Don't Be Afraid to Try Something New

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

When God led me to start The South Jersey Saints in 1987, my home church openly embraced the idea. In fact, our first softball team was largely comprised of players from our church team, which had recently disbanded. Moorestown Bible Church also provided our fledgling ministry with free office space and added us to their mission’s budget.

As our organization grew in size and scope, changing its name to The Saints Prison Ministry to reflect our expansion beyond the Mid-Atlantic states, we were able to recruit more and more “missionary athletes”. That allowed us to establish multiple softball teams as well as teams in various other sports such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer. We even formed women’s teams to minister in female institutions.

As successful as our ministry was – reaching thousands of inmates with the gospel each year and seeing hundreds of them trust Jesus Christ as their Savior – we occasionally encountered a few skeptics. I distinctly remember two well-meaning brothers who questioned the sincerity of the inmates who were making professions of faith. However, they eventually joined one of our softball teams and after experiencing the ministry first-hand themselves, they became true believers in its effectiveness.

I was reminded of that experience when I read the following words by Os Hillman, founder of Marketplace Leaders…

“Whenever God does a new work, it is often met with resistance by those in the established religious community, and sometimes among those from whom we would expect support. Jesus met the same resistance when He began His public ministry. This same phenomenon happens today. When God begins a new work that cannot be easily explained based upon prior experiences, many make the mistake of assuming it not to be of God. The very people who should embrace and encourage the work become the source of skepticism and opposition. God tells us that His ways are not our ways. He does things in ways beyond our limited understanding.”

“Before you are tempted to criticize or oppose something that looks different from your past experience, ask God for wisdom and discernment. Examine why you might be tempted to oppose it. The Lord cannot be put in a box. He delights in doing things in ways that may not fit our former paradigms.”

“Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President