Last week, Athletes In Action returned to Athabasca to teach soccer skills while enriching the spiritual lives of local kids.
Over 70 young athletes took part in the event, which was held at Landing Trail Intermediate School and sponsored by the Athabasca Ministerial Association.
From Monday to Friday, kids, instructors and volunteers gathered at the school in the sweltering heat to have fun and learn some new things about sports and God.
That unique mix was accomplished by combining soccer instruction with a little bit of prayer at the end of each day as well as ‘coach’s corner’ segments during which the coaches performed skits outlining different Biblical concepts. Each day had a different theme, like accepting God’s love and trusting in Jesus.
“It’s probably our best camp of the summer,” raved one Athletes In Action coach, Amy Rohr. “It’s a lot of fun getting to know the kids.”
The camp boasted participants as young as four and as old as 14.
“We want it to be a good experience for the kids. We just want to see improvement throughout the week.”
By Friday, the kids were certainly showing improvement in a number of facets of the game, as well as understanding in the lessons the instructors were teaching them.
Pastor Marty Hays of the Missionary Church was pleased with the outcome of the event and the great attendance.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s a way of engaging our community,” he said.
