Saints Visit Graham and Vandalia this Saturday!

Dear Friends and Family,

We are heading to two prisons on Saturday.  First we will head to Graham CC in Hillsboro, IL.  This will be our first ever trip to Graham.  

Jon Isbell will be sharing his testimony and Josh Frederick will be sharing the Gospel.  

When we finish up at Graham, we will head to Vandalia CC.  Hunter Stewart will be sharing his testimony and I will be sharing the Gospel.  

I am sending this out a couple of days early to ask for prayer for the visit on Saturday.  Please pray that there won’t be any staffing issues that would prevent us from visiting on Saturday and please pray for our team and that we are bold when sharing the Gospel!  

I mentioned in my last couple of emails that I wasn’t able to make the visit to Kewanee LSRC but my son, Ryne Gibson did!  Here are his thoughts on how the day went!

Guest Post- "A Rookie/Emergency Sub's Perspective"- 8/5/23 Kewanee LSRC Follow Up

Blogger's note- I wasn't able to go on the 8/5/23 trip to Kewanee LSRC but my oldest son, Ryne Gibson was able to go and help fill in as a emergency sub. So, instead of me writing the update of how the day went, here are Ryne's thoughts on the day!

As nice it is to participate in the Saints, I may as well admit that softball isn’t my forte. I grew up playing baseball in our local Little League hosted by the Christian Center in Peoria but that was about the height of my athletic career. However, I do get to utilize that experience when I get an opportunity to fill in as an emergency guy with the Saints. It has been fun to play softball, share the Gospel, and spend time with my dad. One unique thing about this visit was that my dad wouldn’t be with us on this trip as he was in Arizona at a memorial service. We met at our church in Peoria early Saturday. We loaded up our equipment and prayed as a team. We left the church and got some Chick-fil-A breakfast before hitting the road for Kewanee. We arrived on time to a very rainy Kewanee. We played two games in the morning in very wet and muddy conditions. Unfortunately, we didn’t play very well but it was still fun. In between games, Kurt Hand shared his testimony. Kurt has been a good friend of my dad’s for several years. We used to go and get Buffalo Wild Wings with his family on Wednesday nights when we were younger. After Kurt shared his testimony, Kyle Krall shared the Gospel. Kyle preached on John 3:16. After our second game, we had lunch served by the inmates. The meal we had was really good. They served BBQ chicken with fries and cake. I sat next to a guy from the prison who was doing a news article for the prison about our visit. He talked to me about my time with the ministry and what a typical Saints day looks like. We then played our third game and unfortunately lost again. In between games, Jon Isbell shared his testimony and Brent Gerber shared the Gospel. We then played a fourth game. This time we mixed the teams up and had a lot of fun competing against one another. The trip to the Kewanee Life-Skill Reentry Center was a trip that helped make an impact on others and myself. It was a wonderful experience to both deliver the gospel to the inmates and give them some company from the outside word. Something that stuck out to me for the trip was how God allowed us to do as much as we did. A downpour of rain isn’t exactly the ideal weather conditions for playing softball. However, we were not only able to go in, but we ended up playing softball in both the rain and the mud. Softball obviously wasn’t necessary to preach the gospel to others, however it did give us more of an open area to preach to more people, and that was definitely a blessing from God. Several of the prisoners here at Kewanee were believers even before this visit, and several of them heard the word from previous Saints visits. The fact that the people here, who have sentences to serve that take lifetimes to pay off for the things they've done, retain the word and message that we bring to them is truly remarkable. Getting to play ball and talk with them between innings showed me that we weren't sharing our testimony and preaching the word of God just to random nameless prisoners, but to people who have sinned against God and are in need of a savior, just like the rest of us. Overall on the day we saw 5 men indicate that they placed their faith in Jesus and we handed out 83 Gospels. To everyone that supported the Saints, thank you all so much for praying for the ministry!

I Would Walk 500 Miles- 8/12 Jacksonville CC Visit Update

The title of this email doesn't quite fit this update because our family has traveled way more than 500 miles here lately!  It's actually closer to 3,500 miles just in case you were wondering if I would humblebrag about it!

Despite the prison cancellations this summer, it has still been a busy summer for our family.  We have just wrapped up a 14 day stretch that saw us complete band camp week (Calvin), a trip to Arizona (Tom and Kelly) for my good friend Corky Schumacher's memorial service, a start of a new job (Ryne), the end of our summer league softball season (Tom and Joe), Kelly's birthday (Kelly), the first day of junior year (Calvin), a trip to Kewanee LSRC (Ryne), and a quick family trip to Ohio and Indiana to see the Air Force Museum and the Indy Zoo (Everyone).  All of these things were a real blessing.  It is nice to see the kids work hard, it was special to go to Corky Schumacher’s memorial service, and it was nice to get some time with the kids on our trip but to say the least, we could use a day off from our days off!  Our level of “brain fog” has been elevated lately as we have been settling back into our normal day to day lives.  Of course the exclamation point at the end of all of this is our trip to Jacksonville CC last Saturday.  We got back home in time Friday night to unpack from our trip and to re-pack for the prison visit.  

