CLAY Team Sports Blog

*Article from CLAY Newsletter: January 18, 2012*

I am now able to say that enough of the overdue team fees has come in that I can confidently say that this season will be able to move forward. We entered January with over $30,000 in outstanding team fees despite the deadline for payment being December 1. This has been the number one reason for our issues in getting this season off the ground. We also had more teams and less gyms register than we had anticipated. Due to the untimely payments by over 80% of our teams, I was handcuffed from making sure everything was ready to go by January 7 as planned. We also had a gym back out the week before the season was to start, which further complicated things.

I want to apologize to the 20% who did pay on time for letting the mistakes of others affect your kids. For this, I am truly and deeply sorry as I violated my cardinal rule of not letting adult problems affect the kids. To the 80%, from whom I have received much heat, please forgive me for extending grace to you. Be assured that the payment will be a hard dealine next year (as is currently stated in the terms you agreed to). I understand your frustrations, but please understand mine. No sports league, or any organization for that matter, can opporate without money. If it were up to me, I would have cancelled this season because we did not have enough paid teams in each division. But I felt God calling me to move forward by faith. For one reason or another, God wants this season to happen, so I have been doing everything in my power to overcome the many obstacles that have been thrown our way.

For many years, my parents personally bore the costs of doing this ministry. During that time, CLAY grew from under 300 participants to over 700 participants per year. What was only a couple hundred dollars quickly grew to a couple thousand dollars every year. We were able to keep our player/team fees at a rock bottom level because CLAY’s administrative costs were covered by our family business. This year, however, the rough economy finally caught up with our business interests. This caused us to completely rebuild the financial structure of CLAY so that it would be able to opporate as a self-sustaining business entity. While going through this process, we found that our new team/player fees were on par with other local and national youth sports programs. CLAY is not designed to make money, but it is finally designed to not lose money.

Over the past eight years, I have served this ministry in just about every conceivable capacity. I may have the title of Executive Director, but I have no office and draw no salary. Just as many of you, I am volunteering my time while working a full-time job. I do this because I believe in our mission and vision of reaching kids and allowing the Spirit to transform their lives. This league not only brought me and my sister to Christ, but also sparked a spiritual revival in my family that spanned four generations. There are thousands of lives that have been changed for the better because of the work God has done through CLAY over the years. I want to personally thank all of you who have faithfully served alongside me in this ministry. You have touched my life as you have touched many, many others.

There is still much work to be done. I am actively trying to book more Erie gym space while finishing up all my preseason administrative duties that were left undone while I was eagerly awaiting outstanding fees to come in. T-shirts could not be ordered, gyms could not be booked, officials could not be hired without money in the bank. We still have some team/player fees outstanding, and I will be in contact with those church representatives Thank you all for your prayers and patience as we set forth on yet another year of “using the Holy Spirit to shape the spirit of competition.”

Theme Verse
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Theme Statement
“There is much more than winning and losing, we will set the right goals.”

Lesson
There is so much more to sports than simply winning and losing. Why do you play? For fun? For exercise? To be with your friends? To challenge yourself? There are many different reasons that we decide to play sports, but all too often our coaches and parents lead us to believe that it is all about winning and losing. We need to set the right goals and be true to why we are here. We are here to serve God and to be the salt and light of the earth. That means that we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard, both on and off the field of play. If the only reason you play sports is to beat your opponent, then you will never be satisfied. You need to set the right goals and always be true to who you are.

Prayer
“Dear God, help us to set the right goals and to always keep our eyes on you. Let us not become so consumed with winning and losing that we lose sight of why we are here. Teach us to be humble and to desire Your righteousness. Amen.”

Theme Verse
“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Theme Statement
“We will play with patience and respect for our fellow competitors.”

Lesson
Have you ever played a game with someone who was playing too rough?  It takes away all the fun, doesn’t it?  God designed us to work together as a team, so we need to respect that and choose to play nice with others – and that even includes the people we are playing against because we wouldn’t even be able to have a game if it wasn’t for them.  We all need to have respect for those around us, regardless if you think they deserve it or not.  The truth is that we are all children of God, and, therefore, we all deserve respect.  So let’s be patient with each other today and always do our best to bear with one another in love.

Prayer
“Dear God, please forgive us for the times when we don’t show respect for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Please give us the patience to work together as a team and to respect our co-competitors.  We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Theme Verse
 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Theme Statement
“Nothing is impossible with God; no matter how bad it gets, I will keep my head up.”

Lesson
Have you ever felt like there is a black cloud over your head, like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get it right?  That’s not how God wants us to live.  If we chose to rely on God’s strength rather than our own, then there is nothing that we cannot do.  No matter how hard life may seem, God is always there to lead and guide us if we let Him.  We just have to be patient.  God loves us and has a good plan for each of our lives, so never give up.  Likewise, if your team is losing pretty badly, don’t give up because you never know what will happen.  Do your best, period, no matter what.  That is our challenge for today, to go out and try our best, no matter how many times we may mess up.

Prayer
“Dear God, please give us the strength to keep our heads up no matter what.  Forgive us for all the times we doubted You or Your plan.  Let us give all of our struggles over to You, and let You be strong where we are weak.  Amen.”

Theme Verse
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

Theme Statement
“A great team always beats a group of great players; we will play for the team.”

