Why I Go To High School Sporting Events (and Other Student Activities)

Credit: Creative Commons (kpjessop)

I make it a habit to attend the sporting events and other kinds of student activities (musicals, orchestra concerts, even art shows) of students in our ministries. As a husband and a dad, this can be hard to do at times, because many of these events occur on an evening or over the dinner hour, but I've found that it's worth it to carve out some ministry hours every month to catch a football game, wrestling meet, choir concert, or ballet performance. Here's why:

It's a great way to connect with parents. I've had some fantastic conversations with parents from our church at sporting events and during intermission at musicals. It's a really natural way to connect with parents one-on-one about parenting, faith, and their kids. In addition, it's also a great way to have conversations with parents who don't yet know Jesus.

It lets teenagers know you care. You can't go to every student's game or concert. But for the ones you can go to, it really means a lot. The fact that you would take your own time (and often money) to come see them play or perform lets them know that you care about them as more than just church kids. And for those teenagers who maybe don't really want much to do with church, it's a meaningful gesture that shows them you're willing to come be a part of "their" world.

It's fun. I love sports. And I love the ballet. It's a lot of fun to see these "kids" being kids, having fun, and devote their time to something they enjoy. I even take my daughters along with me from time to time, especially when it's something they would enjoy (the oldest gets to come to a "big girl" ballet with me next month where one of our students is Clara in The Nutcracker).

Do you set aside time for attending student activities? Why or why not?

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