East Texas Sports Reach

Coffield Revival September 11-13

2011-09-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Ok guys, the Coffield trip and revival is just 9 days away. The church has planned a lot of exciting things for these three days and Sports Reach gets to play a major part. This is going to be a powerful Revival led by David Dykes and Matt Robb. I hope you can make it one or more days/nights.

Here is a general schedule. I need to know by Sunday if you plan on going to play on September 11. I also need to know if you plan to go back Monday and/or Tuesday night. It would be good to have several Sports Reach representatives there both nights.

Sunday, Sept. 11
9:15 Meet at GABC bus barn
9:45 Introduced and prayed over in Crosswalk Service
10:15 Leave for Coffield
11:30 Arrive and checkin
12:00 Begin playing softball at Trustee camp, Basketball playing inside unit
6:00 Finish playing, cleanup and eat inside main unit
7:30 GABC service starts (Matt Robb music, David Dykes preaching)
9:00-9:30 Leave unit

Monday, Sept 12 and Tuesday Sept 13
5:30 Meet at GABC and carpool to Coffield
7:00-7:30 GABC service starts
9:00-9:30 Leave unit

Once I get a list of guys who plan to go, then I will send out more detailed information. I’m also looking at a prayer/planning/practice time for next week.

Keep praying over the trip.

Josh Gentry

Two big dates for Sports Reach

2011-08-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Don’t forget, this Sunday, August 21 is the TDCJ training. If you haven’t signed up, please do so today and be there Sunday.

The prison training is in the Adult Education Building, Room 103, on August 21st from 1:30-4:30 pm. You can fill out your application and bring it to the meeting or submit the online application through the link below.
Online Application - https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/php/volunteer_application/
Also, the next Group Prayer time is August 28th from 4:00-5:00 pm in CrossWalk 103. This is in preparation for the Coffield Revival coming up September 11-13. Sports Reach will play a big role in this revival so please come to the prayer time.

Two big dates for Sports Reach, hope to see you there.

Upcoming Coffield Unit Revival Meeting

2011-07-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Reminder that this Sunday, July 31 at 4:00pm, there will be a prayer/planning time for the upcoming Coffield unit Revival. This is the event that GABC is hosting September 11-14.

Matt Robb will be leading this time as well discuss the plans for the revival event. Come to Crosswalk room 103 (first floor of the new crosswalk building) to find out more about this exciting opportunity.

Hope you can make it.

June 12th Trip to Coffield Unit

2011-06-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning the Sports Reach team arrived at Coffield and was greeted promptly by men ready to play and fellowship. It didn't take long to determine that the weather was going to be hot and the competition even hotter. The Coffield Bulldogs were full of pride over their recent victory in an all-unit tournament held recently and their spirits were high. The Lord was able to use our time on the field and around the benches for us to start new relationships and srengthen those made on previous trips. Our own David Hanley shared his inspiring testimony and used that to give the men hope and glorify the Lord for what he has done in David's own life.

By lunch time we were on a first name basis with the majority of the men and what began as playfull trash-talking soon opened doors for the Lord to speak a message of hope and love to the men. Our friend Jacob Lee who recently suffered a major head injury while playing softball spoke about the precious gift of life and the amazing healing powers of our Lord. Josh Gentry used his gift of teaching and revealed some scripture to the men while offering other resources like Bible-Study correspondence courses and prayer ministry.

At the end of the day we had competed in five highly contested softball games and spent three group times either speaking to or praying with the men of Coffield. God has created a unique bond between our team and this unit with some great opportunities for ministry in the near future. We are thankful for the impact the Lord had on the unit yesterday and even more grateful for the blessing we each get to take away from this trip.

East Texas Sports Reach

TDCJ Traning - ENROLL ONLINE TODAY!!!

2011-06-10T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hey guys,

Pretty soon they are going to start requiring that you be a certified TDCJ volunteer to enter the prisons for our trips.

The good news is it is now easier than ever! Please click on the link below to fill out the online application, then show up on August 21 at Green Acres for the training. Otherwise you have to do the training at a prison, which is somewhere different each time so the next one could be in west Texas or something.

