The First Baptist Church of Immokalee, (FBCI), is reaching out to the communities of Immokalee and Ave Maria with an extension of its ministry called Fellowship Sports Ministry. Head Pastor, Timothy Pigg states: “We, (the Church), desired… to extend the love of God into our community… through offering Fellowship Sports Ministry to families in Immokalee and Ave Maria.” Pastor Tim asked Immokalee native, Israel Gallegos, for his help to develop this new ministry. One of the programs that Fellowship Sports Ministry offers is a flag football sponsored by the NFL, (National Football League) called “NFL Flag”. This is a program where the NFL provides strategies to organize a successful team, establish age brackets for each division, and further provide each player with an insurance policy. “Football teaches several essential character qualities that are helpful for maturity… learn how to be good teammates, work hard, and live with integrity,” Pastor Tim further states. Playing for “NFL Flag” is for any child that has a desire to play sports. It does not matter if they attend another church or even if they don’t attend a church at all. Fellowship Sports Ministry was designed to “… share the love of God… through Sports.” What’s more exciting is that each “NFL Flag” team will get to choose which NFL team they will represent. For example, team members will wear official NFL jerseys such as the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or any of the NFL’s 32 teams. Besides looking for players, Fellowship Sports Ministry at FBCI is looking for coaching staff. To qualify, adults must have a “…a desire to love and mentor kids… with integrity and a desire to make an impact in a kid’s life.” The philosophy of the Fellowship Sports Ministry is simple: teach the players about Faith, Sportsmanship, and Mentorship. Although the season does not start until January, FBCI will offer several half day football clinics throughout Immokalee. Interested people can find more information about these clinics FBCI’s website, or their Facebook page. Each team will be encouraged to practice once a week, practices will be held at the Sports Complex in Immokalee. During the 8 week season, teams will play other local “NFL Flag” teams. On the 9th week, a championship game will be played. Pastor Tim further states: “The most rewarding part to coaching is the impact God allows me to… (be) a positive and reliable influence for the kids.” Pastor Tim hopes to partner with the Pop-Warner league in Immokalee, “… so that the kids continue to develop lifelong friendships that will carry them into High School and beyond.” Pastor Tim also has plans to have Immokalee High School varsity coach, Rodelin Anthony, who played for the Baltimore Ravens, and other professional athletes, to talk to the players throughout the season. All participants will get to keep their NFL jersey, and the team who wins their age division will be awarded a championship medal. Anyone interested in either playing or coaching needs to contact FBCI’s Director of Fellowship Sports Ministry, Israel Gallegos, at coachgallegos60@gmail.com. Pastor Tim’s advice to give to future participants is found in Mark 12:30: “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” and Matthew 6:33: “Seek only the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” “If our youth will follow these two verses, we will see a major impact for the good in our community…”