Tag Archives: Rick and Karen Rogers

A message of Hope / Feb 2012 Newsletter

Posted in AIA Global Sports, Hard Copy Newsletter by

In a recent post (10 Days in the Kenyan Sun) we shared about Global Sports’ most recent project in Kenya.  As a part of this project, AIA partnered with Kenya’s top professional woman golfer (Rose)  to host 50 teen girls from Soweto Academy at a local church outside of Nairobi near the Kibera slum.  It was a day filled with girl-centered fun and messages from several speakers, including a local pastor (Steve) who challenged them to grow and become all they could through a relationship with the Lord and to trust Him for their dreams.  Steve grew up in Kibera.  He encouraged the girls to say “Yes, a lot of good can come

from Kibera.”  This may have been the first time they heard about how much God loves them.  It was also the first time all but six of these girls had ventured outside the Kibera slum.

A portion of the team also visited Uganda in order to plan and meet with their basketball federation to prepare for another project in August involving a women’s basketball tour.

Thanks for your partnership with AIA Global Sports!

Please review our prayer page and support needs links and lift up our ministry to the Lord.  Click the following:  Feb 2012 to print a hard copy newsletter.

Will you remember Super Bowl 2012?

Posted in Athletes in Action, Getting to Know AIA by

In January we asked you to lift up AIA’s 2012 Super Bowl Breakfast.  (Give Life this …)  Thank you for being a part of giving life to many and providing hundreds the opportunity to accept Christ or grow in their walk with Him.  We praise God so many people will be able to look back at this weekend and celebrate how their lives were changed.  Below you will find a quick summary:
  • People attending: 2,000
  • Decisions made for Christ: 57
  • Wanted more info about a relationship with Christ: 340
  • Desired to be in a small group study: 172
  • Wanted information about AIA/Sports Spectrum magazine: 112

God continues to bless this outreach over the last 25 years.  We are thankful for how the Lord has blessed Bart and Cherry Starr, the strength of AIA’s and the NFL relationship, and how the award winners have truly stood for Christ and His character.

John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, experienced his first Breakfast and participated in the program.  He said, “It was a great experience for our family and we enjoyed it immensely.  Thanks for encouraging me to do it.  It is a good reminder also of the opportunities to do so many good things according to where the Holy Spirit leads us.  Definitely was fun!”

You can learn more at Super Bowl Breakfast Features Tribute to Several NFL Greats.

What’s Your Perspective?

Posted in Campus Crusade by

Rick and I recently had a fun conversation with a couple centered around “Perspective” cards, a tool developed by Cru.  What looks like a card game is actually a fantastic springboard for understanding someone’s take on spiritual concepts.  The five sets of color-coded cards correspond to spiritual topics like one’s view of God, human nature, the person of Jesus, the meaning and purpose of life, and the source of spiritual truth.  Several possible cards are presented on each topic and the person selects the one matching his viewpoint.  Perspective cards allow for a casual conversation leading to real understanding of another person’s beliefs, while enabling him to clarify his own views.

Our friends said:  “I’ve never talked about religion before without feeling judged or like someone was shoving a Bible down my throat,” and “That’s the first time I’ve heard my husband open up about his beliefs.”  Both were able to articulate that they did not have a relationship with God, but they were very interested in talking more.  Taking the time to really listen for understanding of another person’s perspective can earn us a chance to share our own, thus paving the way for the gospel.  We’re so excited about how God will use this easy tool to facilitate spiritual understanding and conversations.  As a ministry, we are committed to giving every person the opportunity the hear about the hope of reconciliation with the Savior who loves them.

To learn more or order your own deck, click:  Perspective Cards.

10 Days in the Kenyan Sun

Posted in AIA Global Sports by

For ten days in January, AIA held the 1st Annual Athletes in Action Golf tournament in Kenya.  (Golfing for God in Kenya)  Our goal was to invite people from all walks of life to be reconciled to God and to receive the life which will  change generations to come.

