A SOCCER TEAM AT A CHURCH?

On a bright Sunday morning I walked into a church in Borel, in the Artibonite Valley and what did I find? Eighty boys and girls in soccer uniforms sitting quietly in the pews being encouraged in spiritual things by local community leaders and church leaders.

I had gotten up at 5 AM to drive the 2 and ½ hours from Port-au-Prince to Borel with two of my other leaders-in-training: Ronald William who is on the AIS Haiti board, and Lucasse Henrilus, a former Lemuel player who works in the AIS office and helps me out when I travel. We arrived just as the service was starting.

The president of AIS Haiti's local committee, Wattnec Milfort is also an elder in this church and started a community soccer school as a way of reaching kids in the area with the Gospel. He has been coaching kids for a long time and two of his players have played on Haiti's national teams. His team was in the final of a soccer tournament he had organized that afternoon, and he wanted the church to encourage his players emotionally and spiritually before the game. And did they ever!

Some of the youth sang a song they wrote that said: “Jesus is happy when we pray. His grace is sufficient. Depend on Jesus. Be strong and of good courage.” Another song had a verse that said “Run straight towards the goal”.

I was asked to say a few words and used 1 Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink of whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” to encourage them to play for God's glory that afternoon. I also shared with them a dream I have of Haiti someday sending some soccer players to Senegal to help the youth of Senegal come to know Jesus through soccer outreaches.

Wattnec's younger brother gave the sermon appropriately based on 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, in purity.” He used the example of Maradonna, the famous Argentinian player who got in trouble with drugs to show how we can either be a good example or a bad example to others.

The team must have taken the good counsel to heart because they played well and did not let their emotions get the best of them, even when they lost in a penalty shoot-out. Sometimes we learn more spiritually when we lose than when we win!

But in the end, God was glorified because 17 people indicated they trusted Christ through the evangelism that was done at half-time of the match!!