Sports Ministry Archives — Breakaway Outreach

14Mar, 2024

From Prison to Purpose: “You’re only as sick as your secrets”

From Prison to Purpose

“You’re only as sick as your secrets,” says Regi. If you’ve ever heard Regi’s story, it’s worth hearing again. In the latest Breakaway Talk podcast episode, we hear from “Sure Shot Regi” about sports rivalries, basketball life, drug addiction, prison time, finding redemption, the “Juvie Globetrotters,” missionary passion, mentoring takeaways, and endurance for youth workers.

We call this “The Old School Mix Tape #1”

Regi was part of the birth of the Breakaway Outreach sports ministry over 28 years ago when he was released from prison and started volunteering with a Breakaway basketball program in juvenile detention centers. The podcast conversation is a fun and encouraging discussion down memory lane as well as takeaways on the importance of youth mentorship in today’s world.

4Mar, 2024

West Africa Sports Ministry Reaching Youth in Mali

A message from one of our West Africa representatives…

“I’m one of the youth leaders in my region here in San Pedro [Ivory Coast]. The Lord allowed me to be in contact with pastor Jimmy [Breakaway Outreach] and by the grace of God, last year in November, the pastor invited me to Ghana, Accra, to be part of the team to really learn through the ministry of sport. It is my first time to see that putting youth together to play sport, we can share the gospel with them. I [also] noticed through the sport, we can be in contact with Muslim youth and share the gospel with them. I have a colleague in Mali. Mali is one of the countries here in West Africa, but Mali is Muslim country [95% Muslim]. The brother in Mali really appreciated the idea, and invited me to be in Mali to have five or six days with them, pulling the youth for sport activity, and sharing the great love of Jesus. I want for you to pray for our countries here, especially in Africa, where a lot of youth, they love sport and I believe through the ministry of sport, we can win many souls to the kingdom of God. That’s the reason I’m very, very happy. Every day I’m telling the Lord, thank you for the contact He gave me through pastor Jimmy, and I’m learning from him to also apply the same ministry here in my country, Ivory Coast, and also in Mali and different countries. By the grace of God, we’ll see many youth be connected to the kingdom of God. Pray for our country. Pray for our youth. Thank you very much. May God bless you.”

5Feb, 2024

NFL Flag Youth Championships Coming this Summer

The National Football League announced today that the NFL Flag Championships, the world’s premiere youth football flag tournament, will be hosted on July 19-21, at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. The NFL Flag Championships will feature over 280 teams of girls and boys, NFL Flag regional winners from across the country representing all 32 NFL clubs.

ESPN will provide LIVE coverage of the 30-game showcase, beginning with the round of 16 for 14U boys and 17U girls. The 15 boys and 15 girls’ games will appear on multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, and ESPN YouTube. In addition, the games will be available to stream on NFL+.

“The worldwide broadcast of—and global participation in—the NFL Flag Championships, being held at the center of football excellence in Canton, Ohio underscores NFL Flag’s popularity and its global reach,” said Troy Vincent, Sr., executive vice president of NFL football operations. “This tournament emphasizes the importance of Flag Football and will showcase it as the highly competitive cornerstone of affordability, accessibility, and inclusivity of football for all.”

BREAKAWAY OUTREACH INCORPORATES FLAG FOOTBALL IN OUR YOUTH SPORTS CAMPS

The platforms for the Championship finals will expand to include additional Disney platforms, with both the boys and girls’ games airing on ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD and ESPN Deportes and streaming on Disney+, ESPN+ and NFL+.

Coverage of the NFL Flag Championships will be available in over 125 countries on ESPN branded networks including Mexico, Brazil, throughout Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Netherlands, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.

“The NFL Flag Championships is ESPN and Disney’s newest opportunity to support the NFL’s tremendous work around flag football. We will equally showcase the girls 17U and boys 14U tournament across our television and streaming platforms and our branded social networks, introducing the sport to new fans. The summer tournament adds a signature event on our year-around NFL calendar and further deepens our youth-focused initiatives.”

—Julie Sobieski, ESPN senior vice president of league programming and acquisitions

NFL Flag, operated by RCX Sports, will produce the three-day competition in partnership with Omaha Productions just footsteps from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The NFL Flag Championships will be the premiere youth flag tournament of the calendar year, featuring some of the very best girls’ and boys’ Flag Football players from across the country and around the world. International youth flag football teams representing multiple countries will compete in an NFL Flag Championships showcase.

“The inaugural NFL FLAG Championships is the most prominent stage these athletes will have ever played on. As we look ahead to the 2028 Olympic Games, it’s encouraging to see how our mission of increasing accessibility and inclusivity has led to more kids getting involved in NFL FLAG. I’m excited to see how many athletes competing here in Ohio may be competing to represent their country on the global stage in four years.”

