Prayer, Preach, Power
by Michael Masters, Cross Training Athletics
The vision statement of Cross Training Athletics (CTA) is to reach junior and senior high school coaches and athletes for Christ, and give them a chance to make an informed decision to be a born-again believer and a disciple of Jesus Christ.
In this season, as always, God is our very present help. So, CTA determined to stand on our own “PPP”: Prayer (Matthew 21:21), Preach the Gospel (Romans 1:16), and go in Power (II Timothy 1:7)! Every Friday throughout the summer CTA held a gathering for coaches we have a relationship with called “Quiet Strength.” The men were encouraged to use the book, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge, by Tony Dungy. Each week they shared highlights and were led in a Bible study by Coach Michael Masters.
This world is shaking as never before in our lifetime. However, this season is the perfect opportunity for God’s unshakable Kingdom to be revealed. One of the best ways for CTA to reach our community is through our camps. In light of this, we seized this opportunity to engage our community by hosting skill training camps. We sought out and secured a field for the camp. While we were in phase four, we could run individual-skills camps. The NYS Department of Health for Sports and Recreation allowed 50 athletes to participate per session. At the first camp, 14 brand new decisions for Jesus and 37 recommitments to Him were made. The campers were invited to a smaller discipleship group to encourage those who had made decisions to follow Jesus. This smaller group is aimed at discipleship and equipping them with God’s Word to share the Good News.
We are also very encouraged about a young man by the name of Tom. He was an eighth grader when he first came to our football camp four years ago. At that camp he asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Tom has not missed a camp since and recently transitioned from camper to volunteer worker. He serves as a leader in our After School Athletic Program (ASAP) events for 4th-6th graders. This past summer he took the challenge to attend our first session of Courageous Leader Academy. This is a discipleship program to develop student/athlete leaders. Tom is embracing and growing in the attributes of Christ—especially that of serving.
We will continue to look for opportunities to engage our community during these challenging days. Even though schools are limited in what they can offer, God is leading us in new ways to reach out to young people.
Cross Training Athletics is reaching Junior and Senior High School coaches and athletes for Christ, giving them a chance to make an informed decision to be a born-again believer and a disciple of Jesus Christ.
