74 Days this summer

This summer Athletes in Action will have at least one missions project in the field from May 15^th to August 27^th. . There will be 40 teams serving in 30 countries from New Zealand to South Africa to Poland. Right now, Screen Shot 2018-05-22 at 9.20.12 AM.png the Poland Basketball and Ivory Coast Volleyball teams are conducting their training camps in Xenia. In addition, our men’s soccer project to Portugal and East Asia basketball teams are in country. Get a glimpse into their mission by going to Goaia.org’s Opportunity Blog. My role continues to be providing financial/operational insights to help each team complete their mission.

Our basketball ministry just put on a Men’s Captain’s Academy where 21 athletes spent five intense days learning how to integrate their faith and love of basketball to help them Screen Shot 2018-05-22 at 9.22.10 AM.png become not only leaders on their teams, but to become all God wants them to be for life.

In June and July there will be Ultimate Training Camps and leadership projects on our Xenia campus. I (Rick) am blogging for the high school Ultimate Training Camp (UTC), June 24^th-30^th. Last year 28 of 75 athletes accepted Christ! Follow this year’s project now at Goaia.org’s High School UTC and ask the Lord to change the lives of those attending the 2018 camp.

On the homefront, we celebrated Annie’s graduation from Eastern Michigan U., and Aaron is finished with high school. Screen Shot 2018-05-22 at 9.59.42 AM.png We have also been working the last few months to sell our home and downsize. We plan to list May 31^st and then live in an apartment for at least a year. As of August 1^st our new address will be 4300 Sedge Lane, Hilliard, OH 43026.

Your support impacts countless lives with the gospel every day!

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: May 2018 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

1Nov2017

Into the Harvest Field

Posted in Hard Copy Newsletter, Sports T.E.A.M. by rgrogers

The fall is a time of beginnings. It’s a time of birthing new ministry. Over the summer, Karen was privileged to disciple/coach six of over 60 new staff who started their ministry this fall. It’s quite a journey to finish their training and financial support. It requires true faith and commitment. You can get a glimpse into their journey by reading “I’d Have Been Lost …”.

Left to Right: Kendal, Lexi, Karen, Emma, & Lauren at AIA’s New Staff Fall Retreat (Mindy & Caitlin not pictured)

So where are they now? Karen’s interns are now serving at San Diego State U.(Kendall), GA Southern U.(Lexi), MI State U.(Emma), MN State U. Moorhead (Mindy), the U. of MN (Caitlin) and Chicago Metro (Lauren) which includes Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola and Roosevelt Universities.

Your prayers and financial support of our ministry are multiplying laborers for the harvest all over the country!

Lauren is serving with the Chicago Metro team. Through the process of raising her support, God revealed money as an idol when she realized she had a tighter grip on money for her security than she thought. Now God is enabling her to become more generous and to fully trust His provision.

DePaul U. hasn’t allowed the use of the name Athletes in Action and has not allowed staff to be on their campus, so ministry has had to be done off campus, but Lauren is in a unique position. As a DePaul alum, she will have unprecedented access to her own former teammates and coaches, and she will be able to serve and minister on her campus. She is already discipling five girls and reaching out to five different teams. Last year there was a presence on only one team. Please pray that through her influence many spiritual generations will be raised up at DePaul.

IMG_8635.jpg WeStillDo Last month was our 30th anniversary, and this month we celebrated by attending a Family Life marriage conference. As our supporters, you can attend a Family Life conference at 75% off from now until August 2018 by using the code CruThanks at checkout. (Family Life is a Cru ministry just like AIA.)

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: November 2017 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

2Oct2017

Achieving their highest potential

Posted in Hard Copy Newsletter, Sports Ministry, Sports T.E.A.M. by rgrogers

Coach Rob: “I’ve seen players and coaches develop as disciples due to AIA … helping Christian players achieve their highest potential, using their platform to promote Christ.”

Coach Rob’s statement sums up Sports TEAM’s 2017 ministry year! We fielded 32 different mission projects in 19 countries, including the U.S. These projects involved competitive teams, coaching clinics, Ultimate Training Camps or leadership academies, based on the needs of the ministry team we were serving.

