All the details behind the new NGU Athletic Ministry Instagram account
Ava Henderson, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of NGU Athletic Ministry
There is a new Instagram count following NGU sports as well as the faith of the athletes. The account is called NGU Athletic Ministries, and it is run by several athletes and covers every NGU athletic team.
The purpose of this account is mainly to share the faith of the athletes. Every Friday, the account posts what is called “Favorite Verse Friday.” During this, some of the members of the athletic ministries team share what their favorite verse of the Bible is. They also share why they are in the ministry they are in and what the purpose of it is.
For example, three members of the Media and Engagement team shared their favorite verse. Haylee Taylor on the women’s golf team shared 1 Timothy 4:12, Joseph McBride on the men’s cross country and track and field team shared Jeremiah 29:11 and Cecily Anderton on the women’s cross country and track team shared Hebrews 12:1-2.
Freshman Haylee Taylor said, “Our goal as the Media and Engagement team is to post the beliefs and stories NGU athletes have in a way that is appropriate and engaging to the audience.”
The team wants the things shared to be memorable and make a lasting impact on those who read it, whether they are an athlete or not.
“We want people to be inspired by the things that are shared, and it’s our job to make that happen,” she said.
Another important part of this account is incorporating sports and ministry. This is done by sharing the favorite verses of the athletes and account managers as well as in the future sharing the testimonies and stories as well. They want people to see how the athletes put Jesus in their sports as well as how Jesus has changed their lives outside of the sport.
Jacob Johnson, junior on the men’s tennis team and discipleship leader on the ministry team finds this is very important on his walk with Jesus.
“I want people to see Jesus in me on and off the court and being a part of the athletic ministry team is a great and fun why to do that,” he said.
Many of the members have the same goal of letting Jesus’ light shine through them. A great way to do that is on the stage of their sport. With everyone’s eyes on them during the game, they want people to make sure Jesus is seen more than them. This is seen through how they react to wins and losses, how they act towards their opponents and how they act towards the crowd, home or away.
Senior on the women’s track and field team and ministry captain Bre’Asia Robinson said, “How we react to wins and losses is a big part of how we show the light of Jesus on the track. If I congratulate the other team versus cussing up a storm, people will see who I really am, and who I want to be is who Jesus made me to be.”
How the team decides what athletes get posed is very simple. Leaders on different teams will bring up someone who they believe incorporates Jesus on and off the court. If they see someone, they interview them and ask them about their walk with Jesus and their faith and then the ministry team decides how they want to share it.
This leads into why they started this account. They wanted a way to highlight athletes shining brightly for Jesus in a way others could see and be inspired by. This led them to starting an Instagram account to share these people. They want to do more with it in the future, such as testimonies and highlight how they use Jesus in their day-to-day lives in their sport and in their normal lives.
