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.
Bryan R. Gotcher 