Here is the link: https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/php/volunteer_application/

As I mentioned earlier this year, this is CRUCIAL for our team in the future. Please clear your schedule and plan to attend.

After 2 years, you will have to renew it, but you can do that online as well! I just finished mine and it didn't take long at all.

Do it now and plan on being at the training on August 21 at Green acres.

Thanks!

Next Trip Is This Sunday

2011-06-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Next trip is Sunday, June 12 to the Coffield trustee camp. If you are planning to go, please let Josh know by this Tuesday.

Also, we are going to do something different for the Thursday night meeting. We are going to have a practice/picnic at The ROC. Bring your family, we will have a pavilion for food if you want to eat together and we can take some BP as well.

Powledge Trip Report

2011-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday (5/15) was our third trip of the season and our first to the Powledge Trusty camp. Usually we play inside at Powledge but when we arrived we learned that they were shorthanded on staff and we would be playing at the camp. As always, our team is very flexible and we pride ourselves on adapting to the situation (field, rules, weather, schedule, etc.).

We showed up and I think the camp was not expecting us. But they rounded up several teams quickly and we started playing after a short warmup. The first game was close until about the 4th inning when our bats came alive and we won the game soundly. The second game was a complete blow-out in which our team scored 21 runs in one inning, 12 of the runs on 2 outs. At this point, the trustees realized that we came to play! Highlights of the game included a monster bash by Mark Whiteland that cleared the power lines and landed in the road behind left field!

Before lunch, JD Weathers shared a devotional about Job and how God is bigger than our questions. Terry shared several experiences and the importance of a ticket when entering an event like a game or concert. He handed out a ticket that says “Reserved Seating Only, Paid in Full by Jesus Christ”. The guys always enjoy something of their own that they can hold and read. We then talked about how Jesus is our ticket to eternity and without Him then we will be separated from God.

After our lunch of bean burritos, we went back out and played 3 more games. In the last game of the day, we were down by 5 runs in the last inning. They thought they had us beat, but we exploded for 10 runs. We finished the day 5-0.

To end the day, Scott Cottingham shared the Scriptures in Acts where Paul and Silas were praising God in prison. He talked about the difference that Paul and Silas had in the jailers life by their example of praise to God during awful conditions. Chad then followed up with the Good News, Bad News handout and went through a Gospel presentation. We ended the day with a Family prayer for the guys and their families.

Once again, it was a great trip and we believe God’s word never returns void. I would ask for prayer for the camp. We all felt that the inmates were not as receptive as normal. Please pray for God’s light to enter that place and for his hope to touch men there.

Josh Gentry

Next Trip is this Sunday (May 15th)

2011-05-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Our next trip is set for Sunday, May 15 to the Powledge unit.

As usual, we will have our prayer/planning meeting on Thursday night at 6:30pm at Brunos. Try to make it if you can so we can pray together as a team.

Beto Unit Trip This Sunday

2011-04-01T06:28:00.001-07:00

Guys, we will meet at Josh's office at 7:15 am, Sunday morning, for the Beto Unit trip. Same schedule as the last trip other than we are planning on leaving the unit around 3:00pm to head back for those who are involved (or want to go to) with the Sunday night worship service.

Next Trip is this Sunday!

2011-03-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, Our next trip is upon us. It will be this Sunday, April 3 to the Beto unit. This unit is in Tennessee Colony (Palestine). Please let Josh know TODAY if you can make the trip. As usual, this Thursday night at 6:30pm we will meet at Bruno’s Pizza on Old Jacksonville Hwy. to discuss the details of the trip and pray together. Hope you can make it. Thanks.

Coffield Trip Summary

2011-03-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

It is always good to go to the Coffield Trusty camp. The staff is always eager to have us and always helpful. We are especially grateful to Ms. Jones and Lt. Shock for their hard work and willingness to let us come inside. This year there were many new faces as the unit has seen significant turnover since our last trip. What a great opportunity to share the Gospel and God’s love with a new group. We also saw a few old friends and enjoyed seeing their familiar smiles.

