What can a ball do? A ball can be a bridge. A ball can break language and cultural barriers. A ball can do a lot.
The team has been going to Czech Republic for a number of years now, but not until 2012 did the annual trip utilize soccer and a soccer camp to reach out to children and the young people in the community of Pisek. From June 28- July 5, a team of 8 people – featuring six players and two coaches will travel as part of a larger team from Cherry Hills Community Church (CHCC) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado to their partner church Elim Evangelical Church (EEC) to host soccer camps which are designed to give children an opportunity to start building a foundation with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Czech Republic “has one of the least religious populations in the world, being the country with the third most atheistic population by percentage, behind only China and Japan” according to Wikipedia. The lack of belief in God (see Wikipedia link above) has left many youth searching and wanting for “something more,” that can not be found in freedom, electronics, or anything besides God’s love which is the main focus in the partnership between Cherry Hills and Elim.
One of the primary ways both churches help bring attention to God’s love is through relational ministry which now includes the soccer camp outreach. 2015 marks the fourth time that Cherry Hills has reached out to CrossTraining’s Timothy Project for support. In past years, CrossTraining has provided balls, pinnies (jerseys), and cones. This year, Cherry Hills’ specific request was for indoor soccer balls (futsal) to help with the indoor portions of the soccer camp.
Greg Hubbard (center) has been building relationships for years with the young men around Pisek through soccer.
As the soccer camps continue to grow each year, a base and foundation for relationships within the community mean more and more opportunities to share about God’s great love. Cherry Hills Czech Republic Team Leader, Greg Hubbard, says that the soccer group has seen a lot of young people give their life to Christ, in the past few years that Cherry Hills has used soccer in the community.
Both churches ask for prayers – especially that the camps will be successful and that team members will have safe travel to Czech Republic and within country. The deadline for helping the camps is June 30th.
You can make a contribution to the Czech Republic team. Please note (Timothy Project: Czech Republic 2015) in your online donation. Use the Donate Now link to make a secure PayPal donation. Your financial gift will help pay for the cost of the new soccer balls for the team.
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– Isabella Burton, CrossTraining Intern, contributed to this story
