Teaching the Bible with bow and arrow
Chuck Goodin, territorial young adult, camping & sports ministries director, is excited about the sporting activities taking place in various parts of the territory. They’re being conducted by the Army and by churches and organizations that have formed partnerships with the Army. Sports ministry directors, corps officers, and pastors are using bows and arrows and Frisbees as well as basketball, baseball, volleyball, and soccer to reach youth and young adults for Christ.
For instance, in the SWONEKY Division, Ben Steiger, founder of a group called Heart of the Outdoors,* is using a year–round archery program to teach kids Godly character through clubs he’s established at corps, churches, and schools. The program is currently in six countries and in five states in the U.S. His love for the outdoors runs deep, and his passion to connect youth with the One who created the outdoors runs even deeper. In the process of teaching archery, Steiger tells how the bow and arrow symbolize the consequences of man’s original sin.
“We go back to the beginning of time,” said Steiger. “We share the creation story, how sin entered the world, and how man then had to hunt and kill for food. We use the bows, arrows, and equipment to help tell the biblical story.” The program also functions indoors in gyms and on racquetball courts. And thanks to “The Hunger Games” movie franchise, archery has found a new popularity in some rather unique places. Jerome Wray, an employee in the SWONEKY Youth Department, has brought the Heart of the Outdoors archery program to several corps in the division. Said Steiger, “We want to reach as many people as possible in The Salvation Army through this radical tool.”
by Warren L. Maye