Sports TEAM Staff @ John Bryan Park (Rick, 2nd row, 3rd from left)

Our biggest impact is changed lives. Coach Kara explains, “While it’s been five years ago, the experience we had together will forever impact the way I coach and develop the culture among my current athletes.” God did amazing things through these teams: they shared the gospel with over 400 individuals one-on-one, and nearly 5,000 heard the gospel in group settings. In addition, Sports TEAM had the privilege of training 120 interns. While only God knows how many new names were added to the Book of Life, we know of at least 230 people who gave their lives to Christ.

Our opportunity to impact lives grows as our involvement with coaches and athletes expands. Coach Cranston agrees. “Showing athletes and coaches how to use this platform to honor and serve the Lord is special, and Jesus will use you in incredible ways if you’re willing to show up for Him!” Over the last two years, AIA has accelerated the development of new camps and academies at the request of many leaders in the sports world.

Coach Matthews told us, “Today’s athlete is slowly getting more and more difficult to coach, and new laws are lessening our rights to be outward with our faith.” Yet God is opening more and more doors to impact our country’s future leaders, because both academic and sports leaders know that without character, their teams and athletes will not reach their full potential now or in the future.

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: October 2017 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

24Apr2017

Opportunity to Impact

Posted in Athletes in Action, Hard Copy Newsletter by rgrogers

AIA’s Men’s Soccer has been invited to assist with this year’s David Villa Academy (DV7) in Valencia, Spain from May 22 – June 7!

David Villa is the all-time leading goal scorer for Spain’s National Men’s Soccer team. His training methods are respected worldwide. AIA’s main role will be assisting with their player development/leadership training.

This is a huge opportunity for AIA to move our coaching skills to the next level while sharing AIA’s Total Athlete Principles with premier youth soccer players in Spain! The potential impact these players will have over a lifetime, not only in Spain but around the world will be significant.

The project leadership is super pumped about this opportunity. Let’s get a glimpse of their perspective.

“I am excited for the tremendous opportunity the tour gives our student athletes to be challenged in their faith. Every tour is different, but in the ways that make my heart sing, they are the same in seeing new followers of Christ come alive on mission for our heavenly Father.” Zach

“I have always wanted to combine my passions for sports medicine and sports ministry in a different country, and I am so thankful that God has given me this opportunity. I am also looking forward to being immersed in the Spanish culture and utilizing the Spanish I have learned throughout college.” Melanie

“Using soccer as a way to tell others about Jesus is an amazing opportunity! For me, I see this as a moment to invest and help others, but the reality is, I know that my heart and life will be changed.” Jonathan

You also have an opportunity to make an
impact by regularly (daily 5/22 – 6/7) following and sharing in your world about this project. You can follow the team and their project at http://teamblogs.athletesinaction.org/soccer-spain-men. You will also be able to follow on Facebook (Athletes in Action Soccer) and Instagram (aiasoccerusa)

The more we share about the team, the more people will be praying! Through prayer, God does amazing things. Don’t you want to be a part? Please follow the blog, pray, and share through social media or email. Thank you!

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: April 2017 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

13Mar2017

Perfectly Chosen!

Posted in Hard Copy Newsletter, Sports T.E.A.M. by rgrogers

Ashley, an AIA staff member, just returned from a Screen Shot 2017-03-13 at 9.18.22 AM volleyball mission trip she directed in Asia. At the end of their trip, the team of college students took time at a hostel to process and debrief the week: the good, the hard and the divinely inspired.

As the director, it was special for Ashley to look back and to hear the team examine and share their stories, laugh about funny things that occurred and prepare together to head back home, different from this experience. “We talked about what God showed us that we want to take home and bring into our everyday lives.” “This group was unique and perfectly chosen by God.”

Screen Shot 2017-03-13 at 9.18.37 AM God chose this team for His purposes in each of their lives and on their mission field, but that’s just one project. We watch God do this 30-40 times every year! Three projects have already completed His purposes in 2017 and two are in the field with many more to come.

God hand-selects each team, and every one is different. Just ask the AIA staff members who direct each trip, and they will tell you the stories of how God knits together and designs each team uniquely for His purposes.

Some team members are well-known for their abilities; some Ao1 Image don’t yet know the Lord. Most want an opportunity to make a difference in the world, regardless of their skill level, by trusting God to show them how to worship Him through their love of sports. Normally, the team members have never met before, but they finish their project with a lifelong bond. Everyone ultimately learns it’s all about serving for an Audience of One.

