Several years ago, a member of Boyd Avenue Baptist Church in Casper, Wyoming, realized that the men’s basketball team at local Casper College couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving because of their game schedule. She decided to invite them to her home for a holiday meal.
Over time, the number of athletes who came to her house grew as the women’s basketball team and soccer team also had tournaments occurring around Turkey Day. Ultimately, the big crowd got to be too much for one woman to serve, so the church offered to take over for her.
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THE CHURCH THE CHALLENGE ONE BIG IDEA |
This November will be the fifth year Boyd Avenue will feed a traditional Thanksgiving meal to the athletes and coaches who can’t go home for the holiday. Senior Pastor Ed Tharp was excited to partner with Casper College since he was involved in collegiate outreach for 22 years.
“I love going to the games and finding new ways to connect with that mission field at our college campus,” Tharp shares. “Our athletes sacrifice a lot. This is a way we can say thank you and get to know them a bit.”
Initially, the coaches were concerned that the students would be pressured to attend church services, but Tharp assured them that wasn’t the case.
“We told them that all we ask is to pray for [the athletes] and feed them a meal,” he says. “We minister and love people where they are and earn the opportunity to share the gospel with them.”
Several years ago, the church built a multipurpose activity center not just to hold potlucks or events for congregants but also as a means to impact the community. They now hold the annual Thanksgiving dinner there.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the programs and forget that it is all about reaching people,” Tharp reflects.
Some of the players on the women’s basketball team were initially reluctant to come until a woman from the congregation befriended them.
“She became like a grandma to the team, and they all came to the Thanksgiving meal,” Tharp relates. “Those relationships continued to build, and on the last Sunday those girls were in town last semester, everyone on the team came to church.”