By Brett Hetherington *

Howland United Methodist Church (Central Valley District) continues to grow a ministry that is reaching out to its community in ways that are fresh yet familiar. Since 2020 the congregation has invited area children to come into the building to learn how to play a sport, receive some coaching in life, and learn some basic biblical truths. This spring the sport is volleyball.

“We actually only have about a dozen church kids, and the rest are from the community, so it is a big community outreach. So, it’s a big opportunity to connect. There are 150 families twice a week in our building and we’re trying to bridge the connection between that and our church,” shared Kaila Mohney, who is the director of Youth and Sports Ministries at Howland UMC.

There are 152 players spread across 16 teams from kindergarten up through 8^th grade. Mohney and others in leadership stressed that there are enough teams for volleyball every day of the week, with practices running Monday through Wednesday and games taking place on Thursday and Friday. In fact, volleyball is so popular that it quickly became the most popular among all of Howland’s sport offerings.

“Volleyball is our biggest, in three or four days we were full,” said Assistant Youth and Sports Director Brandon Buratti. “There are no young leagues for a sport like this. We have six teams in the oldest division. We could run a tournament in the oldest division!”

“This season everyone plays someone different every week, so you don’t get one team that’s dominating and one team that’s fresh. You only play them once, and then you rotate through,” said Mohney. “We are a learning league, and we want to set the kids up for success in the future. You’ll even see different kids set up with different rules based on their individual skill level. But ultimately, we want to prepare them to play in the Howland sports system.”

The sports league is also a ministry. Each practice includes a devotional element and Scripture memorization. During a break in between sets some parents are invited to participate in an activity with their children that helps reinforce that week’s lesson. The day I was there the lesson was listening to instructions.

One parent praised the program and its impact on her children.

“It’s quite a program she’s built here, it’s pretty amazing. My oldest daughter has worked her way up through here and now my younger daughter as well,” shared Stephanie.

Often students who have aged out of the program come back to help with the ministry.

“That’s something kind of cool you’ll see is a lot of kids who have aged out come back as helpers. One of our coaches for our 6th to 8th graders is someone who grew up in the program,” said Mohney.

Prior to this current season kicking off the leadership was able to lead a short five-day clinic to help kids get used to the rules and skills they would need to play on a volleyball court. “Each day had stations: serving, passing and receiving, footwork, positions, hitting and setting. We opened and closed with games and a devotion. We had 75 players all together. We took camp photos that they got home as well,” shared Mohney.

The work of Mohney, Buratti and their army of volunteers is not lost on the leadership of the church.

“The dream and vision of the Sports Ministry program for Howland UMC reflects their commitment to being the church to the whole community. As pastor of the church for these few months, I’ve witnessed an incredible spirit of community ministry to both children and families through the sports ministry. Hearing the stories of the activities planned, volunteers engaged and the level of excitement around the ministry speaks volumes to how the church is to be in ministry. I’ve witnessed teenagers volunteering and leading activities. I see young people living their faith by their actions and volunteering of time and talents to the children. You cannot walk through Howland UMC without feeling the joy and excitement of not only a vibrant Sports Ministry but also a genuine spirit of mission and ministry to the whole family. Isn’t that what the church is called to be and to do? I thank God for the continued witness of Howland UMC that dreamed a vision of sports ministry and then enabled that vision to become reality,” shared Rev. Dan Bryant, co-pastor of Howland UMC.

Coach Andy McCracken put it all together succinctly when he said “The kids love it. Everyone has a lot of fun. It’s some of their first experience in a church.”

Sports as a rule break down a lot of barriers between individuals to form a team. Howland sports ministry is doing the work to break down barriers not only between individuals, but between people and the church as well.

The Conference Communications team would like to share other stories that highlight ways that each of us is answering the call to reach out to our communities in creative ways. Please e-mail your ministry story to EOC Executive Director of Communications Rick Wolcott at wolcott@eocumc.com.

* Brett Hetherington is the Communications specialist for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.