Cornerstone Football Team Letter

We are writing to let you know of an exciting opportunity to serve in the football ministry at Cornerstone. This is open to all adult members of the church, and not just for people who actually want to play football! Below is a short description of what the ministry is about, and how you can get involved.

Cornerstone FC meets between 10 and 12 on Saturday mornings on The Fairfield, Kingston, just down the road from Bedelsford. The football club is open to any adult in the community, and is put on for free by a few guys from Cornerstone.

The aim is to meet local guys by putting on a good game of footy in a welcoming atmosphere, so that we can get to know them and share the gospel with them. We often mention our faith in Jesus to the players, invite them to Church services and events, and put on our own evangelistic events where we look to share our faith.

We have also just started on an informal Bible study on Thursday evenings at the O’Neill’s pub in the centre of Kingston, which we really hope will provide an opportunity for some of the guys to learn and ask questions about the Christian faith – and to discover that there is more to life than football!

The club has been steadily growing in numbers for the last three years as people have invited their friends along and passers-by have asked to join in. Today (17/1/15) we had a record turnout of 50 players, only about 10 of which are from Cornerstone Church. That means that 40 non-Christians attended today.

We are now at the point where the football-playing members of Cornerstone cannot continue to both organise and lead the football sessions and spend time chatting and getting to know all of the people who come along. There is simply too much to do, and not enough of us to do it each week. The ministry comes under particular pressure when regulars are taken away for other things, such as Saturday conferences, weddings, summer camps, etc.

For this reason we need help from the wider Church, and would like to invite YOU to get involved. The commitment we are asking for would be one Saturday morning a month (or more if you would like). Tasks to include some or all of the following:

• Meeting at 9.15am at our storage place to pray briefly and carry the equipment down to the field
• Setting up the goals, marking out the playing area with cones and checking the pitch for anything dangerous (stones, litter etc.) ready for a 10am start
• Greeting the players as they arrive, making sure they are welcomed, registered and put into a team
  Keeping the time and the score of the games. You can even blow the whistle for full-time if you like!
• Keeping an eye on people’s belongings once the sessions have started, and chatting to any passers-by who stop to watch, letting them know we are from Cornerstone Church
• Helping set down the equipment when we finish at midday and carrying it back to the storage place
• Chatting to the players, getting to know them, encouraging them to come along to Cornerstone on a Sunday and the Thursday Bible study and, when an opportunity arises, talking about Jesus with them
• Praying throughout the week for people to be saved and for the running of the ministry

Do consider carefully whether you are able to give your time and energy to the football ministry, once a month on a Saturday.

Please do speak to any of us at church or through the church website (https://cornerstonechurchkingston.org/contact/), we’d love for you to get involved as a helper, as someone who prays regularly, or even as a player!

Yours in Christ,

Chris, Dave, James, Kit, Matthew C, Matt D, Phil G, Phil K, Rob, Rory, Stephen (The Gaffer), Tom