Upward Bound

In about an hour I will be heading to Upward Unlimited to meet with other Recreation Ministers and the development team of Upward Unlimited (former Cool Spring Rec Minister Doug Grote).

I am excited about meeting with this group of people because we will be talking about how to continue our development of Upward in our communities. Meeting with others is a great way for us to share and brainstorm where we are in the development of our leagues and where we want to be in the next few years. We have had continual growth, but we also face challenges and its in these settings that we can talk about them and discover new approaches to become better.

We have been blessed over the years with great volunteer directors, players, and their families. And we have become a part of the Hanover community. I look forward to seeing us strengthen our leagues and move forward in our future.

FYI - Sign Up Now for Upward Basketball and Cheerleading at www.upwardhanover.org. We also have a NEW CHALLENGER DIVISION for basketball ages 6-13.

Facility Impressions

Every facility makes an impression. That impression comes from the facility itself or people. First impressions are important.

We are constantly striving to make sure our equipment, restrooms, exercise rooms, and track are up to date in terms of safety and appearance. Not only do we have to abide by certain codes, but we have to provide our people with a quality experience. Choosing a facility to use will depend on the cleanliness of it and the quality of it. Although there are many pieces of equipment I would love to have as an upgrade, we have been fortunate to have purchased quality commercial equipment that has lasted. When people see you have invested in them, they in turn will invest back in you. And that allows us to accomplish our mission of connecting with them.

The most important impression you will make on your guests is through your people. The people who work your facility are vital in determining if you will keep your guests. There are several options regarding the people who work the facility: volunteers, part time, interns, and paid staff. We are a volunteer run facility that provides staffing every three hours from 5:30 am - 9 pm. We have been blessed to have people who love connecting with our community and serving in a passion. We take it seriously that our volunteers stay equipped in the area of first impressions. They know that the interaction they have with our guests creates an impact. And we want that impact to be personal and relational. When your staff knows your mission and purpose - the reason why you have a facility - then you enable them to serve those coming to workout, play games, or hang out.

Remember an impression last, and it only takes a moment for one to be formed.

Functional Space

Part of facility management is ensuring proper spacing for those using the facility. And of course, the more room options you have, or don't have, the more adjusting / planning you have to do. Depending on the number of people you service and at what times they prefer to workout can determine your set up and options.

With the current size of our weight room facility and the number of people using it, we are making some adjustments. We will be moving our cardio machines (treadmills, bikes, etc) to the fitness/aerobic space upstairs. This will allow us to not only promote cardio workout in one area, but it will enable us to service our guests better.

Providing a functional facility creates a welcoming and safe environment. And that is part of facility planning.

Pre- D

Every facility has to have standards and expectations. Standards and expectations help us communicate to those using the facility what kind of environment and atmosphere we want to create. From welcoming guests to facility hours / limitations and attitudes and actions.

Part of establishing standards and expectations allows for you to invest in peoples lives. Whether people say it or not, people want and need direction. It is a great way to clearly communicate and teach a pre-discipleship process. Many who use our facility are struggling with life issues surrounding authority and responsibility. By providing and expecting adherence to our facility guidelines is a great way to help them develop in each of these areas. However, it is important to remember that our goal is not to create a culture of people who simply respond to our restrictions, but rather have a change of heart in regard to authority, responsibility, and expectations of living within a community. The same change each follower Christ also had to make in order to begin a relationship with Him - that's why it is pre-discipleship.

Having some standards and expectations will help you develop a ministry process. In other words, put together a policy manual. It's a must for all involved.

Hit My Friends Thought

You have to hit Danny Franks blog today - it relates to the world most of us live in. Go to http://dannyfranks.wordpress.com/

Why Do They Come Here?

I have the opportunity to oversee a great facility. It includes hardwood courts, weight room, fitness room, game room, track, cafe area, and locker rooms. The vision of Cool Spring was forward thinking when they designed this facility in 2002. Great job!

But what was even better was the vision for use of this facility. (Yesterday I spoke about determining your purpose). A vision that allowed the purpose of the Cool Spring Rec Center to impact people of our community by offering recreation and leisure with the companionship of Christ. Therefore, we are an open Rec Center to our community. So we plan and organize our leagues, programs, and schedules in such a way that our community (the community of Cool Spring Church and the community of Mechanicsville / Richmond) can participate together.

There is much debate among facilities (both community and church related) of who will be allowed to use the facility. Several thoughts of usage would include membership only, membership and guests, or open to community. And each of these has positive and challenging discussions. As someone interested in impacting the people who I live around, I favor the open policy. The open policy allows us as a church to meet with people right where there are. By offering recreational activities that people enjoy and are attracted to, we allow ourselves the opportunity to participate with them. And when we are participating with the community we are sharing life with them.

In a recent study of those attending our facility, it was identified that those using our facility came from thirty (30) different zip codes. Wow - sometimes I have to ask myself why would they drive from all those locations. And the answer is simple: It's because the community has found a place that is passionate about using recreation to connect with them! It's a place where they know people want to invest in them through leagues and healthy lifestyles. And it's a place where they will be introduced and taught to live in a growing relationship with Christ.

Determine your purpose and let it guide you in the use of your facility.

Facilities

Facilities are great! They allow and provide so many opportunities for connecting with people. Facilities can range from a simple gym to a full size fitness center. Facilities can also support other opportunities as well; such as concerts, programs, and community events. With a good facility a lot can happen.

But with a facility comes planning. Because of the amount of options that can be provided, it is important to decide how your facility will be used and schedule ahead of time. There will be many opinions, but when you determine what your ministry and facility's purpose, then you can better determine how you will schedule to accomplish that purpose.

First step in facility planning: determine your purpose.

Over the next few days we will talk more about facilities. To get a better understanding of facility use, come by the Cool Spring Rec Center and be our guest.

People's Needs

This past week I preached on the discipline of service as part of our creating "space" for God series. In this message I talked about living the gospel message of Loving God and Loving Neighbors. A message our world needs to see and experience.

Well today God challenged me with the same task I spoke about. I love God's sense of humor and call upon our lives. As I was at work today, I had an opportunity to meet a hurting women in need. And in that opportunity I was challenged to respond. That response involved meeting her physical needs (shower, cleaning supplies, meal). It was through those needs that I was able to address her spiritual needs. That despite her circumstances, God loves her and wants an intimate relationship with her. Wow - isn't God great in how He teaches us specific spiritual disciplines and then calls us to live in them!

And for a side note: my Father would have done the same thing - thanks dad for modeling that for me.

Phases

People are at different phases of life. They are in generational phases, trend phases, and spiritual phases. And with each of these phases it is yours and my responsibility to figure that out. Meaning, we have to care enough about them to know their likes and dislikes, as well as their preferences, and their belief system. And that takes work. It's called investing.

The Outdoor Ministry Team in our Recreation ministry has done a great job of establishing themselves as a group of people who care about those connected to the outdoors, no matter what phase of life they are in. Just this past week following a sermon on the spiritual phases of people, a team leader emailed me in questioning whether we were offering the right kind of bible studies that would impact the people we are connecting to. Simply, he was thinking about making sure we were reaching people on a spiritual level where they actually were; not with the material (or wardrobes - see Tuesday's post) that we thought would make us look or sound good.

The process of connecting with people doesn't begin with answers. It starts with good questions! Great job to our Outdoor Team for digging deep on this issue.

The Investment of People

As we continue to talk about people, one of the best parts about being a Recreation Minister is the opportunity I have to invest in others and allow them to lead in their passions. It always excites me to see people catch a vision, combined with their passion and a growing heart for God and people, and lead an effective ministry.

Steve Rowe is one of my peeps. His not only a peep, he is my ministry associate. Steve is the kind of guy that exhibits service and can handle most any facility issue that comes our way. If you don't have a Steve Rowe, well you need to find one. Service oriented and facility skilled people are a must in the area of recreation, but Steve also has a heart to impact peoples lives.

Last night we started our league play for Adult Basketball. We run two leagues - 16 and up and 30 and up - and they consists of roughly 200 players combined. As I walked in the Rec Center last night and Steve was organizing the first night of play, I couldn't help but see a banner he had done that was wrapped across the scoreres table. The banner said, "What am I here for.." It was great. Steve had strategically placed this banner where every player would have to see it as they checked in and out of the game. Not only that, but Steve led the before game devotion with the same question! Wow - my man Steve intentionally seeking God in order to impact peoples lives. He challenged these men to ask themselves this question and shared with them that over the next few weeks, together, they will discover the answer.

People - there is no minstry without them and you can not minister without them. Find someone today and invest in them for the purpose of them investing in others.

What We Wear

Face it, we are concerned about what we wear. What we wear can define us, create opportunities for us, or even hurt us. I'm even amazed at how much people even get paid to wear certain clothes for a few moments of advertising. In our culture, and others, clothes represent status...and we know how much status matters.

