Blessing Families & Training Missionaries Through Kids' Sports Camps
Reposted from the Anglican Diocese in New England website. Original blog post written by Rev. Dan Wolf and posted on December 8, 2021.
In their first year of planting Rise Church in Portland, the Rev. Dan and Carrie Wolf were asking a simple question, “God, how can we bless and serve our neighbors?” The Wolfs have two young children (Coen, age 4, and Gemma, age 2), and as they met other young families in their neighborhood and at local playgrounds, their hearts were struck by the toll that the pandemic was taking on both parents and children. As they talked with parents, they heard stories of juggling working at home with parenting. And many parents had little or no community to lean on, leaving marriages strained. For the kids, the pandemic had shut down many of the structured spaces for children to learn and grow, resulting in under-socialization. Meanwhile, their apartment faced a number of sports fields in the center of their neighborhood that were mainly left empty with no organized sports. One of the only activities they noted on the fields were a few parents who would come to kick the soccer ball with their child. So they began to pray and discern if God might be calling them to run a local sports camp for kids over the summer to serve and connect with parents and give kids a positive way to learn basic skills while meeting friends.
From this initial prayer, God began to reveal one step after another. Partner churches from Florida reached out about sending up mission teams in the summer. They agreed to send two teams for the July and August camps to serve as camp counselors and invest relationally in each child. Dan connected with the local FCA leader who offered to partner to provide local Portland high school and college coaches to provide hands-on coaching drills. And they were able to rent the fields behind their apartment for both weeks of camp.
Each day of camp started with registration and a coffee tent sponsored by Rwanda Bean to connect with parents. The counselors led warmups with the kids and then rotated age-specific groups to learn and play different sports (soccer, basketball, and volleyball) taught by the coaches. In the middle of the morning, the counselors led a devotion and discussion on Biblical truths as they relate to sports (servant leadership, sacrifice, teamwork, etc) followed by sharing their own personal testimonies related to the topic. Throughout the week, they saw kids loosen up, make new friends, learn lots of new skills, encourage each other, and even begin to pray for the first time. One child, whose parents were going through a divorce, learned that he could talk to God and folded his hands together and closed his eyes, and prayed, “God, I need help.”
They heard from parents about how they were able to rest, meet other families, and one couple even took the time off from parenting to go to marriage counseling. The second week doubled in size as parents shared about the camp with their friends. And at the end of each week, Rise hosted a BBQ on the fields for the whole family to share a meal, hear personal words of affirmation from their kids’ counselor, receive a Bible and T-shirt, watch the week’s highlight video, and view a trailer video for Alpha and receive an invitation to the Alpha kick off in September. At the end of the last BBQ, the parents and kids lingered an hour past the end time just to soak up the new community they had experienced. See the highlight videos below to get an idea of each week.
On top of this, the mission teams from Florida experienced God and mission in new ways. They were immersed for the first time in the unique Gospel needs and opportunities of post-Christian New England. One team member said, “I couldn’t believe how many of the kids had no concept at all about who Jesus is or what Christianity is about.” Concurrently, the teams experienced the presence and power of God as they joined him on mission. One participant said, “I keep reflecting on how God is so perfect, and His hand was in EVERY detail of our trip. His goodness is overwhelming.”
Rise Church is excited about next summer’s Sports Camp and that some of last year’s families are pre-registered already.
If you know anyone in the Portland area who may be looking for community, feel free to reach out to Dan Wolf at riseportland.church. And if you have a heart for Portland and are interested in praying or partnering with us, click here.
Dan Wolf has been married to the love of his life and best friend Carrie for 11 years. They cherish many adventures with their 4-year-old son, Coen, and 2-year-old daughter, Imogen. Dan studied philosophy at University of South Carolina and received his Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has been a youth pastor for 7 years in Columbia, SC and the associate pastor of an Anglican church in Jacksonville, FL for 6 years. Recently, God laid it on Dan’s and Carrie’s hearts to start a new Anglican church, Rise Church Portland. Dan is passionate about Gospel identity and walking alongside others as they discover the adventure of following Jesus on mission. He loves good beer, coffee, and conversations. In his free time he enjoys hiking, training for Spartan races, and exploring islands in their old Whaler on the Maine Coast.