Pastor’s Corner September 2014

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

A New School Year Starts at Heritage Christian Academy

Over the many years Redeemer has had a school, I have been privileged to lead, teach, and coach. This year I am starting my fifth year as the varsity soccer coach and I love it. This year’s team is the most inexperienced of any I have had, but there is a real positive vibe about these guys and eight players are Redeemer kids. For a small school (1A classification) we have been very competitive over our first four seasons of KSHAA membership with a record of 56-13-5. Heritage’s first and only all-state athletic honors went to twin brothers on the soccer team two years ago (one, Chris Earnshaw, is a member of Redeemer).

Coaching, for me, is a way to make a deep, long-lasting impression on young people, in a relatively short period of time. The unique way competition impacts people makes me stay in the game, so to speak. I absolutely relish the preparation process required to ready a team for competitive play – especially a team that no one thinks should be good. I like recruiting guys who lack experience, but have the athletic ability, with training, to become solid, contributing players.

The value of the context of team sports and competition lies in what is required to congeal and be competitive. Players must develop fitness, skill, and tactics. Individual players are responsible and accountable to their teammates to grow in all areas. Perhaps the most important life lesson from team sports is learning, as a member of a team, to know your role and execute it with full vigor and faithfulness.

Playing for a team bears a strong resemblance to being a member of a church.

To become competitive and ready, we have to work hard as a team for weeks. When the season starts, the grind gets increasingly challenging as things shift to a more mental contest. The relentless rhythm of 2-3 games per week goes on for two months. Staying fit, nursing injuries, keeping school grades up, and battling general fatigue, contribute to the character-building exercise the whole team sport experience is about. Over a 12-week period, through the regular flow of game preparation and playing, guys grow close and develop a strong basis for ongoing friendships. I get the opportunity and privilege to spend many hours under intense circumstances with young men who are in the thick of their character development. A huge personal bonus is having my oldest son, A.J., on the team. In most cases, I develop substantive relationships with my players. Often enough I will think I didn’t connect well with a certain player, only to see our relationship grow after they graduate. I coached Nathan Bailey (one of our Redeemer kids) for seven years. I drove him hard and he would probably say I drove him nuts. He has been my assistant coach the past two seasons and we have a great collegial relationship. I like to think I still teach him some things, but I know for sure he is teaching me also.

The coach-player relationship is unique and can be life-shaping. I have had some wonderful, learned, and godly teachers in my years of formal schooling, but for the most part, the men I have leaned on most for counsel and guidance have been my former coaches. It is the task of a coach to assess a player’s ability and help them improve, develop, overcome obstacles, and fulfill their role so they contribute well and enjoy the team sport experience.

Being a coach bears a strong resemblance to being a pastor of a church.

When you pray for Redeemer, please remember to pray for our school as well. Heritage Christian Academy is a dynamic, effective, discipleship ministry that our church stewards. If your schedule allows, come out to a Charger varsity soccer game (the varsity field is on the Redeemer property, southeast corner) and cheer us on! The HCA schedule can be found at: goo.gl/llMPL7.

In the Lamb,

Pastor Tony Felich