Faith,
Family & Community
As you may have heard, I have become the coach of the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team at Macomb High School. This is actually my third stint as a soccer coach. I am truly excited for the season to start.
There have been lots of experiences and memories from my previous coaching opportunities. The first season, my JV team lost every game. Historically, the JV had never won a game. And while we lost, we were more competitive. There was a lot of excitement in season two when we started with a victory. One match, our team found ourselves down 3-0 at halftime. We were playing horribly. Our goalie had a ball go right through his hands—he just had them too far apart. What made things worse is that we were by far the better team. I wanted to scream at the team at halftime, but all I could muster was a soft spoken, “We should not be losing to this team.” And I walked away. We tied 3-3.
One of the great on-field memories happened while I was coaching in Kansas City. I coached both boys and girls in their first years. In game one of season one, our girls were playing against neighborhood rivals. Tied at the end of the game, we settled the score with penalty kicks. We won. The girls could not believe it. So much joy.
There were some great experiences that occurred even when games were not being played. Like the time when a player was so exhausted and overwhelmed with life and studies and soccer. He had a big paper due and decided aloud, where I could overhear, that he was just going to cheat. We talked about it—how he would be cutting himself short by taking an easy way out that could get him suspended from the soccer team. I left him in study hall. He came to practice late and thanked me for talking him into doing his own work.
After one of our games, there was supposed to be a fight between one of my players and a rival player. They were feuding over a girl. We talked as a team why fighting is never a good solution. We talked about how we could protect our player and keep violence away from our team. The fight never occurred.
These, along with so many other memories are more important than on field victories and tournament championships. Seeing young men and women grow beyond athletic achievement into compassionate, strong people is far more significant.
Jesus had a team of 12. He was the disciples’ teacher and coach. What he was teaching was MUCH more important than soccer. Jesus was coaching the disciples in the ways of faith. Strengthening them to do his work and understand his preaching. Jesus reminded them that even in his absence, they could do what they had been taught. That they would never be alone. He reminded them that God loved them. And that he loved them.
For those of us who claim to be Christian, the disciples passed that mission on to us. We are Jesus’ team now. We are not alone. We are loved. Go team!
Kelly Ingersoll, Minister
Kelly Ingersoll is the Pastor of First Christian Church of Macomb and resides in Macomb with his wife Anne.
