By Anton Chan
The Youth Football Ministry is a brand new programme that makes use of football to spread Christian principles and a spiritual message to people and communities. Our goal is to engage with young people through football, build friendships with them, and spread biblical teaching. Football may be a tool for holistic development, assisting people in becoming better athletes as well as responsible, well-rounded human beings.
An administrative team of three (Anton – Spiritual Coach, Amos Rao - Captain and Emmanuel Huan as the co-ordinator) from the Witness and Evangelism Committee was established to launch the Youth Football Ministry on Sunday 29 January 2023 at the MGS Football Field. At 3 pm, Anton led a group of seven young people in prayer and devotion before kicking off the football ministry. At around 3:30 pm, the youth began the game in the sweltering afternoon. Also in attendance were other ladies who attended to play and support us. There were also a few non-believers among us. The team played twice a month on Sundays from 3 to 5 pm.
Friendly Tournament
On Sunday April 23, the CCMC Youth Football team competed in a friendly tournament against the Eternal Life Assembly of God football club. It was a scorching afternoon, but the Lord sent a 10-minute rainstorm to cool things down. The event opened with Anton giving the CCMC team a short devotion titled "Lesson from the Ants" based on the passage Proverbs 6:6-8. Emanuel Huan concluded the devotion with prayers for the team's safety and a fun time of fellowship.
Ronak, who assisted in organising the tournament and invited a few of his football friends to join CCMC team shared:
“The game provided an excellent opportunity for fellowship and bonding. Though it was our first time playing as a team, I was inspired by everyone's passion and effort, and I hope that this ministry can be an opportunity to reach out to many more people”.
The CCMC team scored the first two goals in the competition. However, our opponent organised themselves, and the Eternal Life team eventually overcame CCMC 4-2. One of the most thrilling moments occurred when the Eternal Life team was awarded a penalty, but our goalkeeper, Kenz Tan Jiekang, successfully saved the penalty, eliciting loud cheers from CCMC supporters. The competition went smoothly despite some minor injuries. During the competition, many new friendships were formed. We praise God for his blessings and pray that through participating in these events, we can bring more people to Christ.
The Purpose
This new football outreach endeavour is modelled after the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which organised various sports as a means of reaching out to seekers. Before each game, a short devotion based on the Bible and prayers will be shared. Let’s therefore be prayerful and mindful of the purpose of the CCMC Youth Football Ministry.
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