Each team has a number of roles that must work together to accomplish their mission. Among them are those who ask the Lord for wisdom, protection, and guidance as the team prepares and goes into the field. Here is where you can join over 30,000 others annually who follow/pray and share AIA’s projects. By visiting, praying and sharing AIA’s team blogs on social media, you can be not only part of our ministry team, but that of 30 to 40 others as well. We can only imagine how God will use your prayers and sharing in your world and for these teams. Click the image to visit.

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: March 2017 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

17Feb2017

The Power of US!

Posted in Hard Copy Newsletter, Sports T.E.A.M. by rgrogers

In our last newsletter Why We’re Here, we shared why AIA repurposed athletesinaction.org. One reason was to provide encouragement and material to help believers impact their world with the light of the gospel and make a difference in the lives they touch.

The body of Christ is also in a historic position. Today, over two billion people have smart phones. We can reach them directly with unfiltered material, but as always, it’s up to the body of Christ to take the message to them.

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How does this work? On November 23, 2016 athletesinaction.org posted “7 Habits of a Grateful Athlete.” The post was seen 20,000 times. It has also been reposted a few times, because it contains timeless material. Two weeks ago, a few people shared the post AND why it resonated with them, some on Facebook, others by email. The difference was their testimony about why the post was meaningful to them.

Here are just two examples:

“I had this article emailed to me this morning by a close friend. It’s a short, but powerful read on “Grateful Athletes”. If you have a free moment, take a minute to read it. These are some of the exact things we’re trying to teach to all of our wrestlers from Kindergarten through Seniors every day. For those of you who don’t know who the lady is in the photo, that is Helen Maroulis. She is the first US female to ever win a gold in Freestyle wrestling, which she did this last summer in Rio.”

“Grateful athletes. This article touches on a lot of the conversations the coaches touched on this weekend.”

This process happened over and over because the post was relevant to them and they took a moment to share it with their family, friends, and coworkers. The post has been shared 13,000 times and seen over 109,000 times.

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That is the power of US, the body of Christ working together to impact our world by sharing God’s word and wisdom as we live our lives. Join the team by following us on Facebook or visiting athletesinaction.org.

As a partner in our ministry you are reaching the world! Thank you.

On the family front, please pray for Karen’s family. Karen’s father went home to be with the Lord last month. You can read the piece written by Karen on Facebook by searching Paul Gohmann, Sr., 1931.

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: February 2017 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

21Nov2016

Why We’re Here

Posted in Hard Copy Newsletter, Sports T.E.A.M. by rgrogers

It seems we are constantly bombarded with news of immoral, destructive actions by famous sports personalities. As believers in Christ, we wonder how to respond and how we can discuss these issues in a way that reveals the light of Christ.

People usually get this news digitally, since 72% of Americans get their news on mobile devices. Half those people will read at least a portion of an article’s content. Then those questions come to mind.

Just like you, Athletes in Action (AIA) has been witnessing our culture’s moral decline and its impact. In late 2014, God gave AIA the vision to make a difference in today’s digitally-driven world by assisting the body of Christ to have a relevant answer that will bless everyone, thus drawing people to God’s ultimate answer, a personal relationship with Him! Read more about this initiative at athletesinaction.org/about and athletesinaction.org/its-time.

Early in 2016, athletesinaction.org was repurposed to be a light for Christ on the world’s digital hillside. (Matt 5:14-16) AIA publishes daily devotionals and a weekly Under Review piece addressing a relevant issue in the world of sports like:

Why Athletes Underperform for Coaches Who Use Fear

51-coach-with-anger

(10/30/16) While fear used to be the sole driver behind Halloween, over the decades it’s become an event that ranges far beyond simple boogey-man tactics.

Depending on your age demographic, halloween is an opportunity to dress up to get as much sugar as possible, give away as much sugar as possible, or, on college campuses, an opportunity to dress up vixenly to garner attention from the opposite sex.

Unfortunately, when it comes to our sports culture today, I would argue that fear is often still the primary driver at every level of play among coaches trying to motivate performance. It’s really time for this to change…. Read More

51-coach-with-anger-options

Each piece on the website prompts readers to think more deeply, share their thoughts, read other relevant material and get biblically sound help.

Karen and I are both part of a small team of staff who are contributing to this effort. In just nine months, athletesinaction.org has had over 500,000 digital conversations with people from over 200 countries!

As a partner in our ministry you are reaching the world! Thank you.

Please review our prayer page and support needs and lift up our ministry to the Lord.

Click the following: November 2016 Newsletter to print a hard copy newsletter.

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