The Upward Basketball and Cheerleading program at Community Baptist Church is designed primarily to teach children (k-6) skills, sportsmanship and how to have a positive attitude. The motto of our Upward program is: “Every Child is a Winner!” Everything we do is designed to make every child feel that he or she is a winner–not only in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of the adult coaches and leaders that are involved with them.
But our desire is not limited to the influence we can have on the children involved with Upward. We think it is just as important to give the adults involved with this program some inspiration and encouragement as well.
Below, you will find a word from Matthew North, who has been involved with his children in our Upward Program as a coach for many years. I will let his words speak for themselves. Suffice it to say, God uses this important program to draw both children and adults closer to him.
Tim Hobbs, Pastor
The Impact Upward Can Have on Your Life
I was asked to come today to give a testimony about the impact Upward can have. I’d like to share with you one of the stories that I know.
Rewind one season. School starts and just as every other year before the Upward brochure comes home. Normally this would not have been a big deal. You see the man in this story had been participating in Upward with his children for years. This year however, was different.
This year he had separated from his wife and was in the middle of a divorce. As difficult a time as that was for him, he did not want it to change the normal lives of his children. He went ahead and signed them up again.
Now divorce is a nightmarish thing. It causes a person to reevaluate everything they are and everything that they could be and wonder where it all went wrong.
In the middle of all this emotional torment the Upward season started.
In normal years he would coach his children’s teams. In the spirit of keeping everything as normal as possible he volunteered again.
Broken and shattered he would walk into practices. Putting on his best mask before he came in. The children he was coaching could never know what he was going through. As in every practice there would be a devotion. As the season went on something happened during that time.
This man was never a religious man. He was raised in a family that did not attend church. However as he would sit in devotion he would, for the first time in his life, pray. He had always been in the room for devotion. He had always heard the words spoken. Suddenly he was LISTENING. Suddenly everything clicked. He would pray for strength, guidance, and wisdom to get him through his trials with minimal damage to the lives of all the people around him.
As the season went on he found that the times spent in the church were the happiest moments of his weeks. The times between would be grueling and punishing, but if he could just make it to Thursday night he knew it would all be okay. The Upward atmosphere calmed him and gave him the strength to weather the storm that had become his life.
In the midst of all the chaos he had found calm. His budding faith continued to grow.
Seasons come and seasons go, and as they all do this one came to its end. As it closed he knew that he would be alright.
He had found a rock to base his life on. He had found God. During the awards ceremony, as happens every year, Pastor Tim stood and asked that any person who had asked Jesus to come into their lives that night should fill out the commitment card. He knew that he was the one that was being spoken to that night. He reached over and took a card, and officially asked Jesus to come into his life.
This story is special to me. You see this story is my own. And that is what Upward does. –Matthew North, A Dad, Community Baptist Member and Upward Basketball Coach