ABOUT ME:
Growing up, sports were my escape and where I found my hope. While I spent time processing this in college, it was not until I moved to Minnesota in 2020 and was asked to describe myself that I realized my identity was deeply rooted in being an athlete. I did not know who I was now that I was not a student or an athlete (I was on the track and field team at UNH). Throughout my time in Minnesota, God started to root my identity more and more in Him. At the same time, He reminded me of how great and unique of a platform sports is for ministry. After much prayer and trusting the Lord for what was next, an opportunity arose for me to serve with AIA in Xenia, OH. I am excited to meet athletes who are where I have once been; whether they do not know the Lord, know God but are not living for Him, or are desiring to live for Christ on their team, I have been there. I am so excited to use my experience and my education to bring God glory in this next chapter of ministry!
ABOUT ATHLETES IN ACTION:
Athletes in Action is a ministry of Cru focused on reaching athletes for Jesus and equipping them to live out their faith on their team, in their community, and wherever they go! We dream of a day where there is a Christ follower, on every team, in every sport, in every nation.
Athletes in Action has their feet on the ground in many different settings globally. I will be serving at Athletes in Action's headquarters/sports complex where athletes come from across the US and the world to train and compete. Some of these athletes are coming from countries where the main religion is not Christianity! All of Athletes in Action's staff know the Lord and are seeking to help athletes to experience the hope of Christ and live for Him on their team and in their communities.
MY ROLE:
I will be serving as an athletic trainer at AIA's headquarters/sports complex in Xenia, Ohio! By providing a physical need, I will be trusting God to provide opportunities to share who He is. Athletic trainers have a unique opportunity to get to know athletes by preventing, diagnosing, and rehabilitating injuries. All the time spent in the athletic training room provides abundant opportunities for conversations and getting to know one another. It is a quick way to establish a relationship with athletes. I am looking forward to jumping back into athletic training and seeing how God uses it to open opportunities to share who He is with others.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN ME:
I am currently in a season of building a team of ministry partners: a team who will take part in the Great Commission with me by their financial and/or prayerful partnership. Would you prayerfully consider joining my team of partners? While I cannot get to where the Lord is leading me without a team of monthly partners, one-time and special gifts are also impactful and appreciated! To join my team of monthly partners, or to give a special gift, visit https://give.cru.org/1098346. If you would prefer to give by check through the mail, please reach out to me and I can send you instructions for that.
I would also love to get to know you and share more with you! To hear more, to get on my prayer letter list, or just to connect, please reach out to me at melanie.lamar@cru.org or 603-401-9873!
_______________________________________________________________
Thank you so much for taking the time to hear about where the Lord is leading me. I am so grateful for this journey He has me on and am excited to see how He is at work through Athletes in Action! It would be an honor to have you join me in this.
_______________________________________________________________
Below is an extra story about barriers breaking down through sport:
WHY SPORTS MINISTRY:
In September 2020 I started serving with a youth ministry. Due to covid, we were meeting outside of families houses rather than at the church. *Aaron was not the most interested; sometimes he would show up and be the class clown, other times he would not show up at all. He was rather distant and had a lot of walls up. 9 months later, we were outside his house having our Bible study when Aaron came out with a basketball. Once we finished the Bible study, I went up to him and told him to pass me the ball. We started playing. After a few minutes, Aaron looked me in the eyes and asked "what is your name?" He then went on to ask me many other questions about my life. A bond was formed. From then on, Aaron wanted to come to the youth ministry, wanted to share about his life, wanted to learn about God. He started learning how to name emotions, navigate conflict, and the list goes on. But what stuck out to me the most is the fact that I had been faithfully showing up every week for 9 months, but it wasn't until I picked a basketball up and played with him that his walls came down. That is the power of sports; sports break down barriers that otherwise would remain. Sports build relationships. That is why I am serving with Athletes in Action. This is what I want to invite you to be a part of.
*name changed for privacy reasons