We left Tyler around 7:30 and arrived at the unit around 8:30am. As always at a Trusty camp, the check-in process is much faster and we were out on the field playing by 9:00am for the National Anthem (as sung by an inmate). We like to get on the field as quickly as possible, so after a quick warmup, we started Game 1 against the “A” team. Despite our best efforts, we lost in Game 1 to the home team by one run. After this game, we realized that our competition at Coffield would be better than usual. This brought a new intensity to the rest of the day as we attempted to regain our dominance and the inmates attempted to capitalize on their success.

We then played another 2 games before lunch (one against the “B” team and a rematch against the “A” team) and started to really play well. We won both games by big margins behind the pitching of Johnny Smallwood and the long blasts of Justin Stafford and Mark Whiteland (the bash brothers). Our defense also started clicking and we eliminated the mistakes that hampered us in Game 1. Also between the morning games, JD Weathers spoke about God’s power and used the story of Job to give encouragement when circumstances seem unjust. JD shared God’s response to Job’s questions and how God’s ways are higher than ours and he always acts in the best interest of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

We then took a short break to eat some lunch. As usual we devoured the hamburgers and home-made French fries. Some people even had double meat burgers! After lunch we headed back out to play several more games, winning them all. Chad Gentry shared the Good News/Bad News handout and explained how we are all guilty before a righteous Judge. He asked everyone to consider the condition of their heart as compared to God’s perfect law. We had several responses to the message and enlisted Bible study enrollees. Jeff Coke led the “Family Prayer” to end the day and prayed for the families of the inmates. He prayed that God would strengthen the relationships between inmates and their families and for God to repair any broken relationships.

We really are thankful for our relationship with the Coffield unit. We hope to continue going back and ministering there. We have 4-5 more trips remaining this year and we are excited about the new season.

Coffield Trip (03-20-11)

2011-03-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip on Sunday, to the Coffield Unit, in Tennessee Colony. We definitely carried in a "stacked" team of 17 guys, with one of them being on his first ever Sports Reach trip.

There has been quite a bit of turn-over at the Coffield Unit since our last visit, which allowed us to see a lot of new faces and establish new relationships with some of the inmates.

We praise God for another opportunity to serve in this unique minstry, and thank Him for once again protecting us and blessing us with another successful trip.

Coffield Trip Details

2011-03-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

First trip is this Sunday(03/20), we will be meeting at Josh's office at 7:15am and leaving the parking lot at 7:30am. We are headed to the Coffield Unit with a good group. Should be a GREAT trip!

Meeting this Thursday Night

2011-03-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

We will meet this Thursday night at 6:30pm at the new Bruno’s. We will pray for the trip and go through our usual planning. I would also like it if we would pray together as a team this week. Here are some things to pray about each day:

Tuesday – for traveling safety, for the planning of the trip to go smoothly/open doors, no last minute problems to prevent our trip

Wednesday – Staff at the unit, open hearts to receive Christ, strength to work in a tough environment

Thursday – Strength for existing believers inside the unit, for God to sustain them when facing trials

Friday - Inmates at the unit, their openness to the Gospel, hearts ready to receive Christ

Saturday – Our team, unity in Christ, preparation of our hearts to be used by Christ, flexibility

March 6th Trip Cancelled

2011-02-28T06:09:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: We will NOT be going on the planned softball trip for Sunday, March 6th. It will be rescheduled at a date TBD.

2011 Sports Reach Softball Schedule

2011-02-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ok guys, here are the dates for our 2011 Sports Reach Softball trips. They are all on Sundays, so mark your calendars...
March 6
March 20
April 3
April 17
May 15
June 12
We have moved the 2-day trip to the fall for a date TBD. We will also have a practice on Sunday, February 27th, at the ROC, from 2-5 pm.

2011 Sports Reach Kickoff Meeting

2011-02-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to think about softball in this weather, but it is that time of year again. We need to get together and talk about our upcoming trips for 2011 and other events.

