“Well, it took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball, and I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.” Hank Aaron
Alaska Family Council Sponsors Christ-Centered Chinooks Baseball Game This Sunday
We at Alaska Family Council are continually seeking like-minded organizations with whom we can partner. The Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooksbaseball team is that type of organization. It may sound strange that a Faith-based advocacy group found a partner in a baseball team, but let me explain.
The Chinooks are a different kind of baseball organization – they, too, are Christ-centered.
Sponsored by Athletes-In-Action (AIA), an international sports ministry based in Ohio, the Chinooks recruit college baseball players from around the country to spend a summer playing the game in the Great Land.
Competing as the only Christian team in the Alaska Baseball League (ABL), the Chinooks run their team differently than the other clubs.
– Home games are free of charge to fans.
– Community members, church groups, and local businesses provide full meals for the team after each home game.
– Players read books to children at the Eagle River Library; a program called “Books With Chinooks.”
– Fans are encouraged to enter the field after each home game in order to meet the players, take photos, and collect autographs.
– Players and staff provide their personal testimonies to each of the other four teams.
But the primary difference are the two-hour discipleship classes the players attend every game day. They start their day at the gym, then go to a local church (usually The Crossing, in Chugiak) and open the Bible. Each day a player or two gives his personal testimony, followed by a deep-dive lesson provided by a member of the coaching staff or a visiting AIA chaplain.
These young men, ages 18 to 24, are dedicated athletes and a summer of competitive baseball improves their skills and gets them noticed by professional scouts. Ultimately, the Chinooks/AIA staff seek to build up these young men to be good sons, husbands, and fathers as well as good baseball players.
And this is why Alaska Family Council is a supportive partner of the Chinooks.
To see what this looks like, come out to the beautiful Loretta French Park located at 18100 Old Glenn Highway in Chugiak this Sunday, July16th to see a game. As we mentioned, the game is free of charge and is being sponsored by Alaska Family Council. The game starts at 4:00pm and the Chinooks will be taking on the Peninsula Oilers. We hope to see you and your family for America’s past time.
Play ball, praise the Lord, and go Chinooks!
Tim BartoVice President of OperationsAlaska Family Council