Lesson
Have you ever been in a situation where it felt like it was just you against the world?  That is never an easy position to be in, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  In sports you always have your teammates there with you, and in life you always have God with you – all you have to do is to put yourself second to the team and second to God.  Just like your teammates can carry you in a game, God will carry you through life if you let Him.  The Bible says “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” not the proud, not the high and mighty, but those who realize that they can’t do it all by themselves.  God designed us to work together, to be a team.  The Church is not about the individual but about the whole body of believers – so why do we always try to go it alone?  This week, let’s all focus on working together as a team, putting our trust in each other and in God.

Prayer
“Dear God, we are sorry for the times we try to go it alone.  Let us learn to let go and give ourselves up for the team.  Take our lives and shape us into Your image.  Please carry us through this week and allow us to always seek Your will first.  Amen.”

Registration is now open for the 2012 season of the CLAY Erie Basketball League!  Please visit our online registration center now to sign-up for what is sure to be CLAY’s most exciting season yet!  Registration will be open until November 20, 2011!

The exciting news for Christian business people is that CLAY Connect is more than just a social network.  CLAY Connect includes an online business directory.  Companies who believe in the mission of CLAY Team Sports Ministry and are wanting to use social media marketing can now do both.  For $499.95, businesses can choose to be listed on the Consumer Services and/or Business Services pages.  As a part of the sign-up process, businesses will designate the church of their choice to receive a $250 credit toward CLAY program fees.  Churches whose credits exceed their fees will receive a check for the difference.  Should a business select a church that is not participating in a CLAY program, the church will receive a check.

The sign-up process for CLAY Business Partners is simple.  First, join CLAY Connect at www.clayconnect.com.  Next, select "Partner With CLAY" on the "Partners" drop-down menu.  Scroll down to the "CLAY Business Partnerships" information and follow the instructions to subscribe and submit payment via credit card or company check.

We are excited that this new program will help churches fund their CLAY programs and help Christian business people promote their businesses through Christian social networking.

Reach. Connect. Transform. Inspire.

Two years ago, the founders of Right Choice Today Inc. ("RCTI") – the parent of CLAY Team Sports Ministry – began to create an online network using social media technology to support CLAY.  Using the initials "RCTI" as its basis, the words "reach", "connect", "transform" and "inspire" emerged as its foundation.  Called "CLAY Connect", the site is now live and can be found at www.clayconnect.com.

"Reach" is the name of its home page because we must first reach out to our friends, family, colleagues and co-workers.  Acts 17:26-27 says, "From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us."  Our time is now; our boundary is the internet.

After joining the CLAY Connect network (easier than joining Facebook or LinkedIn), CC members can "Connect" to other members and churches.  Yes, CLAY Connect has designed a way for every church to have its own "social network" within CLAY Connect – for free.  No sign-up fee; no hosting costs. And churches can manage their own content.  Churches who have their own websites and are looking for the "next step" can do so in a Christian environment, and link them together.  Churches who don’t have their own websites can now get online without cost.  "Connect" options also include the Coaches Corner (beta) and CLAY Officials Sanctioning Body (beta).  More on these soon. In addition, the "CC Club" will soon be rolled out as an opt-in member benefits program.

Romans 12:2 is a foundational verse for RCTI: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will."  CLAY Connect offers several ways to transform the minds of its members.  From the CLAY Athlete’s Pledge, Code and Handbook to its new focus of "any community, any sport" programming to the new CLAY Blog, sports ministry will Transform our youth – and give them the empowerment they need to transform our world.

Participation in sports is an inspirational act – when you rise up, others will rise up with you.  Therefore, CLAY Connect’s "Inspire" section allows its members to post their own blogs, create and participate in discussion forums, and post photos.  In addition, CC members can access Paradigm Shift, a separate online ministry of RCTI with much more coming on the horizon.

Join now at www.clayconnect.com!

Day 1 of the 2011 Alex Bay Sports Camp is in the books!  We had 29 kids, 7 junior counselors, and several volunteers joined the CLAY staff at the Reformed Church of the Thousand Isles for the first day of learning how to “use the Holy Spirit to shape the spirit of competition.”  We started out the day with introductions and discussed the Athlete’s Pledge before heading out to the fields for kickball and ultimate frisbee.  After lunch, we talked about how to be a team player in sports and in life by looking at what it means to be “poor in spirit” as a Christian athlete.  On the field of play, this means putting yourself second to the team, and in life, this means putting yourself second to God.  The Bible says “blessed are the poor in spirit,” not blessed are the proud or the high and mighty, but blessed are the people who realize that they cannot win at the game of life on their own.  Put God first in everything, for He designed His Church to work together as a team, to love and support one another.  Everyone has his or her own talents and abilities, everyone has a role to fill, and everyone has his or her own seat at His heavenly table.  Give God control, let Him be your life coach, and always put your will second to His will.

We ask that you keep these kids and their families in your prayers this week.  Alex Bay needs people on fire for the Lord, please pray that God will raise up a generation here that is hungry for Him alone.  Pray also for safety and for protection.  These kids are precious to their Heavenly Father, please pray that their hearts will be open to hearing His Word and to getting to know Him as their personal Lord and Savior.  I believe God has big plans for Alex Bay, just keep praying that His will be done and that we all submit ourselves to His will so we can play on His team, for He has already won!

Check it out at www.clayteamsports.com!