Welcome to Ignite Youth Sports at Howland UMC!
We are so excited to launch our new youth sports program: IGNITE YOUTH SPORTS!
We started our sports ministry programs through our new “Multipurpose Facility” in May of 2020, in the very beginning times of the pandemic. We were blessed to partner with a national Christian sports organization to give us a launching pad and to inspire us in our mission to reach youth and families in the community through sports.
We have learned so much and have been challenged to adapt our program to better fill the needs of those we serve. With this in mind we have put tremendous time, effort, and prayers into creating a high quality program while significantly reducing costs.
We will be launching our own 3 year devotion rotation series which has been customized for each of our current sports offerings: volleyball, basketball, and indoor soccer. Through this series we will focus on the characteristics of: athletes, disciples, and servants, taking our players through meaningful, interactive devotion lessons we hope will connect to them in both their sports experiences and daily lives.
We will continue to engage families in our ministry through our unique half-time experiences which also tie into our weekly devotions.
We are launching a new recognition system where players will have focused, personalized goals each week.
We are creating an environment “where kids can play with fire” that comes from the Holy Spirit and expanding our church mission to invite, inspire, and involve. Our program’s guiding verse comes from Hebrews 12:29 which says “May He be the fire that sets our hearts aflame.”
A member of one of our sports families recently said that he appreciates what we do because “we are not turning little Christians into better athletes, but helping to turn little athletes into better Christians.” It is our hope and prayer that we measure up to this impression and open the hearts of kids and families in our community in a new way!
We hope that you retain your trust in us and we invite you to IGNITE the flame that comes from opening our hearts to the work of God in our lives!
