October 2017
“I was a very destructive young man growing up: hopeless, roaming the streets, very angry at anything. But then, I met Andrew and he told me about the St. Paul basketball league. I joined. I had an absolute great time, and now I have a place to come, call home, a safe haven, if you will. It relieves a lot of stress. I’m very grateful for this opportunity I have. I don’t know where I’d be without it. Much love.”
Andrew Tutwiler, Director of Student Ministries at St. Paul, Aurora, runs an open gym that has brought in 100 community members over the years. This year, he saw and grasped an opportunity to turn that into a larger ministry to serve the community of Aurora. Uplifting Each Other in Christ (UEC) hosted its first summer basketball league this summer and the ministry continues to grow and expand.
Over 70 men who do not have a church home played in UEC’s Aurora Summer League. The ministry is open to youth ages 15-22.
Tutwiler, through prayer and wise counsel, organized the ministry intentionally, focusing on things much greater than basketball. He pursued several grants, receiving one from the Northern Illinois District, and created a ministry that connects young men to Christian community, facilitates regular Gospel conversations, and began with a vision for how to progressively grow.
The summer league was relationship focused; each team had one or more St. Paul, Aurora members sponsoring them. Before the season began, all sponsors attended training sessions in order to educate them about the men they would be serving and equip them with tools to help build relationships. These members would pray over the team before each game and provide water or sports drinks to the players. This provided a special, personal connection to the congregation for each player.
During half-time, a member of St. Paul staff shared a devotional; at every game, every player heard the Word. Due to the popularity of the summer league, over the course of the June-July season, hundreds of fans heard the Gospel as well.
The season end signified the start of the next steps for the ministry. First, a men’s Bible conversation. Every man who attended these Bible studies received an ESV Study Bible. Several men spoke of how much they learned about God through the ministry. One man, reflecting on the violence he sees on the streets of Aurora and his strengthened hope in something much greater than himself said, “I believe if we all stay strong, and we all believe in God, we can all understand that we come in as one, we can believe in anything. We’ll be great.”
UEC continues to minister to young people through athletics. In September, they kicked off the fall season of flag football which took place every Thursday until November. In October, they hosted a basketball clinic for 4th-8th graders and soon thereafter kicked off the fall season of basketball.
The Lord continues to work through Uplifting Each Other in Christ, and Tutwiler is hopeful that they will be able to expand to include other churches and community organizations, enabling them to include more teams, sponsors, and facilities.
To see more updates on the ministry, be sure to visit their website or follow them on Facebook.