meet with the Lord’s Gym staff, the FC Cincinnati Chaplain, and the Cincinnati Reds’ Spanish Chaplain. Roman, who runs a soccer ministry in Houston, led skills training and shared his testimony, while Rance spent time learning about the local ministries and how the Sports Movement might support them.
The next day, I took Roman and Rance to Prasco to visit the Spikes and Angels programs and tour the facilities—potentially for future events or meetings. I also introduced them to Luke 5 Adventures, a hiking ministry that helps individuals with physical limitations experience the outdoors. Since Rance is also involved in an adventure-based ministry, this meeting was especially meaningful and went beyond just Sports Movement connections.
The final two days of the week, I attended regional meetings in Xenia, Ohio, with 20 other sports ministry leaders from across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. It was a powerful time of vision casting and connection, and a great opportunity to grow closer with leaders I had first met at last year’s gathering in California.
