Community Hero Stories
Community Hero Stories
What is a Community Hero?
An individual who brings their community together with an innovative approach to sports ministry while serving selflessly and inspiring life long change on and off the court. We want to celebrate these difference makers who labor in the Gospel work of making Jesus known through the power of sports.
A Community Effort
Written by Laura Coulter, Content Writer at Upward Sports.
In a time when churches sometimes feel the need to be in competition with one another, several churches in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley are working together to make a difference in their community through youth sports.
Carley Moore, Associate Lead Pastor at Parkway Church, serves as the league director for the newest Upward league in the area. Parkway’s first season of flag football and cheerleading is currently underway, and as Carley tells it, it has truly been a community effort.
Carley previously served at another church that ran an Upward soccer league. When his family moved to Roanoke four years ago, his kids started participating in Upward leagues at other local churches, and Carley has also coached in those leagues. So, when Parkway’s Lead Pastor, Dustin Spencer, mentioned starting an Upward league at their church, too, Carley jumped at the chance. And when the churches where his family had been involved in Upward—Rainbow Forest Baptist and Colonial Baptist—learned that Parkway was starting a league of their own, they threw their support behind the new league.
Carley says, “ When they heard that we were doing a program, they were like, ‘Hey, how can we help? Can we send volunteers? Can we meet with you? What can we do to help you?’” The other churches were excited to help Parkway get their league off the ground.
The decision to run a flag football league specifically was itself all about the community. Another flag football league in the area had shut down, and Carley knew that Parkway could help fill the gap. “I knew that we could pick something up there and hopefully bring it back to life and give a different sport in our area,” he says.
So now, on Saturday mornings at Parkway, you’ll find a team of volunteers setting up for game day. By 9:30, Carley says, “We’ve got music pumping as families are coming in. And they fire the grill up, and it’s got the whole area smelling good. It’s cool, what we’ve been able to do.”
As games start, the teams run through a tunnel with Rainbow Forest’s name on it, and they sit on metal benches borrowed from Colonial Baptist. Kids from across the community, many of them representing different churches, take the field to play.
The churches have even set up a system to advertise each other’s leagues to their participants. Midway through Colonial Baptist’s soccer season they advertise Rainbow Forest’s basketball league. During Rainbow Forest’s basketball season, they advertise for Parkway’s flag football league. And then as Parkway wraps up their season, they plan to advertise for Colonial soccer coming back up in the fall.
“The heart of who I am is not to be in competition with other churches,” says Carley, “but to partner with them.” And he’s seen that same heart for partnership from the other churches who have been so supportive to this new league.
“The heart of who I am is not to be in competition with other churches,” says Carley, “but to partner with them.”
But it’s not just other churches that have offered support. Initially, Carley planned for the league to use a field closer to the church building on their picturesque mountaintop campus. Unfortunately, during a heavy snowfall, some drivers decided to do donuts on the field by the building, making it unusable. So, Parkway chose to use a different field they owned at the bottom of the mountain that was being used for a homeschool soccer league. This field, far from their church building, had no access to restrooms or electricity. Thankfully, the business next to the field has graciously allowed Parkway access to their office building on practice and game days so they can have all the things they need to provide a great experience for everyone involved.
Parkway’s staff and congregation have also stepped up to make this a great first-year league. Maegan Gahima, the church’s Missions Director, jumped on board and provided the initial fee to join Upward from the missions budget. The men’s ministry grills burgers and hot dogs every week. When Carley purchased a TV to use as a scoreboard, he returned to his desk and found an anonymous donation for the exact amount he had just spent on the TV. And plenty of volunteers have stepped up to help serve, with Carley’s team of commissioners helping to keep things running smoothly.
Carley’s right-hand man, James “JL” Jay, used to volunteer with another local Upward league before he started attending Parkway, where he began serving on the church’s production team. JL thought his time with Upward was over, but now he’s helping Carley make this new league the best it can be.
This collective effort has paid off. Parkway had a goal of 50-60 participants for their first season. They ended up with 99 participants, enough for 10 football teams and 2 cheer squads. Already, Parkway has seen people start to connect with their church through the league. “God has just completely orchestrated this thing and really made it happen,” says Carley.
One of the things the league has already gotten positive feedback about has been their communication. Carley makes sure to send out regular information and encouragement to all the volunteers each week, and keeps parents up-to-date with everything they might need to know. Carley and his team have taken advantage of the communication system and all the resources Upward provides to get the league off the ground and running in such an efficient and organized way that people have been surprised the league is brand-new. Carley says, “There have been several people who have commented, ‘I can’t believe this is you guys’ first year. It’s like a well-oiled machine.’”
Parkway’s first season is off to an impressive start, but Carley will be the first to tell you that they haven’t done it on their own. It has been a community effort from the beginning.
“It just goes back to unity in the church, unity in the body,” says Carley. “We’re all on the same team; we’re just a different part of the body, and when we come together, we can do so much more. And that’s really what we’re starting to see in our community.”
Inspired by Carley Moore, Associate Lead Pastor at Parkway Church? You can make a lasting impact in your community just like they have. Starting an Upward Sports league is more than organizing games. It’s creating a space where faith and fun come together to change lives. Whether you’re passionate about sports, outreach, or simply want to serve, there’s a place for you in this ministry.
Start an Upward Sports Ministry at Your Church Today!
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