About Us

Without realizing it at the time, my call to ministry started with a basketball game.

While coaching the middle school team of our suburban school district, we were scheduled to play another middle school closer to the city. Before the day’s games began, the opposing coach asked if I would have a problem with her playing some 8th graders against my 7th grade team. Because I’m a fairly competitive individual, I was happy to agree, knowing that the more challenging the game, win or lose it would be more fun. But when the game started I quickly realized that even with the older players on the other side, the game wasn’t going to be much of a challenge for our team.

On the bus ride home that afternoon and for the rest of the week I replayed that game in my mind, trying to understand how my team could be so much more advanced than our foe that day. The two schools are similar in size and their team was very athletic, but they had almost no basketball ability whatsoever. Finally it occurred to me that our community had a robust youth basketball program and that my players had been honing their skills for five years or more as they entered middle school. We were successful because our kids had a huge head start compared to many of the surrounding school districts. That epiphany made it clear that I had to do something to help our neighbors who have been left behind.

As I set out to improve our communities through athletics and recreation, I didn’t see that this was, in fact, my ministry. From my own experience as a collegiate player, I recognized that successful athletic training is centered on both self-mastery and ethical engagement. Sports forced me to confront failure, manage frustration, and exercise delayed gratification. It instilled a sense of resilience—the moral strength to continue working hard after a defeat and the humility to accept constructive criticism. I was blessed to be raised by parents and coached by strong men who helped me to understand that defeat is usually due to a better performance by my opponent rather than an incompetent referee or cheating by the other team. It became clear that my Christian faith, which guides my purpose, would have to be the foundation of my efforts.

As we fulfill our mission and begin to establish programs in resource-starved areas, it is imperative that we train our staff and volunteers to steer clear of the potential negative pitfalls that plague much of the sporting world. The high-pressure, results-driven nature of competitive athletics can lead to the temptation of winning above all else. When a program’s culture is focused on winning without ethics or playing with no consideration for the opposing team, we place our players and their families at risk of normalizing poor behavior. As Saint Paul found many religious people in Athens that were merely unaware of the ministry of Jesus, I’ve noticed a parallel situation in the athletic community. Like the Athenians who practiced religion without understanding God’s grace, there are many talented athletes who practice their sport without understanding sportsmanship. I believe that WAAR’s training needs to reflect Paul’s work in Greece by rewarding the players’ hard work and dedication while reinforcing the need to respect themselves, coaches, referees, and yes – even their opponents. 

The initiation of WAAR came about through my own personal Faith journey which included a recognition that my participation in sports as a player and coach has been a blessing. Among the gifts God has given me is the ability to organize and administer events and leagues. He’s given me the vision to see how I can use these gifts to perform good works to those without the means to do so for themselves. I pray that Jesus uses me to elevate the physical and mental well being of our kids through healthy participation in athletics and recreation.