some final pictures

First 3 are from our trip to Six Flags... the group (minus one guy), some of the prizes won from a 3-point shooting game, and then the favorite ride--Kingda Ca! The last three are Billie (I talked about him a bit in the post--he's the one who had never been in a church until my open gym and we had some good spiritual conversations)--that's a picture of him reffing a game for me--when WKU donated some shirts to me, I gave them to my 2 volunteer refs to wear as the official ref shirt... next picture down is just a picture of some of the "Puerto Rican shooters" as they became known... the last picture is another pic of the league night--the crowd watching from the top grew bigger every week!

One last post

Well I have been home for a week and a half now, but still busy as ever (visiting old friends, preparing for my teacher's certification test, etc.) so now I am finally settling down to post my final update...

Good news is I finally got a team picture of each team in the league and the bible study group--they were my favorite pictures of the summer. Bad news is, as I was setting up for my all night event I noticed my camera was missing. Looks like someone snatched that during the work day (looks like yet again, it was an "inside job"). So I am without those pictures and I am still upset about it.

So my last week went well. The final bible study had the same 20 for the 3rd straight week, which was very encouraging. Afterwards I had one ask me to pray over him and for his family for safe travels to Puerto Rico. Pastor Wittenberg stayed late that night to share a few words and make himself available and the group heard from the fellow Christians that have been helping me about their "Next Level" ministries. Tough part is... continued ministry to these guys will be tough now that the gym is not open every night (only the league continues). Pray for new openings there. My last night with the league was depressing and a relief at the same time. It was hard knowing it was my last night with many of these guys, but still... many of those guys are very tough to deal with--I had a lot to deal with that night! So when it was all over, it was relieving. The last night of league season games was last Thursday (so I missed that and will miss the tournament)--it was nervewracking at first because 2 teams didn't show up for the first two games, but then the next 4 did... So, after a full season the record is as stands:

Dynasty 6-1
Jewtown 5-2 (forfeited last game)
Next Level 5-2
DBB 4-3
P.U.C. 3-4
Tioga Heights B 2-5
Unforgettables 1-7 (forfeited last game)
Tioga Heights A 1-7

Playoffs start this week! Oh, but one more thing about the league. I forgot to mention this story... Remember my statments about the free CDs that were made to pass out? Well before one game as I was saying we had free CDs for them, one of the guys asked if it was me rapping on the CD. I responded with, "Me? haha, nah I don't rap... I'm a white boy from KY!" And he responded with, "Well no one thought you could ball, but you can." So... that made me feel good!

And so then came Friday--my final thing. What a blessing that night was. Chuck Malloy came to the rescue again! He made a generous gift of 12 Pizzas, 6 bags of chips, and lots of soda. We were able to start off the night with a feast and a reminder of the gospel, then we started with the 3 on 3 tournament (6 teams)... after a few rounds we got started on the 3-point contest, probably the fan favorite and the most ghetto thing I've put together. WKU sent me 5 red-and-white Western Kentucky University basketballs, so those were the money balls, and then Elvin (the one who's brother was shot and killed) had his mother-in-law donate about 12 basketballs from her company (Sunoco--gas station), and then I had other basketballs to come up with a total of 25! We had 5 racks, did it just like the NBA... only the racks were a combination of wheeled carts, baby crate, etc... But they LOVED it. And Elvin brought his DJ stuff, so we blared music throughout (and Joey brought by many Christian rap CDs to use)... it was a lot of fun watching contestants dance on the floor, and dance as they shoot. Round 1 had 20, then 10, then 4, then 2... the winner was Billie, the one whom I talked to one-on-one about making a decision for Christ. Then we moved onto the dunking contest. WOW... that was a blast. I printed out a bunch of papers with #s on each so we could do it just like fans do in the NBA contest. I had 5 judges appointed... we had 7 for Round 1, 4 for Round 2... and then it didn't go any further because everyone quit after we all saw Koran's dunk. Koran is a 5'9" guy who can do a 360, through the leg dunk on 10 ft and the contest we had the goal at 9' 3"... he did one dunk and the crowd went crazy--several taped it using the phone, so watching people crowd around the phone to watch the replay 5 times over lets you know it was exciting. It is supposed to be posted on youtube sometime--when it goes up, I'll post it on here. People were so pumped about it, that they just let him do a 15 minute dunk show and didn't even bother finishing out the 3 on 3.. the prize for all of the winners was a WKU bball and a WKU shirt. Basically, the night was a great way to end it all. Guys stayed till 4 AM just chatting and hanging out and helping me clean up. They really expressed their thanks for everything and for keeping them off the streets (which makes it harder knowing I had to leave them with no open gym... at least for now). I will admit, as I locked up the gym for the last time, I teared up.

Yet still, even up to my last week, I was learning more about some horrors of this neighborhood. Jose took me to get a real "Philly cut" (hair cut) and on the way we ran into a crime scene where a murder had just taken place, and then once we get to "Bout Time Barber Shop" we learn that one of the barber's cousin was shot and killed earlier that day... that day there were 2 murders and 3 shootings just within a few miles of the church. Jose told me that from 2007 to 2008, Philadelphia had over 365 murders, more than one a day. The next day Pastor Wittenberg and his wife (Susan) took me out to lunch where I heard some more stories. Susan told me a story when a group of kids got out of school, put animal masks on, and attacked a random guy on the street--Susan had to drive up on the street blaring her horn to scatter the kids as the old man lay there brutally beaten. I had seen a couple school riots from my 2nd floor window, but I did not realize it was a very common thing... and actually, it's hearing that that encourages me even more to teach inner-city... just pray for this area, for change, for God to be glorified.

Some of you all may be wondering: Have you still kept in touch with them? Answer is: some, yes... some, no. Remember, K&A is one of the most poverty stricken neighborhoods... many of these guys run out of minutes on their phone fast. So I can call some and can't get through--it's because they have no minutes--so then I have to wait a couple weeks. But I have been able to talk to some since I've been home. A group of them even plan on coming here to visit and attend my wedding. Pray that works out!

If you have any questions, just ask! (859) 539-7838 or jeffrey.bracken@wku.edu

I will post a few more pictures later tonight (pictures from the Six Flags trip and others).

Bad News for the Church

Many of you may know already, but I wanted to let all know that the church I live in here was robbed last night. Details are a little hazy, but it seems clear that there were definitely at least 3 involved in stealing 12 computers from the Kids' program computer lab and it appears that these people knew exactly what they were looking for. A drill was used to get into doors and take off a deadbolt lock... a lounge room was broken into where they could have stolen a TV, DVD player, Game Cube, etc. but all they took was one water bottle. They escaped by passing the computers through a window (computer room was in basement so windows were at top of room, along ground level outside) and then snuck them out through a fence that had been cut.

How they got in is another mystery... while the Pastor was examining the fence, a mother walked over with her 2 sons and gave him a set of keys that her son found in the alley (the cut fence leads into the alley between our church and another building)... the keys were keys for the church, including a key to get into the front door. At this point, we don't know what to make of that.

Wishart Avenue is the street right behind our church and its the street that it was obvious where the "get away" car was parked to load the computers. Wishart Avenue is also packed with people who stay out extremely late... Unfortunately, it is very unlikely we will get any information--they don't even say anything for a murder (so I was told). Even as cops came to investigate, they yelled out the code word to let the block know cops are on the street. Please lift the church up in your prayers... But let me tell you where it gets really good.

#1: My shower sits across from the Computer lab... I shower every night (and it's always late--usually past midnight once guys are gone from the gym). For some odd reason or another, I just did not feel like showering last night. All day I have been thinking about that, and I'm telling you... God intervened--God made that decision for me to not shower. Knowing the neighborhood I'm in, if I had walked in on them doing that, I would have been left dead. Praise God and praise all of you for your prayers--Mary told me that her co-worker had her church pray for my protection yesterday morning... well God answered that prayer with His protection that night. (Though still, knowing it all happened while I was in the building kinda angers me ya know?)

#2: Hearing Major Wittenberg's response to all this was very encouraging to me. All he cared about was my safety. When he got the call that everything had been stolen, his first instinct was to know if I was okay. Then he simply said "stuff is stuff... who cares?" One of the church members was quite upset about it, and Major asked "Are you really surprised?" He proceeded to explain that when he heard it, he wasn't all that surprised. He said to make ministry happen in this area, you ahve to be willing to take risks. He'd rather have the church packed and risk losing stuff, than to hold on tightly to everything and have no one there. He explained that he blessed my ;ministry knowing we were gonna have to shut off the alarm system; knowing that I would have some rough bunch in and out; etc. "If you want your stuff to be safe, then go to a wealthy suburban church," he said, "otherwise, to minister in this neighborhood, you gotta learn to deal with it..." That was encouraging to hear. Stop being safe, live life on the edge for Christ. Dare to move.

Thank you again for all the prayers. One last thing to pray for: since this has happened some of "my guys" have found out--I've asked them to find out any information they can (since they're from the streets); but I pray that it happens without violence!

bad news for me

Well, with one week to go I now have to watch all basketball from the sidelines as I hold on to my new set of crutches. Unfortunately during a open gym Wednesday night I busted my left knee. It is unsure of the diagnosis (we know for sure it's not bone-related) but I did get an MRI yesterday afternoon to look for any torn ligaments. Because I drive stick shift, my parents and I are in the process of figuring out how I'm going to get home! Please keep me and my injury in your prayers... Though I must admit, having this injury has shown me how many people here have come to care about me, both in the church and out of the church. Many of those who witnessed the fall that night took care of me immediately after and have been intentional in following up with me, making sure I'm okay and helping me clean the gym each night. But the church staff has also taken great care of me. Nancy, the secretary has done so much for me--she drove me to my appointment, took me out to eat, went and got groceries for me, etc... A volunteer, John, has brought me several movies to watch and with Nancy's portable DVD player and occassional gifts of double stuffed oreos and Raisenettes I have myself some fun movie nights! I should probably also mention the fact that Karen, the bookkeepr (whose office is right next to my room) has helped me all year, taking me to places, keeping me company some late nights (along with her kids). And Pastor Phil Wittenberg has been a wonderful blessing (though he was gone on vacation for 3 weeks!).

Despite all the care, it's still tough on me, knowing that I may not be able to play basketball for a while, I may have to reschedule my Praxis test (test for teacher certification) to have surgery, and may have to hobble around Greenwood HS while I student teach! And it is definitely a bummer considering that I may not get to play in my own 3-0n-3 tournament this upcoming Friday-Saturday (my teammates think I'm going to recover by then--hey, I still believe in miracles, :) ). This upcoming weekend is my final big outreach event. I have open gym from 8 PM on Friday to 6 AM on Saturday. There will be a 3-on-3 tournament (currently with 14 teams), a 3-point contest (the max # of 20 have signed up) and a dunking contest (currently 10). Currently, I am working on getting a guest speaker from Ephiphany Fellowship--if that falls through, I suppose I will. Another cool thing about this event, is that Elvin (the one who's brother was shot and killed Oct. 7, 2007) said he is a DJ and doesn't mind bringing his equipment to DJ the event--sounds like we gonna have a party! By the way, I also met Elvin's wife last night and they would like to get away from Philly for a week or so, so they may be visiting me back in KY in the next year. For all of you who read this from KY, I know you can think of ways we can treat them to a good time (some southern cooking, the lake, anything else?). Anyways, be in prayer for this event, it'll be my last one.

As for other things... I took a group to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ this past monday. With buy 1 ticket, get 1 free coupons, I had a group of 10. When I first asked these guys if they wanted to go, it didn't sound like it meant much to them. No real excitement, no talking about it, nothing really. Honestly, I think some of these guys have learned not to get their hopes up about anything. Because it wasn't until they were actually in the van and on the way there that they got real excited. They couldn't stop talking about it the whole way there... and the next day at bible study they were still talking about what a great time they had! Only a couple of them had been to this particular park before, and about half of them have never been to an amusement park period. So this trip was really something for them. We had planned on leaving at 9, but we had too much fun. We stayed till 10:30. Of course, I made it more than just fellowship and fun... I shared with them 2 Corinthians 5:14--"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." I basically used that verse to show that if I wasn't a Christian, if I didn't have the love of Christ in me, then I wouldn't be in Philly and if I was, I certainly wouldn't care about them. Instead, because of the love of Christ that is in me, it compels me to pour out that same love to them--it compels me to act and to express God's love through different things. I think they got the point :)...

As for this past week's bible study, I am glad to say I had 18 of same crowd as the week before, plus 2 new oens. I have a consistent group who are enjoying it and tell me they are learning. It's great because they do not rush to get it over with so they can play ball. They ask questions, we get in discussions, we relate it to life on the streets. You can easily notice in their eyes that all this is sinking in. Unfortunately, I only have one bible study left--and it will be very focused on a general altar call. Fortunately, through the Christians I have met and talked about in previous blogs, there will be continued discipleship through what's called the "Next Level." Pray for that ministry and those leading it and for those who have been coming to my bible studies to continue in it.

Moving on to the league and the continued impacts that is having:
Well, the two undefeated teams (Next Level and Jewtown) squared off and Jewtown came out on top. This past league night was a fun one to watch, considering I saw 10 dunks on the night and a couple very close games! Here are the standings:
Tioga A 0-5
Tioga B 1-4
P.U.C. 2-3
DBB 3-2
Next Level 4-1
Jewtown 5-1
Dynasty 4-1
Unforgettables 1-4 (But this team has never lost a game by fewer than 4 points or somethin like that)
There is a growing fan base that watches from the work out room (including family members) and the teams finally have their jerseys (though they did not turn out as hoped... there were some complications)... For the devotion this time I pulled from Matthew 7:21-23 about when Jesus says "Not everyone who says, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven, will enter..." I've noticed that many of these might tell me they believe in God, they are Christians, etc... but they continue to live in drug dealing, personal gain, anger, etc... I hoped this would be a wake up call for them (I expanded on it a little more). Also, remember the picture of the CD I posted? 47 of the 50 have been passed out and we had good responses. The very next day I had someone tell me he didn't know what to expect... that usually when "church people" put something together it's corny or they don't know how to relate... but he said he listened to it from the first song to the last and loved it. He said he related to all the songs in every way and got a few more to give to his cousins. PJ, the one who put the CDs together, made a few others for him to have. I also had Chris from P.U.C. (who is on probation right now) tell me, and I quote "Jeff, excuse my language, but that sh*t is hot." I put that in to show that here's someone who has come to respect me enough to the point that he'll even excuse his language in front of me (which I found humurous and cool at the same time) and it's good to know that God is using the lyrics and music to reach out...

There's really just one last thing I want to mention. What about girls? At the start of the summer I had thought to myself about I was neglecting ministry to girls--my ministry was providing a way for guys who play basketball (which is also exclusive for guys who don't play--but then again, I was not starting a church... I was carrying out my mission called from/by God)... But, after several weeks, I had some girlfriends come in and out of the gym. One girl, her name is My, would always come and just sit and watch for hours... that is until I found out she loves to color and draw so I got her crayons and coloring books. She'll come and sit in my office and doodle, and I kid you not... almost everytime I'll walk in later and I'll find her reading my Bible. She just picked it up and started in the beginning--Genesis... I suggested she read the book of John (next time I walked in, that's what I saw her reading). I also got to minister to Elvin's wife who is a Muslim, but admits she's not really into the Muslim deal--she was more so born into it... So I explained the main difference between Muslim and Christian and she went home with a bible, ready to read. I've also had a girlfriend come to a bible study... so I thought I'd mention those things too... cool stuff, ya know?

OH! one last thing... so I've been having this guy come to open gym and bible study for a few weeks now... and it wasn't until last week that I was told he uses ASL! I knew he was Deaf, but from what I observed I thought he relied on lip reading and hand gestures (that's what I saw his cousin doing) and he knew I was Hard of Hearing, so I figured if he knew ASL, he would ask if I did! Man, was I ignorant! How cool is that? I had spent my past 2 years involved in Deaf ministry in some way, and I was sad about leaving Deaf camp this summer... but look at what God placed in my way! I recently found this out, and we talked a little more... I plan on sharing the gospel with him next time I see him. Pray for him! (his name is Kiko)

Well, that covers it... Because I cannot drive my car, I could not use my computer at McDonalds for wireless, thus... I cannot upload pictures onto here (have some from Six Flags, league, etc.) Well... God bless!

P.S. If you're wondering how my missions money held up... it's taken me right to the end. I have $40 left and a week to go :) (I'd like to raise money again to get the scoreboard taken care of!)

Bible Study, league, and fireworks

Okay folks, I'm going to try this again... but it has now been 3 weeks since the last legitimate update! Hopefully I remember everything I typed up last time when it lost it all... and still have room for what's happened since.

Okay... Let's begin with bible study. For the first few weeks I had about 12 guys coming, but thing is, only 3 were consistent. On the plus side, out of the 24 Bibles donated from the Christians I met here, I only have 6 left... On the downside, well... I was just hoping the same people would come every week. BUT, as of this past Tuesday, I suppose I am beginning to have a consistent group, plus more. I had 20 come! It was a great night because one of my consistent attendees is leaving for the Army on Wednesday, so as a going away party, I used the McDonald's gift card my older brother got me for Christmas (to be used here in Philly) and bought 20 double cheeseburgers and 20 fries--they did enjoy that. But what's even better is... they're enjoying bible study. They really do get into it, and if someone gets distracting, everyone is telling him to shut up! Haha... We get in some good discussions and some guys are opening up to me on their own. With that said, pray for Elvin, who's brother (older by 1 year) was shot and killed Oct. 7, 2007... he said ever since that day it's been real hard for him--he said he's a Christian and after that incident he got a tattoo of a cross on his arm with the sign written "king of the jews"; yet it's been hard for him to really take hold of faith. He admitted that he likes to come to open gym because it gives him something to take his anger out on. Someone else who opened up is Chris, who just got back from prison for possession of a gun and dope--he said he's definitely opened his eyes and stays away from it (he hated prison), but let's pray he takes it the next step and lives for Jesus. He also admitted to me just the other day that they don't want me to leave and that no one would mess with me because of the level of respect there is for me! Welcome to incarnational ministry... that and the Lord has granted me His favor. Lastly, pray for Billie. Billie has just lost his job and is on the verge of homelessness. The cool thing about Billie though... coming to open gym was the first time he's ever stepped foot in the church. His first bible study here was his first time hearing about Jesus. After this past Tuesday, he thinks he's ready to make a decision for Christ and get baptized! I'm meeting with him later today (along with John and Jose who might be leaning toward making a decision as well) to talk more about it (oh... and this guy is really good at bball... he was roommates with Jayson Williams at a 5-Star High School Camp back in the day).

But, like I've said before, this isn't the only Bible Study. I also have the bible study on Wednesdays with some church members. This one is focused around understanding what it means to be a DISCIPLE (thanks to Tommy Johnson for teaching me the importance of it!)... Now this has been unique for me because any Bible Study I have lead, it has been with college age students. For this study, I have Nolan (9 yrs old), his brother Nigel (14), their mother Anissa and her boyfriend Greg, then Karen (30 yrs), and Gina (middle-aged).... What's really cool is that the main reason for the family coming is because Nigel wanted to know more about the Bible... and now they have embarked on a mission to read their Bible more and understand more of what God wants of them... the spaghetti dinners and studies I have with them have been great... and I know God is using the experience to carry them into their work force, school, neighbors, etc...

Now... as for the League. Wow, that has come a long way. First, let me update you on the records:
Tioga A............... 0-4
Tioga B............... 1-3
Next Level.......... 4-0
Unforgettables... 1-3
P.U.C.................. 1-3
DBB.................... 2-2
Dynasty.............. 3-1
Jewtown............ 3-1
I wish all of you could be here to watch these games--even the teams with the 1-3 records are really good (their losses are always within 4 points... almost all games are close and I've had 2 overtime games!). I should have a picture of each team up by next Saturday. The ministry has been going well too. Before each game there is a devotion and time of prayer... this past Thursday I invited Chuck Malloy to provide our devotion and he talked about how our single biggest problem we face as the human race is death... and he used that to introduce Jesus who overcame death, and how that same resurrection is offered to us. Chuck is someone who is now a dear friend to me because we have mutual friends from KY (and they put me in touch with him)... Chuck has helped provide Gatorade, whistles, etc... But I think he enjoyed doing that devotion the most! And I think it got a clear message to some of these youth. League night has become a hot spot, as the work out room becomes crowded with fans watching the games (Next Level and DBB bring the most).

Let me explain something else about this league... I had a goal when I first arrived in Philly over a year ago (at least a goal I made up by the end of the week)... that goal was to bridge neighborhoods together through bball. Well... the league has helped accomplish that. I have a few teams from different hoods, and it's been cool seeing how they interact now--from seeing each other at open gym to seeing each other outside of the church (a play from Unforgttables talked about how he met someone from Jewtown and they talked about the league!). Another goal was fostering team work and leadership. Well... if you notice, the Tioga teams have not been doing well. That's because they are about 5 years younger than all the other teams. Though they get spanked at their games, I have seen a player from the opposing team gather them together afterwards to encourage them and give them tips. I've see another guy invite a few of the younger ones to open gym so that he could help train them and work with them. In a neighborhood where no one sees any good happening, I see God making it happen.

It's funny... I came back this summer expecting to spend the whole summer doing what I did before--ministry at the parks... but it has shifted to this league and open gym (guys say they'd rather play there than on the streets... actually, one time some guys came by wanting to use my air pump, and I told them if they came back in 30 minutes I'd open the gym for them... one of them said "Yeah, we want that... rather play there than on the streets".... in the next 30 minutes that guy was already out fighting someone).... God has totally taken this trip and set me on his course--i've just followed where he's taken it. I must say though, I miss going to the park... there's some guys I haven't seen since I last played ball there. But with all this said, PRAY that God continues to bless the league; some are worried it will fall apart once I'm gone... pray for those who take over.

Well, I think that covers enough.... By the way... please, everyone be jealous of me. Last night I sat on the roof and watched incredible Philadelphia fireworks--the entire sky all around me was lighting up all night. It was quite a sight :)

pictures of the park

Remember the whole deal with getting baseball equipment donated to that school? The picture you see at the top is their field (notice any dirt?)... the field is at the same park where it all started for me. That's what all these pictures are--the wall of grafitti that runs along the side of the court, and the court itself from different angles. The third pic you see is just another example of what you saw with the PUC grafitti picture. Jewtown is one of the teams in the league... in case you're wondering, they are not Jewish; that's just the name of the hood/park they're from... A few of those guys have been to a bible study.

I do have time to post pictures

Theres the scoreboard I make do with... and my fiancee, Mary (her and her friend in picture above came to visit me a couple weekends ago), is holding the timer... the dumb battery died with 1 minute and something to go in the last quarter of a game where Next Level won on a last second 3-point shot (who knows if we put too much time up or not enough!)

Okay... this makes no sense... any picture I post AFTER the one with the scoreboard and timer, gets placed above them and I can't move them!!! makes captioning the pictures hard... anyways, at the top you can see me running along the wall! (I'm reffing...) And the CD cover you see is a Christian hip-hop album some Christians here put together for me to pass out to the teams... good stuff!

Remember how in a previous post I mentioned a team named P.U.C. (Problems Under Control)... well I came across some of their "marked territory" at the park (however, I don't consider them a gang)... Picture under that is the team Jewtown warming up before a game. Notice the workout room above? We get a solid crowd now... people sit up there to watch the games!