A few months back now, as things were just getting started officially with the church, we were also signing our girls up for soccer.
I called up Norwest to get some details and they asked if I was part of a business or organization interested in sponsoring a team. I told them I was part of a church that didn't really exist yet, but that I'd be very interested in sponsoring if that would be OK.
After a moment of thought I was told there should be no problem.
So, it ended up that we sponsored both of my girl's teams, and I even helped coach Eden's team!
I hadn't played soccer since a few practices with a YMCA club when I was a child. It would be an understatement to say I didn't know much about the game. But the other coaches had experience, and I had fun learning. We made some great new friends and, I think, made a great impression on the league and broader community. By the end of the season we had earned the right to give all the players a parting gift (water bottles and some candy, of course), and an invitation to the new church.
Two things shocked me- one, that we've come to the place where we have to pause and consider if it would "appropriate" for a church to sponsor a community soccer team. And two, that we were the only church sponsoring teams. When did we get to the place where churches make their own sports leagues and only play other churches? Why is it so "unusual" that a church wants to be a part of what the community is already doing?
I'm not going to knock church leagues- I'm sure players have tons of fun and people invite many friends. But in my mind, and in what I want our church to be about, we'll stick with the community. It is, after all, a part of our name. And central to our mission is connecting in ways like this.
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