The tournament hosted 75 Kenyan   golfers.  Former PGA Pro Wally Armstrong (Bio Video) was the featured instructor and speaker who shared his life in Christ.  The outing included planning for a youth golf organization whose purpose will be to combine golf instruction and spiritual development through the Kenya Golf Union for youth in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi.  A golfing clinic was held for 45 youth and adults.  The young man pictured (left) with Philip was a “diamond in the rough”.  They spent time on the range talking about golf, life, and what it means to know God.    Phillip was moved by the young man’s eagerness to soak up their teaching about golf and spiritual life. 

Please pray for the staff and volunteers who will be developing this program to give eternal life, hope, and purpose to youth who live in the Kibera Slum.  Resources for materials including golf clubs will be critical in developing  this program.  If you would like to help, please contact us.

Golfing for God in Kenya?

Posted in AIA Global Sports, Hard Copy Newsletter by

It’s interesting to watch God at work as He assembles and builds His ministry of reconciliation with sometimes unlikely parties all over the world.  As we have previously posted, (The Love of God … and He was one …) AIA has been building a ministry in the Kenya and Rwanda area for eight years.

Last week, God extended an invitation to people of all walks of life from Kenya and the US to join Him at work.  His mission:  continue reconciling the  people of East Africa to Himself.   What may look like a golf tournament was really divine invitations to participate in saving lives.  The golf outing  also facilitated the gathering of financial and human capital for AIA Kenya’s current and future operations.

Would you lift up AIA staffer David N. and all who will respond to God’s invitation to work together?  Please ask the Lord to develop their ministry team, uniting them with a vision to reconcile the people of Kenya and Rwanda to Himself and to defend them from the Evil One who will be trying to stop them.

If you would like to experience some highlights from the 2011 East Africa project, take a look:

        Thanks for your partnership with AIA Global Sports!

Please review our prayer page and support needs links and lift up our ministry to the Lord.  Click the following:  Jan 2012 to print a hard copy newsletter.              

Give Life this Super Bowl Weekend!

Posted in Getting to Know AIA, Prayer by

“I never really experienced living until I received Christ as Lord,” Neil Konitshek said.  When he was 32, God reached into the darkness of his life and provided light.  (His Story)

Konitshek was a successful real estate agent in San Diego, but he knew his life was empty.  He was invited to the 1988 Super Bowl Breakfast where Joe Gibbs, then head coach of the Washington Redskins, was the keynote speaker.  Along with testimonies from NFL athletes, the program included an invitation to enter a personal relationship with Jesus Christ given by Gibbs himself.

Konitshek had no idea what was coming.  “At the breakfast, it really hit me.  Joe Gibbs spoke about his family and the important things in life.  Here I was losing my wife and kids because of my behavior, but I didn’t want to admit that.”  When Gibbs led the audience in the prayer, Konitshek accepted the invitation.  The next day, he says, he felt a true change in his heart.

Konitshek is currently active in a local church and often participates in street evangelism or outreaches in the city’s bustling nightclub scene. He knows the results might not be seen quickly, but he trusts God is at work.  (Source: Teresa Young, AIA Communications)

Please lift up this event and all who attend Feb 4 at 8AM!  Countless lives will be changed forever and we can partner in this work. 

Listening to Your Hero!

Posted in Getting to Know AIA by

Whom do you really admire as the best at what they do?  Now imagine hearing that person share his or her faith journey first-hand while sharing a great meal.  Each year AIA holds its Legends Series of outreaches to the business and sporting community.  They are attended by thousands, with honorees sharing their journey to faith in Christ and a clear invitation to receive Christ.  When your hero speaks, don’t you pay close attention?  That’s why this is such a compelling ministry.

The Super Bowl Breakfast features speakers and special guests from the NFL, both past and present, and the presentation of the Bart Starr Award.

The NBA All-Star Game Breakfast gives attendees the opportunity to get “up close and personal” with NBA coaches and players, and honors athletes for exemplary leadership, character, and integrity.

The Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast is hosted by AIA and FCA. The event features speakers and special guests from the world of basketball, and the presentation of the Coach Wooden “Keys to Life” Award.

Held at AIA World Headquarters in Xenia, Ohio, the Night of Champions includes inductions into AIA’s “Hall of Faith,” an elite honor given to athletes or coaches who display exemplary character in the game, in their families, and in the community.

Want to know more?  Contact Dave Lower at (513) 404-9956 or at dave.lower@athletesinaction.org.