We will meet at Bruno’s on Old Jacksonville on Tuesday, February 15th, from 6:00-7:30pm. Please let Josh know if you can attend so he can get a head count.

Thursday Night at Bruno's

2010-11-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday night(Nov 4th), we will have our prayer/planning meeting at 6:00 at the new Bruno’s on Old Jacksonville for the upcoming softball trip this Sunday to Diboll.

Last trip of 2010

2010-10-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ok time for the last trip of the year on October 24th. We will travel to the Diboll unit. We will leave around 7am and return around 5pm.

Please respond to Josh by Friday, October 15th if you would like to go. As always, if you have never been before, please include your Driver’s License # and Date of Birth.

Hope you can make it.

Next Trip 07-11-10

2010-07-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Next trip is to the Coefield unit in Tennessee Colony on Sunday, July 11th. We always have a great time when we go there.

Let Josh know if you can make this trip by Friday, July 2nd so he can get the information turned in. If you’ve never been before, then he needs your DL # and date of birth too.

Also, on Thursday, July 8th, we will meet at 6:30pm at Traditions to pray and plan for the trip. Even if you can’t make the trip, you can come hang out for an hour or so.

Hope you can make it.

Telford Trip (06-13-10)

2010-06-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

We had another great trip on Sunday. It was definitely hot, but the Lord blessed us with some clouds in the sky and a breeze all day. This was only the second time that our Sports Reach team has ever been to the Telford unit. When we went last year, there were only about 20 inmates that were "cleared" to even be able to participate and this year there were at least twice as many inmates participating. When we made our first trip last year, most of their guys had little or no softball experience and they had no equipment at all. So through the staff, we were able to leave the inmates gloves, bats, and bat bags with the hope that this would be the start of a softball/recreation league. Upon arrival Sunday, we were very encouraged to find out that the guys had been playing softball and just had their first softball tournament. Not only that, but the 1st and 2nd place teams, and even a handpicked All-Star team, would be the teams that we were to play. All of the Sports Reach guys that had been a part of these two Telford trips really felt a part of something really neat that had been started by our visit last year and we look forward to coming back to see what the Lord is doing just through playing softball.

Here is a brief testimony from Brandon on our SR team about the trip...

What a great trip yesterday to the Telford Unit. We had some great fellowship with the men at this prison unit. It is amazing to see what the Lord is doing inside the prison system. It is truly a blessing to be able to serve the Lord in this way. These men in the prison system are encouraged by us coming. We want ...to show them the Love of Christ and let them know they aren't forgotten. What a powerful ministry. It is awesome to hear the testimony of some of our guys as well. God has helped this ministry grow and I can't say enough wonderful things about it. Can't wait for the next trip! --On a side note-- We did play softball yesterday too...Needless to say the combined score all day was 90-2 Sports Reach. At least they are getting better!

June Trip

2010-06-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

June 13 is the next Sports Reach trip to the Telford unit in New Boston. This is over 2 hours away so we will be leaving early Sunday morning and returning Sunday evening around 7-8pm.

Last year was our first time to visit this unit and it was great. They have not allowed many outside groups to come in, so this is a perfect place for ministry.

Also, next Thursday, June 10 we will be meeting at 6:30pm in the back room of Spring Creek Barbeque for our prayer/planning meeting. Hope to see you there.

Please pray about your involvement with this trip and let Josh know by tomorrow (Friday) if you can attend.

Powledge Trip 05-23-10

2010-05-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

We had another great trip Sunday, at the Powledge Unit. We had a great time just being around the inmates. We were able to get in 4 games against their various teams(which we won all 4 of them), and even had a game where two of their teams played each other. During that particular game, some of our guys played soccer with the inmates, some visited, and some refereed their softball game. It was pretty neat to watch our guys interact with the inmates on so many different levels. Chad, David, Joshua, Will, Terry, and Josh did a great job in giving testimonies, presenting The Gospel, praying for the guys, and just encouraging them. We even had 3 new guys go with us for the first time(Brady, Rodney, and Lloyd). Overall, it was a very successful trip, and once again, God provided, blessed, and answered so many prayers on this trip.

