Written by Dennis Teague, IM missionary to France
From the very beginning of our ministry in France, I viewed sports as a means to meet the everyday French person. Since I had absolutely no knowledge of soccer, and there was no baseball or football in France, I turned to basketball. Not the most advantageous for me, a skinny, little white boy who couldn’t jump. But as I signed up to play in our local club, I was asked to become an assistant coach. And that was the beginning of a long journey of over 35 years, blessed by the Lord!
About fifteen years ago, the Lord gave me the idea to start a basketball camp in the United States with my high school-aged young ladies from France. And the adventure began, bringing young French people to the U.S. to gain some skill in their sport, see “real” Americans, and be exposed to a positive presentation of the gospel and the evangelical church.
Our camps are held in Oklahoma, and they last two weeks with a mixture of physical conditioning and basketball skills (After all, it is a basketball camp). But there is so much more to these camps. Students are lodged in Christian homes and spend significant time with these families from local FWB churches. They participate in the Sunday morning services, and on Wednesday night they attend with the youth of the host church. And, of course, there has to be some shopping along with some sightseeing.
I recently received a text about a year and a half ago from a young person who had just finished this basketball camp experience. She said that she had received a couple of books from her host family during the camp, but didn’t have the slightest idea what the books were.
So, I told her to send me the titles, and I’ll see what I can do. Her response is a very clear description of where the vast majority of these young people are in their knowledge of God. The answer to my question shocked me, even after all these years in France. Her answer was, “One is called the Bible, and the other is the New Testament. What in the world are they?”
This is a definite reflection of the decline of the Catholic Church and the rise of atheism in French culture. And this is where the vast majority of our players come from. However, since she first received the books, she has informed me that she is reading the New Testament and has found a friend in France who claims to be a Christian!
After this most recent camp during the summer, I received a text from one of the parents of our students. They were very complimentary and expressed a lot of gratitude for what their child had experienced during the camp. But for the first time, this parent added a note I have been longing to hear. She said, “Bravo for your engagement and energy that made this voyage a grand moment of sharing, rich in encounters, human experiences, spiritual, and sport.” This is exactly what we are trying to accomplish! Thanks be to the Lord.
This summer, we completed our ninth camp, and I want to close by expressing my deep thankfulness to Randall University, Crosspointe church in Norman, Oklahoma, Rejoice Church in Owasso, Oklahoma, and Bethany FWB Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Without these churches and families, we would not be where we are today. And of course, we give the most heartfelt thanks to our Lord.