Reflections on College Football Championship Titles, Community and the Local Church

Earlier this week, Indiana University’s football team won the National Championship title! Congrats to the Hoosiers! Our friends at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, in Bloomington, Ind., where IU is located, are in the heart of the action!

The past several weeks, Sherwood Oaks has done a great job of bringing faith and fun together! They’ve taken to their social media channels and have included special elements in their weekend gatherings to lean into the hype of IU football and their local community’s excitement.

What we’re seeing and celebrating alongside Sherwood Oaks:

• Photography documenting the life of their church, smiling faces and lingering conversations that depict authentic, true community. 
• An IU-inspired cream and crimson photo booth in their church lobby. Their church leaders are seeing possibilities and finding ways to get creative and have fun. What a way to show their neighbors that church is for worship and for joy! 
• Their Lead Minister in a full bison (IU’s mascot) costume last Sunday at church.
• Recording a short, upbeat video of their senior pastor that brought energy and camaraderie to their social media platforms and encouraged weekend worship – IU swag highly encouraged. This relevant and timely video showed Lead Minister Shawn Green in the worship center inviting the people to church, complete with the school spirit and the classic Hoo- Hoo- Hoo- Hoosiers’ chant. 

Whether you’re a football fan or not, the church is its people because Jesus was all about people. The local church should be a fun, community-focused place to build relationships, grow, serve, worship – and laugh, smile and find joy. 

Some questions you and your church's comms team can consider together:

• How can you bring laughter, smiles and joy to your staff team and congregation? 
• What opportunities are already happening in your local community, and how can your church lean into them with relevance and purpose?
• Where can your church actively build fellowship with your local community? How can this be done in an organic, genuine, time-sensitive way? 

Being with like-minded individuals, sharing life together, being in fellowship with one another … community … is essential to the local church. Bringing people together around a common initiative and growing alongside brothers and sisters in Christ is a beautiful thing. And church? The local church is a place that combines biblically-based teachings and faith with community, friendship and joy.

Let’s be the type of Church who seizes opportunities to build community and minister to local areas in a way that’s worshipful, community-minded, outreach-focused and fun!