First Baptist Church of Mountain Home, Arkansas,
www.myfbcmh.com has a very successful winter sports program called Soul Sneakers, that had its final competitions for the season on Saturday, February 22, 2014. The activies were held in the gymnasium section of the church's Christian Life Center (CLC).
The program spanned a time period from November through February, and was designed for boys and girls ages 4 - 12 .
Parents
and grandparents are able to watch their children's games from bleachers located at both ends of the basketball courts.
Volunteers experienced at working with youth athletics direct the program.
Kitchen volunteers in this photo, are scrubbing potatoes to make a delicious and nutritious snack available for purchase at the Concession Stand.
These volunteers show there are also sweet treats available for purchase, as well as pizza from a local restaurant. Money earned from the concessions goes toward providing scholarships for youth to participate in the program, who would not be able to do so otherwise.
These greeters/volunteers at the reception desk were busy filling balloons with helium, giving the CLC a very festive atmosphere!
A professional photographer worked with the program to provide quality prints of the athletes in their uniforms.
There
are plenty of activities for children to participate in at the recreation area of the CLC, as they wait for their game time to come.
The recreation area is also a good place for siblings of the players to meet their friends and "hang out" during the games.
The front part of the CLC has vending machines, tables, and chairs where the grown-ups like to congregate.
Several local businesses provided items that were used for door prize drawings for those attending.
In addition, the local Chili's Restaurant gave a percentage of their sales on February 23 to patrons who presented this Soul Sneakers coupon.
FBC Pastor Tad Rogers, shown in the tan jacket, gave devotionals at half time to the athletes and guests in attendance. Also, the athletes have a memory verse from the Bible that they study all week long.
Professional radio man, Dale Hoffman, did a great job with the announcements, game commentary, and music selection, for each Saturday that the events took place.
This handsome young man is showing the Soul Sneakers Medal he received on the final Saturday, as well as an example of what the basketball jerseys looked like.
Participants could also register for this white and pink bicycle that was given away at the end of the series.
Likewise, this black bicycle was presented to a lucky youth participant at the end of the Soul Sneakers series.
This folder was given to each child who participated in the 2014 Awards Celebration.
This photo shows a close-up of the Soul Sneakers award medal. The white center section pivots to show the name of the athlete, their team, and date, on the other side. I am using this as the visual aid for one of the memory verses for a different (grown-up) program I am in at FBC, called First Place 4 Health (
www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) . It says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7). Activities offered at First Baptist Church in Mountain Home will help adults and children do both of those things! Next month, NFL Flag Football will start on the football fields at First Baptist Church, for ages 4-15. It emphasizes Christian values, sportsmanship, player/coach development for all skill sets---every player receives an award. For information on this and all the many exciting things going on at First Baptist Church, you can phone the church office at 870-425-6961. This is a place that will give you "Miles of Smiles"!! Tricia
