Hi Church,
It is obvious of my love for basketball. But what really excites me is when basketball can be used to reach souls for Christ. That is a part of what Trajectory Rec is all about. I will let Justin Whitman gives his take on it.
The very last place I would have ever thought or imagined I would be serving Christ would be as a leader of a Monday night men’s basketball program through Trajectory REC here at Living Hope. As a ministry of Living Hope, Trajectory REC seeks to get the Gospel message to the unchurched, non-believing members of our community. You have probably noticed reference to Trajectory REC in the bulletin or even in the Epistle, but you probably don’t know what it is. Let me break it down a bit.
“Trajectory” is a path, progression, or line of development of an object moving under the action of given forces. Like swishing a 3-point shot into a basketball net, the goal of Trajectory REC to set a person’s life trajectory on course with knowing the transformative love of Jesus Christ.
R-E-C simply stands for Recreationally Engaging our Community. Everyone speaks the language of fun. Whether it is a toddler asking a parent to play with cars or it is a retired widow playing her weekly game of bingo or bridge, people seek out entertainment. Trajectory R-E-C (or TREC, for short) targets the active (or desiring to be more active) demographic in our community, people who enjoy playing sports, whether they are 18 or 81. A TREC event is designed to foster relationships both within the existing Living Hope community and new relationships with community members of the Lakes Region through creating a welcoming and safe environment for people to grow in their skills and have a fun, recreational experience.
The mission statement of Trajectory REC is simply, “To bring the unchurched, non-believing community member into the path of the transformative power of the Gospel through exposure to Christ’s message during recreational activities.”
At TREC, we strive to become a place where people feel they are welcomed and belong. This is primarily accomplished through our main event on Mondays as we gather to play basketball. This means we must have an efficient and effective hospitality system in place that is welcoming, informative, casual, and inviting. For many of our community members who come to play basketball on Monday nights, this is perhaps the only time they willingly step onto our church campus.
Many people believe that TREC is only Monday night men’s basketball. It is not. We would love to expand to a co-ed Volleyball night, bowling nights, hiking groups, and many other activities. However, we lack a key resource: You.
One of the challenges I have encountered in developing the TREC team is this prevailing notion that a person needs to possess athletic skill and capability to play sports or be fit. I want you to get that out of your head. If anyone came out on a Monday night to see me play, they would learn quickly I am a far cry from the skill talent of Larry Bird or Lebron James. Anything TREC does is not about the recreational activity, but the people coming out to the events we hold.
In short: “It’s not about the sport; it is about the soul.” If you have a passion to see the lost come to know Christ and have a secondary passion for something fun and recreational, lets marry these two things together, and claim these souls for Christ’s glory!
One way you can get involved in the near-future is by volunteering at what we are calling “March Madness.” This is a 3 on 3 co-ed adult, basketball tournament coming up on March 25, 2023. The idea around this event is for a Living Hope attender to develop a team of two to three other players who are unchurched. There will be some skills competition thrown into the tournament itself. We need Living Hope folks to sign up to create a team. We also need others to serve in various support roles. We will be unpacking more of the details over the next several weeks.
As you prayerfully consider partnering with TREC, remember: It is not about the sport; it is about the soul.
Thanks, Justin, for your faithfulness to this ministry! Blessings, Pastor Brian
Looking Forward
Sermon Direction
Don’t Forget Today
Isaiah 2
Link to This Sunday Worship Service
Trajectory Rec:
Trajectory Rec will be taking a break starting December 26th through January 23rd.
Living Hope Kids Sledding Party:
All are invited to go sledding at the Gilford Sledding Hill on January 28th from 1-3pm! Hot chocolate, cider, and snacks will be provided. Bring your own sled! We will provide directions at a later date.
GLO Team
On Friday, February 10th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Andy Whitman will be giving a presentation about his missions work in the Dominican Republic. Pizza will be served. The snow date for this event will be the next Friday, February 17th. If possible, please sign up on the sheet in the back of the church so that the Global Missions Team can have an estimate of how much pizza to purchase, but last-minute walk-ins are welcome!
Cancellation Procedure for Sunday Mornings
In the event of bad weather that would potentially impact services, the following will be taken into consideration: the current weather in Laconia, timing of the weather event, and whether roads, walkways, parking areas will be cleared. A decision will be made by 7:30 am to cancel one or both of our services. Living Hope Lakeport will notify of cancellation using the following: WMUR TV*, Church website news feed www.laconiachurch.com, Email (weekly epistle list), and Living Hope Lakeport private and public Facebook pages. *(If 1st service is cancelled, it will say “No Early Services”, if both services cancelled, it will say “No Sunday Services” on WMUR)