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The good folk at
Trinity
Lutheran Church (Eau Claire, WI) identified
“youth athletic
coaches” as a critical vocation, and opportunity for ministry, taking
place outside of the church building. To nurture and support
this important work, they decided to hold a special "blessing of the
coaches" event and solicited names of involved congregants. The
blessing copied below emerged from this process. Following the
blessing, coaches were presented with a token gift: a whistle and
lanyard donated by the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
along with a card featuring a quote from a famous coach and a piece of
scripture. Trinity will follow-up with a coach’s clinic on values and
ethics in sports.
Many thanks to Trinity for passing
along this month's idea. If your congregation's finding new ways
to connect Sunday to Monday, please share the wealth! It's as
easy as sending a note to
support@centeredlife.org.
Part I
In Mark 10 Jesus rebukes church elders who would keep children
away from him, and says: “I tell you the truth; anyone who will not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
And with that he took the children in his arms, put his hands upon
them and blessed them.
The call from God
is clear: love children, and teach them well. Today we are recognizing
a segment of our congregation that has heard this call and shown the
courage and commitment to step forward. We invite all members of our
congregation that are, or will be, serving as coaches for young people
this school year to stand.
[Let folks rise]
Part II
Serving as a coach is a great joy and a great responsibility. You
get to experience the delight of watching young people discover what
they are capable of with hard work and instruction. You get to share
in their joy with victory and in their sorrow with defeat, and you get
to help them turn either into an experience from which they can learn.
Best of all, you get to help shape the values and expectations with
which they will approach competition for the rest of their lives.
Values like sportsmanship. Respect. Honesty. Integrity.
Part III
As parents and as members of a community in which these young
people will grow and participate, the entire congregation offers our
thanks for your willingness to serve as youth coaches, and we offer
this blessing:
May God, who made us and calls us
to model Christian lives, fill you with love
for the young people you coach.
May you be secure in the knowledge
that you are an agent of God’s will for the world
as you teach young people to work hard,
to practice diligently, to win graciously,
and to lose honorably. May you live out your calling
as you guide these children toward adulthood,
preparing them to face challenges every day
with the grace and love that flow
from your faith in the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Part IV
Please be seated, and we invite all of you to the Centered Life
table in the narthex after the service, at which time we will present
you with a token of our appreciation: (describe the gift).
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