It’s about a lot more than soccer

For six of the past seven years, Foundation Lutheran Church has been holding a soccer camp each summer on the school grounds where we hold our worship services. Soccer camps are not new. Soccer camps as outreach opportunities are not new.

Our goals are much bigger than soccer. This year, we hit our camp capacity of 60 kids, had over 30 (all local) volunteers, had three days of great weather, filled 1500+ water balloons, and so much more. Our camp teaches soccer skills, but also basic athletic movements, teamwork, sportsmanship, and – most importantly – Jesus. We want every kid to leave every day with the simple truth that God loves them and Jesus saved them.

After six years, we have parents who sign their kids up as soon as registration opens. We have excited and eager kids for our camp. But we don’t want the opportunity with those families to end when camp ends, especially since on average 25% of the families that come don’t have a church home. We want to get to know them and share with them the Good News of a Savior who loves them. That’s why we bribe them with ice cream!

Our last camp session ends on Wednesday morning, but we invite all of the parents to come back with their kids that evening. The kids showcase some skills they learned, play a couple of short games, and then head into the school gym for ice cream. We show our soccer camp video with highlights from the week and encourage parents to watch it and share it from our YouTube page (@foundationlutheranchurch). We sing a song for the parents that we learned at camp. And – most importantly – we share the reason for all that we do: Jesus. We want the parents to hear the Good News that their kids heard that week. We want them to know that God loves them, that Jesus saved them, that there is no baggage too heavy for their Savior to shoulder and no pit he can’t rescue them from. We want to send the kids home singing a song about God’s love for them. We invite them to come back any Sunday.

This year, over 150 kids, parents, grandparents and siblings packed the gym for our “closing ceremony” and ice cream. More than 20 Foundation members came to serve ice cream, mingle with the families, get to know them, and invite them to learn more about Jesus with us. We don’t want the opportunity to end just because soccer camp ended.

Last year, one family came to worship the following Sunday. A few weeks later, the mom invited a friend to come with her. Two months later, they both went through classes to become members. From this one connection, three girls were baptized. God-willing, two of those girls will start Confirmation classes this fall to continue to grow in faith.

That is why we mingle and meet, why we intentionalize inviting these families for a next step.

Because this is about a lot more than soccer.

Written by Rev. Steven Prahl, home missionary at Foundation Lutheran Church in Peyton, Colo.

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