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.
God’s Plan
The Met Church in Houston, Texas, is a vibrant, Christ-centered community. Their mission statement is “inviting people into a meaningful relationship with God and each other,” and one way they do this is through their ministries. One of those ministries is their Upward Sports program. Now in its third year, the program continues to grow, serving the community and providing a discipleship pathway.
Isaiah Batts grew up in Michigan, but moved to Houston in 2011 and started attending The Met Church. His dad was a children’s pastor and, although Isaiah never planned on working in ministry, God had other plans for him.
The Lawn
Just across the street from the church is The Lawn, an open green space situated in the middle of Northwest Houston, which is rare to find in that area. A welcoming and inviting outdoor space, the church wondered how to optimally utilize that space and open it up to the community. Along with outdoor activities, they decided to run a sports program.
Initially, they ran a sports program on their own, but decided to use Upward Sports for a camp. The camp was a success, and after that, they decided to continue with Upward Sports, branching out into leagues for soccer, flag football, and cheerleading. Around this time, Isaiah was asked to work part-time running the sports ministry program at the church.
Using sports with ministry, Isaiah says, is an easy way to invite people to church.
“We just want to utilize every different way we can do that, and sports is a great way for us to open the doors of our church to the community on a Saturday and a Monday. They might be intimidated to come on a Sunday, but if they see us out there having fun on the lawn, it will open them up and show them we like to have fun, and it really gives us an opportunity to invite people.
Sports as a Discipleship Pathway
The Met Church strives to integrate discipleship into everything they do, and Upward Sports was a natural fit. Being a league director provides him with an opportunity to walk alongside his volunteers, support them in their roles, and make more disciples. The sports platform gives him an opportunity to invest in people.
“It’s easy to have those people for those two days a week, and you walk with them, then they get into an automatic place where they can disciple their assistant coaches and their players. They get to put everything they’re learning into action,” Isaiah says.
Isaiah notes that having practice devotions and gameday materials is an easy way to make discipleship and sports go together. He adds that the Upward system makes everything easy, from signups to registrations and organization.
“Having it all in one system makes it so much easier. Instead of having to do it on your own, you can focus on pouring into coaches who can then pour into the players. You can just focus on the ministry.”
Focusing on the ministry has allowed Isaiah to connect with those in the community. He notes that families from different churches in the area will participate in the league, allowing The Met to connect with other churches in the community.
Isaiah has also been able to reach out to a diverse age group when seeking volunteers for the league. Of course, there are plenty of volunteers from their congregation or who are parents of participants, but another group of volunteers are young adults. Sometimes these are high school kids seeking community service hours. At other times, it is young adults who want to serve in ministry, and serving in a ministry with a focus on sports is something they can relate to. When young adults serve in the ministry, Isaiah says he will pair the more experienced volunteers with the less experienced, younger volunteers.
The experience has been positive, with young adults who initially volunteered for service hours returning the next season to volunteer because they ended up loving the experience. There have been young adults who aren’t connected to the church at all, but enjoy helping out with the sports ministry and continue to come back.
Isaiah notes that the Scouting Report at the beginning of each weekly devotion has been tremendously helpful for the young adults who volunteer. Many admit that while they are familiar with the Bible, the resource helps them learn more about it as they prepare for practice. As a result, they can then better articulate the weekly devotion to the kids each week.
It’s Not Just a Program, It’s a Ministry
Isaiah admits that, although he was initially hesitant to jump into ministry, serving as a league director with Upward Sports has helped him grow.
“Being a league director has been a great way to jump into ministry as somebody who was hesitant to jump in and do that. I already felt comfortable in the sports arena, but being able to combine sports and ministry has been so cool. I’ve seen more growth in myself over the past three years than ever before. It’s not just a program; it really is a ministry.”
— Isaiah, The Met Church
Isaiah says that the role has allowed him to grow closer to the Lord, to lean on and trust Him.
“I’m the league director, but it’s His league ultimately; I am just there to fill everything in.”
The league at The Met Church has also had a positive impact on the community. Upward Sports has enabled the church to offer an affordable and low-pressure sports experience. With one-hour practices during the week and one-hour games on Saturday, Upward Sports provides a safe space where kids can grow and develop their sports skills.
Start Small and Take the Next Right Step
The Upward Sports program at The Met Church started small three years ago, with about 30 participants signed up for camp. However, it has grown to over 100 participants in their soccer league. Isaiah encourages anyone who may be on the fence about starting an Upward Sports League at their church to “start small and take the next right step.”
“Initially, sometimes when you start, you want it to be this big thing, but the growth isn’t really in your control; God is going to bless opening up your doors to others and discipleship. It may never be 400 kids, you may get 20, 50 kids, but that next right step is what you can control.”
Written by Corrina Ramirez, Content Writer at Upward Sports.
Inspired by The MET 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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