Upward has been one of the great ministries for churches in the past several years.  Upward is a sports outreach ministry.  Its base is basketball, but there are also now Upward football, soccer, cheerleading, etc.  They have a great motto:  Every child plays.  Every child learns.  Every child is a winner.

Because of its emphasis on low key but uplifting competition it is a great outreach to the community.  Many churches have found their doors flooded with applications once they begin.

So let's say that's the case for you:  your leadership has just come to you and asked you to lead the Upward program for your church.  What do you do?  Freak out?

No, keep in mind that Upward (www.upward.org) has a great program/kit for those wishing to begin the program.  Certainly, the key is to have church leadership behind it.  From there, it's key to recruit a leadership team, who can in turn recruit volunteers.  As you proceed forward, one key will be promotion in the community.

For promotion, typically local radio stations will run free public service announcements.  The local paper will do the same.  Issue a press release and get coverage for your program.  Local parenting magazines are a good source as well.  Obviously, much of the key promotion occurs within the church and its members who will make invites out into their sphere of influence.  

From a registration standpoint, it is vital that you have a link on your website.  You can also set up for online registration and management.  This online registration and management will include text messaging announcements.  Visit www.htgsports.net for more information. 

Simplified registration is a key to building the program.  I was in my dentist's office talking to my hygienist.  She was looking for a low key sports program for her son.  When I told her about Upward, she was "all over it."  Because of her busy work schedule, the online registration proved to be key.  Without it, she probably could not have upset her schedule to get registered.  The church now has another family in their program.

Press on.  The results are worth it.

--William High is a freelance writer.