Recreation is a vital
ministry because it is both evangelistic in its appeal and
nurturing in its essence.
The
first responsibility of any ministry is
evangelism. Evangelism begins when you get someone's attention and
recreation will get almost everyone's attention because it appeals
to their personal interests. When Jesus said to a band of fisherman that
He sought, "I will make you fishers of men," He was appealing to their
interests.
The
second responsibility of a ministry is to
nurture the children of God and to provide the stimuli for their growth in
Christ. What better way is there for people to learn to apply these
virtues than through sports and recreational activities?
In Galatians, Paul
speaks of the fruits of the spirit as being: love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, and temperance. Recreation
can indeed be a vineyard in which such fruit can be cultivated, nurtured,
and ultimately harvested! Recreation now can become a ministry used as a
tool for the implementing of the gospel and the uplifting of Christ.