August 2024
Church connect
STORIES – ENCOURAGEMENT – FREE RESOURCES
Church Connect is a newsletter for church leaders involved in SR&F ministry
What Can You Expect?
CEDE SPORTS comes alongside Sports, Rec, and Fitness (SR&F) Leaders in Local Churches to provide strategic insight, focused vision, clarity of next steps, and mobilization into effective action. In this newsletter, we give a glimpse into how God is using this partnership to grow SR&F ministry. We share free resources and materials for ministry development and evaluation, leadership training, as well as personal testimony to God's work in this ministry.
COnnection + Collaboration
CEDE SPORTS works to creatively connect SR&F leaders in Local Churches with other like-minded leaders for mutual support, encouragement, and sharing of ideas and resources. These efforts include the REACHgathering and the SRF Community App. We highlight these efforts and events in our newsletter so you don't miss out!
August 2024
Resource Highlight:
The Ultimate Question
Our motivation for coaching is the most important question we can ask ourselves. Our motivation for coaching will determine how we coach and how we react to winning and losing. Most people have never evaluated why they would consider coaching. Is it for my child? Is it because there is a need? Is it for the love of the game? Is it just for the fun of it? In this video,
Bob Schindler outlines many of the typical answers. He gives the most compelling answer to the ultimate question that integrates all of what coaches do.
THE WHAT:
- The Ultimate Question video is great for coaches training or for embedding on your website for coaches to watch when they can.
- This resource is a proven tool to help you understand their motivation for coaching.
- Having everyone in the ministry watch this video provides a “shared vocabulary.” It provides the groundwork for unity of purpose and bypasses many “train-wrecks” of mixed motives.
Training VIDEO
THE HOW:
- Watch the video first with the aid of our handout linked below and digest what impact the content has on you personally.
- Share it with someone you trust and get their feedback.
- Gather your leadership team and have them view and discuss the ramifications of this content.
- Make it available in advance for your next development coaches meeting and have them discuss the discussion questions on the handout.
- Use this handout for added discussion
- Consider becoming a partner church and working with a CEDE Sports mentor, click here for more info or contact: Ken Cross (980) 333-1670, Jeff Fox (704) 941-8397, Jenny Young (704) 942- 1403
August 2024
Sports, Rec, & Fitness
Stories
Connie Heone, Director for XCEL Sports Ministry and Carly Pfeifer, XCEL Sports Program Supervisor at Appleton Alliance Church in WI, have been mentored by CEDE SPORTS COACHING for almost 2 years. Their ministry has gone through many changes and transitions over the years and they have been no stranger to conflict. When CEDE SPORTS announced a webinar on “How to Handle Conflict,” the leaders knew it would be worth their time to attend. As they atteneded the webinar, they made a connection to a current scenerio that could be better handled with the tools they acquired from the webinar.
A young adult was attending the facilities for over a year. He made great friendships with the staff and the facilities had become a home away from home. However, overtime, there were 3 instances that required a conversation with him to discuss inappropriate behavior and expectations with staff and facilities. During the time of the webinar, the leaders felt in the middle of conflict and took to heart these takeaways: Conflict is an opportunity for redemption. God will use it to transform us and to glorify Himself. The leaders trusted God to work and leaned into the process.
Because of the conflict workshop put on by CEDE SPORTS, they were given the right tools to be able to confidently handle the situation. The redemption plan served them and their members, ultimately leaving the door open to speak truth into this member’s life in love. God has been at work in this story every step of the way and it is evident the ways that He is able to take something challenging and make it glorifying and honoring to Him.
August 2024
SR&F APP
We created the SR&F app to enhance the connectivity of Sports, Recreation, & Fitness ministry leaders in local churches in the US and around the world. Ministry leaders most commonly use the app to ask questions, share personal testimonies, exchange resources, network among churches, and encourage one another through prayer and scripture.
Not a member on the app? Scan the barcode and Join the community to get access
How does an SR&F leader benefit from using this app?
- Community Group Chat provides a space for interaction, feedback, and encouragement from other SRF leaders around the globe
- Access to resources from CEDE SPORTS and other seasoned leaders help equip, train, and establish SRF leaders in their ministry.
- This secure and specialized platform enables SRF leaders to share upcoming information with coaches, volunteers, and participants in their sports ministry.
RECENT CEDE SPORTS WEBINAR
CEDE SPORTS recently hosted a webinar taught by ML Woodruff called Handling Conflict among Volunteers, Coaches and Parents. Conflict is a part of life whether we care to admit it or not!
In the webinar, Woodruff shared about how conflict is a part of life, how to see conflict as an opportunity to embrace, and the transformation of the gospel both in and through all involved in the conflict from a gospel-centered approach. This could be a great resource to you in SR&F ministry. Click the video for the full webinar!
August 2024
Upcoming webinars
We are looking for YOUR FEEDBACK for upcoming webinars! What topics would be most helpful to you and your ministry? Fill out the Webinar Feedback Form by clicking here.
To stay up to date with webinars, go to the events section in the SR&F app to find them listed with dates and times.
Scan the QR code to download the app. We hope you’ll join us!
STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Don Weyrick
Don lives just outside Philadelphia, PA, with his wife of 17 years. Before moving there, he spent all his life in southern California. In California, he founded Playing 4 Eternity Sports Ministry, a ministry for higher level adult men and women basketball players. With CEDE SPORTS, Don focuses on recruiting local churches and sports chaplains to CEDE’s coaching, connecting, and resourcing.
A current JOY of his is the connections God helped him and his wife make since moving, The connections could only be formed by God. Another JOY is seeing his God-kids grow up and getting to FaceTime them!
New CHURCH PARTNERSHIPS
Discovery Church–Orlando, FL
Javier Sola
Cool Springs Baptist Church–Mechanicsville, VA
Shane Standlick, Director of Recreation and Fitness
Lebanon Baptist Church–Greensboro, NC
Kyle Oakley, Recreation Director
Lawndale Baptist Church–Greensboro, NC
Hannah Blackmore, Sports Director
August 2024
SNAPSHOTS
Jenny Young along
with other CEDE
SPORTS staff and sports
ministry leaders
traveled to Columbus,
Ohio to plan for REACH
gathering 2025. Please
pray that God would
give wisdom and favor
during the planning to
serve and support all
who gather next year.
A great start to the
Upward Fall Soccer
season at
Cornerstone Christian
Church in
Brownsburg Indiana,
a church coached by
CEDE SPORTS staff.
Pray that God would
work in the hearts of
players, coaches,
volunteers, and
families.
A CEDE SPORTS coached church, Cypress Baptist in Benton, LA kicked off their summer Adult Flag Football league. There are 17 teams, and only 4 or 5 of them attend their church. Please pray for the coaches, athletes, and their families!
A CEDE SPORTS Coached Church, Cornerstone Christian, shared about how they have been encouraged through coaching to integrate more of Sport Life Truth into their Upward Soccer program. They will give these hats to coaches to remind them that being a Christ Followers isn't segmented or compartmentalized. It permeates everything we do.
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LIKE WHAT YOU'VE READ?
Please reply with any encouragements or share with a friend who might be interested in hearing more about our ministry. We are deeply grateful for your support and we look forward to what God will accomplish in the coming months!
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