Upcoming Powledge Trip Info

2010-05-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

The trip to the Powledge unit this weekend is set. If you are not going to make it, please let Josh know ASAP.

We will be meeting at Josh's office at 7:00am Sunday morning. The address is 3608 West Way, Tyler, TX 75703. We will be leaving at 7:15am so please be on time.

Make sure to bring your drivers license. If you don’t have a jersey, hat or shorts, then Josh will bring them Sunday morning for you. Also, make sure that you wear PANTS over your shorts. They have asked us to wear pants into the unit. Once we are through the unit and onto the field, we can shed them and play in shorts.

Meeting this Thursday Night

2010-05-17T06:04:00.001-07:00

We will have a prayer/planning meeting this Thursday night, May 20th from 6-8pm in the back room at Double Dave’s Pizza. We will go over the details for the trip and pray together.

Update From the Last Trip

2010-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

A quick update on our trip this weekend to the Michael Trustee Camp. On the softball side we played 3 games against the inmate teams and were undefeated! We also played an exhibition game where we played ½ our team and ½ inmate team together. That was a lot of fun and gave us an opportunity to play alongside the prisoners. Overall it was a very successful trip for softball. We also had 3 first-timers and they played great. We hope to have Chris, Mark and Justin as regulars.

On the ministry side, David Hanley gave a great testimony about seeing God as a loving God instead of a harsh, disconnected God. It was really moving. We went through the Bad News/Good News tract and close to 10 guys raised their hands to make a decision! God is truly harvesting his fields and we are getting to participate. Jeff Coke gave a great message and testimony about having assurance of your salvation in the afternoon. It was really encouraging to believers who have doubts.

Our next trip is Sunday, May 23 to the Powledge Unit.

Once again, check us out on Facebook(just search for our page under East Texas Sports Reach).

We are now on Facebook

2009-10-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Check us out on Facebook. We now have an East Texas Sports Reach Facebook page that you can become a fan of. On the page, you will find updates, testimonials, pictures, etc... Come join us.

Trip #6 - Last trip of the year

2009-10-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 22 there will be a Sports Reach Family Dinner. This will be a time to bring your family and come celebrate Sports Reach. There will also be a time of appreciation for everyone who participates and supports this ministry. Please mark your calendars and make every effort to attend…it will be a great night of fellowship. We have a room reserved at the new Bruno’s on Old Jacksonville Hwy at 6:30pm.

Also, we have one trip remaining for this year. It is on Sunday, October 25 to the Coefield unit in Palestine. Please let Josh know if you want to go by Friday, October 16. We will be leaving around 7am and returning around 4-5pm. It will be a great way to finish the year.

Trip #4 Coming Up

2009-06-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Our next trip is a two-day trip to the Wade Unit in Homer, LA. We will be leaving Saturday, June 27th in the morning and will return Sunday, June 28th in the evening. Depending on how many people that go on the trip, we are planning some really great activities including a church service, awards ceremony, music, etc. I hope you can make it! Let Josh know if you can make it by Thursday, June 18th so he can get you approved.

If you are going on this trip, then he will need your Drivers License, Date of Birth and Social Security # since this is an out-of-state unit.

Trip #3 Thursday Night Meeting

2009-05-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Our upcoming trip to the Coeffield unit is quickly approaching. Thursday night, May 28th we are going to meet at Rudy’s at 6:30pm to talk about the trip and pray.

Just a reminder, our trip is this Sunday, the 31st, at the Coeffield unit in Tennessee Colony.

Trip #2 - Powledge Unit

2009-04-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to the Powledge Unit in Tennessee Colony on Sunday. The weather turned off great despite all the rain that they had the day before. Once again, we were blessed with a great group of guys making the trip; sixteen of them to be exact, with two of our guys going on their first ever prison trip. As usual, the competition at Powledge was great and we were able to play several of their teams, including their Trustee Camp "A" Team.

Here is a picture of the group that went on this trip.

If any of the Sports Reach guys would like to post a few words from their experience on the trip, just click on the "comment" link below.

