Our Blog

Spare Change - October 2019

This Upward season will be our 12th year of doing Upward Basketball & Cheer.  We have been so blessed as a church to offer this ministry.  My oldest child started Upward nine years ago.  It has been a huge blessing to our family and our church.  So as we begin another year of Upward, I wanted to reflect on why I love Upward so much.  I hope you are encouraged and will consider volunteering in this great ministry.

Upward is Gospel Focused
Upward, above all, is a gospel focused ministry.  The only reason we do Upward is so we can share the message about Jesus Christ.  We believe this is the only life-changing truth there is.  The gospel is our foundation and we want as many kids and parents as possible to hear about it.  We want our volunteers to both live it and share it throughout the Upward season.  There is a dedicated time that coaches send home a DVD for kids to watch.  It is a sports parable that shares the gospel as they watch.  Then coaches will follow up with their team. We have seen many kids come to Christ through Upward; even one of my own kids.

Relationship Focused
The Upward ministry also seeks to build relationships with our community.  Our hope is that people from the community will join our league.  It could be an invite from another family or a flyer they see in the community.  It could be a childcare family or from one of our other events. Whatever the case, we want to get to know as many people as possible.  Our volunteers love working together and have the best time serving.  Our coaches love connecting with families.  We have many families that have learned about our church through Upward Basketball. For us it's all about the people not a program!

Basketball & Cheer Skills Focused
Of course, this league is also about basketball and cheer skills.  I love that we get kids with all skill levels in our league.  We focus not on winning and losing, although there is some of that, but rather on learning skills.  It is great to see a kid that hasn’t played much get out there and score a basket or even learn to dribble up the court.  It is so much fun to see our cheer squads put together a half-time routine. They are so excited when they pull it off during the tournament. Kids that enter the league will learn and grow as players in sportsmanship, teamwork, and skills.

These are our three main focuses and three reasons why I love the Upward league.  My hope is that you will understand this so you can help us in this ministry.  First, we need prayer partners, please commit to pray for the kids coming to know Jesus and pray for our volunteers. Second, you can volunteer.  We need coaches, assistant coaches, scorekeepers, set-up, and concession stand volunteers.  If you want to volunteer please contact me (All volunteers must submit to a background check.) Thank you for supporting this ministry.

Student Ministry - October 2019

Dear Church Family,

The Fall season is officially here. While the days may still be hot, there is an unmistakable change in the weather evidenced by the cool nights, a slight change in the color of the leaves, and the decelerated growth of the lawn. Most people love the Fall. It is a time for friends and families to get out and enjoy the mild atmosphere that the season brings. What with football games, bonfires, hayrides, pumpkin picking, camping, and of course the Fall Festival, there is no shortage of ways for friends to spend time together.

Have you ever wondered why we like to do things with friends? Think about it. None of the fun activities we like to do during the Fall require a friend to go with you. In fact, that is not just true of Fall events, but most events throughout the year. We don’t necessarily NEED other people to enjoy a football game, or a bonfire, or the Fall Festival. So why are those things so much better when we are accompanied by our friends? Why is a hard job more manageable when your co-workers are more like friends? Why is a vacation with others better than one by yourself? Why do we spend time with others on the weekend instead of just spending it alone? Seriously, think about it. Why do we care so much about other people?

The answer is that we are created as relational beings… it’s just a part of our DNA. From a biblical perspective we know that friendship is the foundation of any true relationship (Ecclesiastes 4; John 15). For a marriage to be a good one, the spouses must be friends. To purposefully befriend each other is the only way for siblings to get along. For one to know God, he must call Jesus his Lord and Savior, yes; but he must also call Him his friend. True friends don’t just spend time together. They sacrifice for each other, forgive each other, give accountability to each other, share their struggles with each other, enjoy life with each other, reach out to each other, include each other, pray for each other, correct each other, and are patient with each other. Jesus is the perfect friend. Before we ever cared about Him, He did all these things to and for us. His ultimate act of friendship was exactly what He said it would be, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He was so committed to his broken, sinful, undeserving friends (that’s you and me too) that He died for them so that they could have life in Him. There is no better friend than Jesus. But all those who are friends with Jesus are becoming more like Him, even in the area of friendship.

All the things that friends do for each other can be done while at a football game, or roasting marshmallows around a campfire, or eating donut burgers at the Fall Fest. The question is, are we choosing to BE a friend, or do we just want others to be friends to us? Will we be like our best friend, Christ, or will we wait for others to reach out first. Be careful… you might end up waiting a long time. Thankfully Christ is always your friend, and He always reaches out to you first. My prayer is that we will be more like Him and intentionally pursue others the way He does!

Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren