In 2010, the vision for the St. Francis of Assisi campus became a more tangible reality for the parish. When Father Mark Reamer became pastor at St. Francis, he focused on making our community more inclusive and expansive while bringing the whole community together. As it says on our parish website: “Reflecting upon his own goals for the parish, Father Mark sums it up in one word: unity. ‘My goal is to continue to unite the parish so that we continue to be connected in the sense of community and reach out to those who hunger and thirst for human dignity.’ He also focused on the needs beyond the parish boundaries, evaluating the community’s needs and how ready the parish is to respond to those needs. He pointed to the name of the 2007 capital campaign as a reflection of his goals as pastor: ‘Growing in Faith Together.’” In April 2010, we dedicated the new ‘Community Center’ at St. Francis as part of that capital campaign.
By Fall 2010, the new Center had already planned how it would impact the ‘sense of community’ at St. Francis. Father Mark often referred to the Church as the ‘front door’ to the community and the Community Center as the ‘back door’ to the parish. The center accomplished this through its many offerings and sports programs, drawing people to the campus. Mary Arleth and Ashley Watson have been involved at the Community Center for many years and continue these ‘outreach programs’ at the Center. Mary is the Athletic Programs Administrator, and Ashley is the Coordinator of Community Life, running the overall slate of available programs.
Since its opening, the St. Francis Community Center has built a sense of community through sports. The focus remains on athletic leagues and programs. The league offerings include youth basketball, high school basketball, youth volleyball, and men’s adult summer basketball leagues. While the leagues are during defined timeframes throughout the year, open play opportunities run throughout the year. There are adult open-play evenings for coed volleyball, women’s basketball, and men’s basketball. The popular men’s ‘40+ basketball’ has open play at night, and Mary always enjoys seeing the guys come in to play! “They come in about ½ hour early and start putting on their braces and gels,” she says with a smile, “and when they leave, they often say, ‘I don’t know if I’m coming back.’” They almost always return because it’s about more than just basketball; it’s about camaraderie, faith, and a sense of belonging regardless of skill level!
The focus, though, is on the youth. “All the youth leagues are teaching leagues,” says Ashley, “and youth basketball adds more ‘regular basketball’ rules as they age.” For instance, there is only an ‘NBA-like focus’ on dribbling, meaning it’s not called tightly, as the players learn the basketball ‘ropes.’ The focus is on building skills, participation, and, of course, having a good time. Ashley adds, “What we do to help make this a learning experience is to try our best to match teams up skill-wise and assure that everyone gets the same amount of playing time. We have a ‘draft’ for the older kids, but it’s more of a skills evaluation to match the teams up well and even them up.
Part of the strength of these leagues, as some are in their 33rd year, is the dedication of the adult volunteers who help staff the leagues. Rich Wessel, to name one, has coordinated volunteer referees and the youth basketball league for many years. Much like the adult men in open play, he has said, “I don’t know if I’ll be back again,” but he always returns! The leagues are also about service to both the parish and the larger community. Parents will volunteer at concessions during games; each league runs a service project yearly. For instance, William Strickland, another long-time volunteer coach and referee, ran a canned food drive in support of the food pantry for the youth league. The high school league does a drive supporting the Migrant Ministry in the spring; others link with a parish drive or provide for a parish-supported ministry.
How is the Community Center meeting its remit as the parish’s “back door”? Ashley says, “Parishioners who become more involved in our programs meet more people as they enjoy our offerings. Non-parishioners will see what this place is about through our programs and how faith intersperses all we do.” She adds, “Often new parishioners find that youth leagues are a great way for their kids to meet people, and we try and keep the ‘schools together’ so they already may know classmates as they participate in the leagues.” Overall, the Center is allowing everyone a glimpse into our lived faith.
Even during the week, other participation options exist: DVD-led yoga classes on Mondays and Fridays and ‘Parent-Child’ music and sign language sessions offered throughout the year. “In January, we will start ‘Fit for Moms,’” says Ashley. Strides 360 will be available as a ‘child optional’ offering. “We want to provide options where moms can bring their child with them during the week and get a workout in with other moms in their community..”
The Community Center has also expanded to other offerings to continue providing a sense of ‘Community’ in a faith-based setting. Francis Fest is an example of an event where people get a chance to get together as a community, and these sorts of events also help us grow together. “We are looking at more social types of events as a parish,” says Ashley, “and I hope to have more social events at the Community Center; stay tuned!”
The best way to learn about our community center’s offerings is through the parish website, which has a ‘Community Center’ tab. You can find information about athletic offerings, summer camps, classes and programs, and necessary forms there. ‘Growing in Faith Together,’ as was Father Mark’s vision, remains strong at St. Francis whether you come through the ‘front door’ or the ‘back door’ at the parish.
