(August) Run or Walk...the choice is yours.
A synopsis of one of our most popular ministry's. Catch the vision and hear from the leaders of our Run/Walk Club. See how God is using them and this ministry to transform lives.
I have to admit, when I got the phone call from Pastor
Josh asking my brother and me to take over and co-lead the Run/Walk
group, I was not very enthusiastic. I told him we would think
about it. My brother John was instantly on board with an adamant
YES! All I could see was a big fat NO! It just seemed like
it would mean more responsibility added to my already-busy
schedule.
That very next Sunday, the sermon was about volunteering and using what talents we have to help our wonderful church grow and bring people to Jesus. I looked at John and said, “What was I thinking?” It was in that moment I knew we were supposed to lead the Run/Walk Ministry at Shepherd Sports.
John and I recruited LeShon to help in the fitness and nutrition category of our program. She has been a great blessing to us all.
We train for 6 weeks—Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings—and then we do a 5K out in the community, wearing our turquoise Shepherd Sports Ministry T-shirts. During training, we always circle up, hold hands and pray. We choose different people at random to pray out loud and a wonderful thing happens: we get to know these amazing people through their prayers! It’s so encouraging and inspiring! At the 5K, we pray that we will shine God’s light so that others will want Him in their lives as well.
We love our group so much! I can’t explain all that God has
done for the Run/Walk Ministry, but I know He has filled my heart with
love for a whole bunch of new people I probably would not have met
otherwise. Shepherd is such a large church, and the Sports
Ministry seems to turn a huge church into a small neighborhood
church. We had a BBQ at our house after the last session, and
this session we volunteered at Children’s Hunger Fund. We worked
together packing food for our community and dried fruit for starving
children in foreign countries. It felt good, and I’m very proud
of everyone’s enthusiastic effort!
We are a small part of Shepherd Sports, but it has impacted my life,
my brother John’s life, and the lives of many others. We
encourage anyone who is looking for fellowship, new friends, fitness
and a whole lot of fun to consider joining in—you won’t regret it! Looking forward to
meeting you real soon!
It’s more than a run...Sincerely, Mariann