—Izell Reese, CEO of RCX Sports, executive director of NFL Flag and a Global Flag Football Ambassador

“For all of us at Omaha, it’s been fun to team up with our friends at the NFL and RCX Sports to build out the NFL Flag Championships and create a new platform for high-level competition,” said Peyton Manning, whose company Omaha Productions helped develop the plan for the tournament. “We’re excited about this initiative and the impact it will have on growing youth football participation worldwide.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Oct. 16, 2023, that Flag Football will be included in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games program in Los Angeles, CA. The inclusion puts flag football on the world’s largest stage.

“We are honored to host the NFL Flag Championships and to welcome these flag football athletes and families from around the world,” shared Michael Crawford, President and CEO of Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company, Hall of Fame Village’s parent company. “Hosting this type of youth sporting event at our world-class sports complex directly speaks to our Mission, which is to Honor the Past and Inspire the Future. Youth Flag Football athletes of all skill levels will be competing at the highest level in the shadows of the place that houses to best to ever play the game.”

Flag football’s rapid growth and popularity also is reflected in an exhibit inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Flag football is the world’s fastest-growing sport, played by over 20 million people in more than 100 countries, across six continents. It is the most inclusive and accessible format of football, played by people of all ages and genders, with female athletes driving some of the fastest growth. The Pro Bowl Games youth participants as well as Global Flag Ambassadors will make appearances at the NFL Flag Championships to promote the growth of flag football and bring awareness to the event.

21Nov, 2023

2024 Mission Trips: Serve with Breakaway

18Oct, 2023

Playing for an Audience of One: Sports Ministry Devotional

Most of us have heard of Babe Ruth, but few have heard of Babe Pinelli? Pinelli was an umpire in Major League Baseball who once called The Great Bambino out on strikes. When the crowd began booing in disapproval of the call, Babe turned to the umpire and said, “There’s 40,000 people here who know that the last pitch was a ball.” Pinelli responded coolly, “Maybe so, Babe, but mine is the only opinion that counts.”

In life it’s easy to get caught up in playing for the approval and the opinions of others, but in the end, it’s not our scoffers or critics by whom we will be judged, only God. This book offers 52 weekly devotions for what it looks like to play for an audience One—to seek first the approval of God over all other voices and influences in our lives.

This doesn’t mean you have no affinity or accountability to your teammates, coaches, family members, or neighbors. Playing for the audience of One means those relationships will be more deeply impacted by the fact that you are playing for a bigger purpose—the chief aim being to please your God and bring Him alone the glory in your life. Playing for an audience of One means you will bring honor to your godly leaders, while ignoring the critics, the haters, and those who are not in your corner. It will even entail overcoming your most difficult opponent: yourself (your fears, your insecurities, your doubts, your lack of confidence). None of these need to get the final word in your performance or the spiritual marathon you are running. By playing for an audience of One, you choose to put God first over all others, including those inner voices that speak contrary to God’s best intentions and His ultimate reign over your life.

Each devo comes with a prayer and questions for personal reflection or group discussion, fitting for athletes, coaches, parents of athletes, and sports ministry leaders who work with athletes. The format of the devos also work well for fostering devotional times and gospel sharing at sports camps/clinics during mission trips.

9Aug, 2023

Baseball5™ Sports Ministry and Youth Outreach

Baseball5™ has seen explosive international growth since its launch by the WBSC in 2017, and will make its debut in the Youth Olympic Games in 2026.

What is Baseball5?

Baseball5™ is a simple urban version of the classic games of baseball and softball, where only a rubber ball is required to play the game. This faster paced street discipline of the sport has been designed to appeal to youngsters and other fans across the world. The variant eliminates the need for traditional baseball equipment such as bats, gloves, helmets, etc. No pitcher is needed as hitting is done by hand. The sport maintains the uniqueness of baseball/softball while eliminating the structural complexities, thus making the game playable anywhere.

The discipline can be characterized as: accessible, sustainable, urban, youth-focused, inclusive, and instant fun.

Baseball5 Basics

Fast-paced team sport
Individual skills and hand-eye coordination are highlighted
Utilizes four vital athletic skills: Hitting, Throwing, Catching, Running
No construction or dedicated venue needed
A rubber ball (or tennis ball) is the only equipment needed to play

The game is played on a compact playing field that requires little space for the game, the teams are small and therefore the game is fast and dynamic.

Benefits of Baseball5

Adapts to any environment, indoor or outdoor
Can be played on any surface, turf or pavement or gym floor
All you need is a ball
Skills also transfer to traditional baseball/softball
Promotes inclusion—a game for all demographics
Social contribution—its accessibility makes it invaluable particularly to the most underserved communities

Baseball5 as Sports Ministry

Baseball5™ is helping to drive baseball and softball to new places not possible before, which also makes it a highly impactful sport for evangelism, youth outreach, and church missions. Depending on the venue, Breakaway Outreach can facilitate Baseball5™ as a standalone sports ministry camp or provide coaches to add it as a feature to an existing ministry context such as multisport camp, English camp, student ministry, or VBS program.

Breakaway Outreach has used Baseball5™ as sports ministry in USA, Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, England, Dominican Republic, Ghana, and Korea. Contact us if you are interested in running a Baseball5™ camp or clinic as sports ministry in your community, or if you’d like to coach Baseball5™ on a cross-cultural mission trip.

8Aug, 2023

Vova’s Prayer and The D.R.E.A.M. Initiative

Vova grew up in an orphanage in Ukraine. He was adopted and brought to America when he was 15-years old. In 2021, he had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, where he shared his testimony at an orphanage and worked with a sports ministry for underserved children. That experience captured Vova’s heart for the Dominican people and he’s never been the same since. On another visit to the DR, Vova asked God for a vision of how he can help give opportunities to less fortunate children in the region. The D.R.E.A.M. initiative was born as an answer to Vova’s prayer.

The D.R.E.A.M. (Dominican Republic Equipping Athletic Ministries) initiative aims to equip local Dominican leaders/coaches with resources to help develop young athletes through gospel-centered programs, and to mobilize sports ministry mission teams to go and serve in the DR.

Some of the D.R.E.A.M. goals include:

Providing sports equipment for faith-based athletic programs
Funding construction and renovation projects for sports fields/venues
Equipping Dominican leaders/coaches/mentors with essential ministry tools for sports development and spiritual formation (discipleship)
Mobilizing mission teams to go and serve in the DR

Here are some ways that you can partner with the D.R.E.A.M. initiative:

GIVE: You can support the D.R.E.A.M. initiative by making a monetary donation or donating sports equipment.

GO: You can go and serve with our partners in the DR, bringing gospel-centered sports ministry to youth and children.

PRAY: You can pray for God’s work in the DR. Pray for the leaders we are resourcing, the youth/children being served, and the local churches we partner with to multiply disciple-making movements through sports ministry.

3Feb, 2023

Tony Dungy Suber Bowl Outreach Video Resource

Former NFL coach Tony Dungy talks about the purpose of pain in our faith journey. Dungy shares how hardships in the NFL and the personal tragedy of losing his own son have affected his faith. Approximate running time is 15 minutes and the Gospel-centered message makes for an excellent Super Bowl outreach and evangelistic tool.

Tony Dungy’s words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach. How is it possible for a coach—especially a football coach—to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, and the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family?

As a devout follower of Jesus Christ, Dungy has earned widespread respect both on and off the field due to what many see as strong convictions and high personal standards of ethics and behavior, which affect his behavior as both a coach and as a member of his community. He has been active in many community service organizations in the cities in which he has coached. While coaching in Tampa Bay, Dungy worked as a public speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action.

He began a mentoring program for young people called Mentors for Life, and provided Buccaneers’ tickets for the participants. He also supported other charitable programs in the area such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, the Prison Crusade Ministry, foster parenting organizations, and Family First. His community involvement and care continues in Indianapolis where Tony helped launch the Basket of Hope program which aids patients at the Riley Hospital for Children.

Below is a Teaser, but not the entire video:

4Aug, 2022

The NASCAR KidVenturez Experience

Our NASCAR KidVenturez weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway has been a 12-year tradition. This action packed weekend for boys offers enrichment around the thrill of motorsports along with outdoor adventure. Our group participates in many speedway festivities before attending the night race followed by a Sunday morning chapel time. This is one of our most popular KidVenturez experiences.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is one of two NASCAR Cup Series races held at Bristol, the other being the Food City 500, but it is by far the more popular of the two. The race is currently the final race in the NASCAR playoffs’ Round of 16.

Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all-concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks. The track is billed as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, even though that designation technically belongs to the Volusia Speedway Park dirt track.

Bristol Motor Speedway is the fourth-largest sports venue in America and the tenth largest in the world, seating up to 153,000 people. The speeds are far lower than is typical on most NASCAR oval tracks, but they are very fast compared to other short tracks due to the high banking. Those features make for a considerable amount of car contact at the NASCAR races as the initial starting grid of 40 vehicles each in the Cup and Xfinity Series, and 32 in the Truck Series, extends almost halfway around the track, meaning slower qualifiers begin the race almost half a lap down.

4Apr, 2022

UK Baseball Mission Trips (Belfast and Bristol)

Baseball Ministry (UK Mission Trips)

Join us for an exciting missions opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus using the game of baseball to reach youth/children with the gospel and make disciples. Whether you are a returning Breakaway missions team member or looking to serve with us for the first time, these baseball camps offer turnkey models for stepping right in and making a difference with your love for Jesus and passion for the game of baseball. The Belfast camp will serve children ages 5-11 and the Bristol camp will serve ages 9-13. Contact us for more details if you are interested in either or both of these 2022 UK baseball missions opportunities, or for information about other Breakaway baseball camps in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Category Archives: Sports Ministry