Faith, fellowship and the diamond…

by Troy Sparks

What makes the Christian Fellowship Softball League unique is the
opportunity not only to play with men and women, but to display the
appropriate conduct by remembering that it is the spirit of Christ
inside you that should be on display.

All of this wouldn’t be possible without the woman behind the
operation.  Donna Childs, with help from Rodney Matthews, always
strive for the players on all the teams to have fun, avoid serious
injuries and fellowship with one another without any drama.

“First and foremost, no one had a major injury,” she said when asked to
summarize the season.  “But most importantly, I believe the Lord
was glorified.  Hopefully, people saw Christ when we played this
year.”

Maybe she wasn’t aware of a pitcher on one of the teams who was struck by
a 60 miles per hour line drive in his left ear.  He was knocked to
the ground and unconscious for about two minutes before awakening
with a split ear, missing the eardrum and possibly permanent loss of
hearing in that ear.  It was a short ambulance ride to the hospital,
17 stitches to close the tear and back on the mound five weeks later.
The guy who hit the ball took it so hard and didn’t play on his
team for a while.

There’s some friendly trash-talking, but nothing of a serious nature and no
cursing.  That is music to the ears of kids and other adults who want
to watch competitive softball and not hear the rated-R dialogue. 

No other co-ed softball league can match the longevity of the CFSL.
“This is our 24^th year,” Childs said.  “(It’s)
hard to believe, 24 years.  It has been some ups and downs, but we’re
hanging on.  We’re trying to make a positive difference.”

Although some of the players on the teams are members of the churches they
play for, the goal is to introduce Christ to a nonbeliever, either
through recruiting new players for teams or talking to a stranger who
stops to watch a game.

“Actually each year, we find out from teams if anyone came to Christ,” said
Childs.  “Every year, we believe that someone has come to Christ.
I haven’t heard yet this year, but I’m sure that someone has.”

And another thing that you don’t see in other leagues that you see in
this league:  Both teams, win or lose, meet in a big circle and pray
for safety, protection, staying injury-free and putting Christ on
display.  When you sum it up, it’s just a game, and the most
important thing is to live for God at all times and not take the game
home with you.