So, what are we wearing? What are you wearing? Are we wearing the things that people suggest we should do - like certain programs, leagues, facility designs, etc. In Dave Gibbons book, The Monkey and the Fish, he points out an interesting thought about wardrobes. We get so hung up in the current trends, whether that is clothes or ministry options, that no matter the size of the outfit we wear it anyway. We wear these clothes because we don't really know any other clothes to wear and because people tell us that's what we should wear.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, "What really motivates us to do the things we do?" Why do you, as a recreation ministry or as a person, do what you do? Are we more motivated to look more like others, or are we willing to try a new pair of clothes that may fit us better? In determining who we are and where we are, we have to be willing to be different and find the fit that God has for us. In the end, your ministry, your look, your life may be different than others. But as long as it fits God's purpose, you can wear it well!!

Speaking of Discipline

This Sunday I am preaching on the Spiritual Discipline of Service. While I would love to give you all my thoughts now, I can't. Come to Cool Spring Church on Sunday or listen online at www.coolspring.org.

Just a quick thought on people in regard to service. No matter how big a recreation ministry becomes - leagues, camps, fitness classes, or facilities - it is about serving others - people. Our greatest model was that of a King (Jesus) who simply grabbed a towel and starting washing others nasty feet (John 13). Service is the greatest expression of our love toward others.

3rd Culture

Yesterday I mentioned the idea of "Third Culture" and working in a recreation ministry that embraces third culture. So, what is third culture? Third culture is a term used by sociologists and foreign service workers whose children are immersed in foreign cultures because of their parents work.

My kids had the opportunity to be "third culture kids." For several years we lived overseas working in sports development. While living over seas, our kids had to come to terms with their indigenous culture, all the while assimilate into a new culture which we moved them to (A North African country with little English). As our boys have grown older, they have a higher sensibility about embracing and bridging cultural differences. They have learned to adapt and relate to people who are vastly different from them. They have learned to value and treasure the diversity of people and their cultures. They now understand a worldview from God's perspective.

The question to ask is: How well do we adapt to new creative ways of embracing new people? Is it a struggle? Is it accepted? Think about it and let me hear from you.

Peeps

Let's continue this discussion about impact and people. A focused recreation ministry should attract people. This week we are hosting our adult basketball league team meetings. It's the time when we gather all those playing and introduce each other and go over our mission and purpose of the league, along with league rules. We want to establish early on our desire to connect with them and play with them.

After the meeting was over a friend of mine came to the office and jokingly said, "this place is like a zoo out there." As we both laughed, I simply responded, "that's third culture baby!" As I thought about his statement and my response, I passionately was reminded that's what I want people to say. Because inside of a zoo are all kinds of creatures with all shapes., sizes, and shades of color. And in fact my friend was right. The rec center was full of people that didn't look alike, act alike, and think alike.

But what they all have in common is that they are our neighbors - our peeps living around us. You see the concept of neighbor is misunderstood. A neighbor is often thought to be someone who thinks like us, acts like us, and talks likes us. But that is not who are neighbors are or who Jesus defined our neighbors to be. In the culture we live, neighbors are becoming more different than ever and we need to learn to connect with them in a variety of ways. It is said in Luke 10, "Love God and love your neighbor." A recreation ministry/facility that is open to this command, will be a recreation ministry/facility that will be open to their neighbors. And that's third culture baby!

Impact

There is an extreme amount of evidence that recreation and leisure are impacting our culture. We are a recreation and leisure culture. And impacting our culture is what we as Christians are called to do. Therefore, recreation ministry impacts culture. It meets people where they are and connects with them for the purpose of physical and spiritual development.

As we begin to move through a series of topics, let me begin with what is impacted through a recreation ministry - people! Without people there is no ministry. People are participating on multiple levels. They are on team and league sports, individual competition levels, and group exercise classes to name a few. It's in these venues that we are able to connect with people and have a positive impact on their lives. It's an impact that provides people with not only physical changes needed in this life, but spiritual changes that are needed for this life and eternity.

So, meet them where they are - the gyms, the courts, the fields, and community events. Whether you realize it or not, you are impacting someone in someway.

Let's Get it Started

Just got back from a relaxing week at Emerald Isle, NC. Loved the isolation of the place and the fact that most families were already back to school (not Virginia!). Several standouts of the week:

• Spending time with family playing
• My Mom and Kelly's parents visiting
• Seafood from the local market
• Reading
• Doing nothing and concerned with nothing

Now that I am back, it's time to get it started. The Rec Ministry is getting into full swing of fall seasons / leauges. Look forward to talking about the variety of areas that recreation impacts.