Month: September 2016

Pentasport: Origins

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It was the summer of 2014; four of us from Lord’s Love Church were eagerly preparing for an evangelical mission trip to Ghana. Unfortunately, after a year of planning and fundraising, the trip got cancelled one week prior due to the widespread Ebola crisis in Western Africa. The group was crushed and the girls were in tears. Me personally? I was kind of happy to be honest; It would have been my first mission trip and I was getting progressively nervous about the whole idea. Our team decided to meet up and pray over the situation and I experienced a God moment when somebody asked God for reasoning and purpose. I’ve never heard God’s actual voice but that very instant I experienced a calling to use the extra time we now had to bring the churches of Vancouver together by starting some type of sports league. It actually makes me laugh now thinking about it, because of how utterly random it must have seemed. But our group was definitely united by the Spirit as we all caught hold of the vision and pushed forward together to launch the league.

It has now been 2 years and four Pentasport seasons since our trip got cancelled. Each season has been amazing and memorable in it’s own way, but the inaugural season will always have a special place in my heart. God’s providence was on display, especially because we had no clue what we were doing, none of us had ever organized a sports league afterall:

  • The equipment: we bought three different sets of dodgeballs before getting the right type – sigh! (Thank you to Warren at VDL for donating all the balls we currently use).
  • The facility: we picked one of the newest schools in Richmond – Brighouse Elementary. Of course it would have a nice big gym right? Well, we didn’t realize that everything BUT the gym was rebuilt. The school was really nice, but the gym was still really small, and really old. Basketball had to be 4 on 4 and the crease was so small for handball that you could literally jump right into the net.
  • The teams: Our target was  to have eight to twelve teams register; no problem right? We ended up with only four (one of them being our own team).

And yet through all our mishaps, God made everything SO good. Everyone had a blast and many lasting relationships were made. The foundation of Pentasport was firmly set after that first season.

This season we’re playing in a gym three times larger than Brighouse with ten teams signed up.  Despite all this, the growth of community across our churches will always be our top priority. Come out and meet everybody! Mark off Thursday, October 20th for our first social of the season – place TBD!

Play hard. Laugh harder. Shine brighter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthony Ma

Anthony loves playing and watching all sports and is a die-hard Vancouver Canucks fan. He lives on top of a home daycare with his wife Caitlin who you’ll hear from a little later. Being, or atleast feeling like one of the older guys at Pentasport, you might see him hobbling around for a few days after game day.

P.S. Tiffany Syyong, Caitlin Ma, and myself did end up making it to Ghana the next summer (in between Pentasport seasons of course) – Pastor Doug could not make it due to the arrival of baby Cohen:

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Let the Pentasport Games Begin!

After months of planning, the fourth season of Pentasport has officially begun!

The Pentasport Committee, comprised of members from various churches, has been working hard behind the scenes. Few would have known that with weeks to the start of the season, we were having issues securing gyms for the games – so much so that we might have actually had to cancel our season! But as the committee got together to pray, we slowly saw God’s plan unveil with all the details falling into place.

I would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome THREE new teams to our league: Pokémon Gobblers from Richmond Pacific Grace MB Church, Sushi Squad from Burnaby Christian Pentecostal Church, and Pylons from Lord’s Grace Church! It is great to see the heart of the league spreading to churches in the Lower Mainland. With new teams and players every season, we tangibly see steps taken towards our vision. Not only have we seen churches come together through sports and the socials, we also heard how some reconnected with old friends while others made new ones because of this league. This brings us much joy!

I would like to also welcome back our returning teams this season! We started with four teams in the Spring of 2015. It is amazing to see the league now grow to ten! (Though it makes for interesting play-off brackets…) Thank you for your on-going support and we look forward to duking it out (as friends of course!) on the court as in our previous seasons.

After a season of hiatus and taking the season-end surveys into account, basketball and dodgeball made its way back to Pentasport. Why we chose five sports (hence Pentasport…) is simply for the fact that no one person can dominate every sport. A rotation of the sports aims to achieve this, as well as a dependence on teammates. Personally, basketball sure tested my cardio because my exercise regime also took a summer hiatus. It was hard getting out of bed this morning and I’m definitely feeling the soreness! For those who played dodgeball, how’s the elbow and shoulder feeling? Your arm is about to fall off, right? Though these two potential physical and rougher sports (how can it not be taken personally when you are aiming AT me?), thank you for your sportsmanship and for keeping the rough play down. For those who were feeling just as rusty as I was, know that it will get better as the season goes on!

I love sports. I love its unpredictability. Just think of the underdog story or a game winning shot from an unexpected teammate. I know I saw a few amazing shots from the teams who played yesterday! I love even more the relationships and memories it has the potential to form. Sports can also bring out the best or worst in us, yet I believe the choices we make decide which one. Being a baseball fan, the late Major League Hall of Famer Ernie Banks (nicknamed “Mr. Sunshine”) said this, “The only way to prove you’re a good sport is to lose.” When pushed to the brink we know what we are made of. That is why I believe sports is a way to build discipline, teamwork and humility. This does not just happen in the good times, but most often in the lows. With each of my rusty shots and air balls yesterday, I was reminded of how sometimes we just can’t take ourselves too seriously and need to laugh it out. Every game is filled with these moments. Moments of excitement, laughter or frustration. Embrace them. Every moment. You never know how these will be woven into your relationships!

That is what I love about Pentasport because it is more than sports. It’s bigger than ourselves. Bigger than our team. Even bigger than our churches. It’s about tangibly displaying what it means to be a body, with different roles, all working cohesively towards one goal. There is just something powerful about a group of people fighting for a common cause. Our team captain and league rep meeting a few weeks ago was evidence of this. Know that we’re not fighting against each other, but ultimately for each other. You and your team are setting the example for those around you. As entrepreneur and author Dennis Mannering writes, “Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?” Help others up when they fall. High five the other team. Play by the rules. Sweat it out on the court but smile and laugh even more. It’s not just about winning the championship, but about building relationship.

With each game and decision we make, it is a choice that either goes away or towards this.

Choose the latter.

Choose to build.

Praying for many relationships to be built up this season!

Another round of basketball and dodgeball next week. I better stop typing and start stretching my arm now. Hope to see you around!

Play hard. Laugh harder. Shine brighter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Douglas Wong

Doug feels blessed to be part of the Pentasport Committee. Though once considered retiring from rec-league sports, he currently plays on the Uptown Monks. He lives with his wife, Jessica, and son, Cohen, in Vancouver. He also currently serves as the English Ministry Pastor at Lord’s Love Church.