The CCMC Basketball Ministry had their inaugural game on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, with Emanuele Huan as Captain and Samuel Lee as the assistant.
The team mainly consisted of undergraduates from NUS Law School, along with some of their friends. Since then, the ministry has grown, with new leaders like Bee Ling and Chiah Meng from the Witness and Evangelism Committee watching over this outreach.
Bee Ling, Emanuele and Chiah Meng organised a Christmas gathering in early December for the basketball players. Despite the pouring rain that evening, the gathering was well attended and went smoothly. The evening’s program included a delicious dinner, as well as competitions, prizes, and gifts for all participants. Anton shared a short devotion titled “A Christmas Story”, encouraging participants to discover the true meaning of Christmas and to seek the One who died on the cross, offering eternal love.
Running a basketball ministry offers a unique opportunity to merge sports with faith-based objectives, promoting community building and spiritual growth. The primary focus, however, is evangelism and outreach.
Basketball can serve as a platform to share the gospel and introduce participants to Jesus Christ, creating a welcoming environment for people—especially non-believers—to engage with the church. Additionally, the ministry helps build relationships among participants through teamwork and fellowship, fostering mentorship between church leaders, senior players, and young adults.
Through the sport, Christian values such as honesty, perseverance, humility, and respect can be taught. The ministry can also address character-building challenges, such as managing competition and conflict, in a Christ-like manner.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:16 (KJV)
By combining these objectives with intentional leadership and strategic planning, a basketball ministry can become a powerful tool for spiritual transformation and community building.
It also serves as an effective platform for evangelism and outreach, providing a constructive outlet for young people to grow physically, socially, and spiritually while fostering discipline, teamwork, and leadership skills.
May we be encouraged during this Christmas season by Paul’s words to Timothy:
“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” - 2 Timothy 4:5 (ESV).
Let us also remember the exhortation from Hebrews, as seen from the opening photo to this article: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” - Hebrews 12:1 (ESV).
Interested to serve with CCMC’s Sports Ministries? Email us at admin@ccmc.org.sg to get started!
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