Sunday, June 10, 2007

Weekly Article 3

COMPETING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

It matters less whether you win or lose, it matters more that Christian character is displayed during the game. That is the motto of the Metro Birmingham United Church Youth Basketball League, and every player learns it.

Put Christianity in competition and you create a form of evangelism, says Youth Pastor Greg Foust, of Huffman United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Foust and Rev. Robert Lewis, of the New Community United Methodist Church, have tried to do just that by forming a city wide United Methodist Church basketball league. The league that was started with five churches has grown in just four years to 15-20 churches, involving 150-200 boys.

"Competition is healthy to a degree," said Lewis. "The difference is we have to teach against winning at all costs…We have to teach people to play fair, to demonstrate Christian convictions even in the heat of battle."

"The most positive thing we are trying to do in a world of competition is put Christianity right smack in the middle of it," Foust says. "Our main intention is to create as strong a Christian atmosphere as we can for boys that don’t have the opportunity to play in a varsity league."

"Our philosophy is that if we can get one young man per church to change his direction spiritually, then it is worth it," said Foust. "The church is hungry for young men to become leaders." The pastor was quick to add that the same is true of young women. (Efforts to start a similar girls'' league did not generate enough response.)

What’s working in Birmingham is a combination of Scripture (Galatians 5:22), "the motto," grade-level and church-attendance requirements for players, and a pre-game prayer that includes everyone in the gym. Inappropriate behavior, language, or gestures result in fouls. All the players who attend a game get a chance to play; and, churches are not supposed to recruit "ringers."

"We take the approach that competition is a natural feeling and desire of young men," Foust said. "It is natural for young people to want to achieve, to do their best, to be a star. Churches shouldn’t hide from that," he said, "they should use it to teach young people how to live Christian in this competitive society."

Written by Karen Mevis (YouthNet, 1996)