Thursday Night Meeting

2009-04-21T10:57:00.001-07:00

This Thursday, April 23rd, we are going to meet at Spring Creek at 6:30 pm to discuss the details of the trip this Sunday (the 26th) to the Powledge Unit and to pray. Even if you are not going on the trip, come and eat with us.

Next Prison Trip (Trip #2)

2009-04-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

It’s now time for trip #2. On Sunday, April 26th we will be playing at the Powledge Unit in Tennessee Colony. This unit is about 1 hour away from Tyler so we would leave town around 7 or 8 am and return around 5 pm. We went to this unit last year and it was a great trip…they have some pretty good players too.

Please email or call Josh back by Friday, April 17 and let him know if you want to go.

Trip #1 - Telford Unit

2009-03-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

We were truly blessed with a great trip Sunday to the Telford Unit in New Boston, TX. We had a great group of 16 guys that made the trip. Not to mention it was the first trip ever for three of our guys. We left a little earlier than normal to be able to make it to the unit's Chapel service, and let me tell you it was well worth leaving Tyler at 5:15 am to be able to be a part such a special time of worship. All I can say is WOW! You could definitely feel the Holy Spirit at work as we worshiped with approximately 130 inmates. We were so blessed by the talented musicians, singers, and speakers that they had in their service. It is good to know that God is at work within these prison walls and using these men to create a bond of brothers in Christ that are sharing the Gospel to their fellow inmates.

It is always amazing at how unique each trip is and how different it is from the last. The Telford Unit does not have a recreation league established and it seemed that there were very few that had privileges to be able to come out and participate in the softball games. My prayer is that this trip will encourage the rest of the inmates (over 2,000 of them) to do what is necessary to be allowed to come out and participate the next time we come back. We had a great time with the inmates that were able to come out and play. We even split the teams up, for the last few games, and played 5 Sports Reach guys and 5 inmates to a team. Some of the inmates had very little experience playing, and it was neat to see our guys teach and coach them on how to play the game in such an encouraging way.

Any of you guys that went on the trip that would like to say a few words about your experience, please comment below by clicking on the "comment" tab, or if you would like to email it to me, I will post it for you.

Here are a couple of pictures from the trip.

Our team captain Josh Gentry with Chaplain Spencer

Thursday Night Meeting

2009-03-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Our meeting went well tonight. We had 13 guys show up to Spring Creek for a time of fellowship and prayer for our upcoming trip this Sunday to the Telford Unit in New Boston. We missed you guys that weren't able to make it and look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

We will meet Sunday morning at GABC at 7:45 am, and we will be leaving at 8:00 am and returning sometime around 6:00-7:00 pm. We will be meeting in the parking lot by the maintenance building (where they store the church vans), which is just north of the 110 Student Center basketball/volleyball courts.

Like Josh said tonight, please be in prayer for the prisoners, the guards, the warden, our safety (both traveling and while playing), and that the holy spirit would stir and prepare the hearts and ears to "The Message" we will be bringing. Also pray for the new members of our ministry, and for peace for the unknown of what they will encounter on their first trip. We all know what it was like on our first trip so let us keep this in mind and encourage these guys throughout the day Sunday.

See you Sunday!

Great Start to 2009!

2009-03-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

2009 is off to a great start for Sports Reach. We had two successful weeks at our booth in the GABC foyer. Thanks, to all of the guys who worked one or both weeks. Thanks to Brandon Gooding for coordinating both weeks.

We also had a beautiful day at the ROC on Sunday. 14 guys showed up to scrimmage and practice including 3 new players, JD Weathers, Dustin Upton and Charlie Sizemore. Here are a few pics of the action. It is exciting to see new people get involved in the ministry and we welcome you!

Our first trip is this Sunday, March 29th to the Telford Unit in New Boston. This Thursday, March 26th at 6:30pm, we will meet at Spring Creek BBQ to go over some trip details and pray together. If you are signed up for this trip, please try to attend. This is an important time as we prepare to go. Even if you are not going on this trip, you can come pray with us.