We met early on Saturday morning.  After breakfast and a time of prayer, we started our way towards Jacksonville.  One of the cool things about this trip was that my oldest son, Ryne was able to come along as an emergency sub.  Ryne actually filled in at Kewanee the previous weekend.  This trip marked his 4th time going on a prison visit.  I'm very proud of him for stepping outside of his comfort zone and serving the Lord.  The other cool thing was that our Director of Team Operations, Jimmy Cochran was able to make the trip with us.  Jimmy started with the ministry a year before me and we have shared some special moments on and off the field as teammates over the last 12 years.  

As we traveled towards the prison, we got word that the field was too wet for softball and that we would be playing wiffleball instead.  

We arrived at Jacksonville CC and were led to the prison gym.  I have played a few wiffleball games over the years.  These games aren’t near as competitive as our softball games but what they lack in competition, they make up for in fun and entertainment!  There was quite a bit of laughing as both teams were trying to figure out how to hit the plastic ball and run the bases in a gym built for basketball!

We won our first game.  In between games Ray Koonce shared his testimony and I shared the Gospel.  I preached out of John 11 and 12.  I have preached this message before in other prisons but I contrasted how Caiphas hated Jesus because Jesus was in his way and I compared him to Mary who gave up everything to follow Jesus.  

We lost the second game on a walk off home run.  I have mentioned this several times over the years but watching the inmates celebrate a walk off hit (and especially a home run!) is a fun sight to see!

After our morning session was over, we went to Arby’s for lunch.  It is always nice to eat with the inmates but it is nice to get a non-prison meal and hang out with my teammates as well!

When we returned, the field had dried out enough so that we could play softball.  We played one quick game and won easily.  

In between games, Nick Sauder shared his testimony and Kris Mettlemann shared the Gospel.  Both of these guys did a great job of clearly sharing how Christ paid a penalty that they and everyone deserved to pay.  

We played one more short game before we had to go.  After the game we circled up with the men and prayed with them one more time before we left.  

Overall on the day we saw 7 men make decisions to follow the Lord and we handed out 34 Gospels of John.  

After back to back Saturdays, we get this Saturday off before heading to Graham CC and Vandalia CC on August 26th.  We have been to Vandalia several times before, but this will be our first time ever visiting Graham so that is exciting!

Here is how you can pray for our team over the next couple of weeks:

• Pray for the men that made decisions to follow the Lord last Saturday.  Pray that God brings men into their lives who will provide Godly discipling
• Pray for the Crusade happening right now in New York
• Please pray that our remaining scheduled visits have adequate staffing so that we don’t have any more cancellations
• The cancellations provided some free weekends for our missionary athletes.  Of course the trade off is that we are finishing our season with a grand finale of prison visits every other weekend!  Pray that our schedules remain freed up and that everyone is healthy enough to play!

Thank you again for praying and for your support over the years.  It is a blessing to serve the Lord behind the walls and on softball fields in prisons!

Here is the team that traveled to Kewanee LSRC on 8/5

Our Monday Night Softball League with Saints MA's Chris Onken, Brent Gerber, Me, Tommy Dault, and Jon Isbell

This has nothing to do with the ministry but this is a picture of me walking onto Air Force One at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH!

Back on the road again tomorrow! IL Saints visit Jacksonville CC tomorrow

Tomorrow morning our Saints team heads to Jacksonville CC.  This will be our first visit to Jacksonville since 2017!

Please keep us in prayer as we travel and minister to the men we see there.  

Please pray for Kris Mettlemann and I as we share the Gospel in between games.  Please pray for Ray Koonce and Nick Sauder as they share their testimony.  

I am looking forward to writing up this update and writing up the update of how the 8/5 trip to Kewanee went as well!

Please pray for our team tomorrow!

IL Saints visit Kewanee LSRC This Saturday!

 Dear Friends and family,

 

I recently saw the new Indiana Jones movie a few weeks ago.  I will admit that it wasn’t my favorite Indiana Jones movie but I still enjoyed seeing the character one last time on the big screen.  One of my favorite things about the movie series are the classic quotes.  There is the classic “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes” and “X never marks the spot”.  And of course the one that resonates more and more with me with each passing softball season, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”

Perhaps the Indiana Jones quote that is most appropriate for our current IL season might be:  “I don’t know.  I’m making this up as I go!”

Our 2023 season has been interesting for sure!  Our directors have had to balance rescheduling prison visits for not only our team, but the entire ministry as each state has struggled with canceling events because of staffing shortages.  It has been an adventure as we try to figure out which missionary athletes are free to go on the rescheduled trips.  

Of course God is in control and absolutely none of this has taken Him by surprise.  Here is our current upcoming schedule for August:

This coming Saturday we are visiting Kewanee LRSC.  Please pray that this visit still happens and that there is enough staff.  I will not be on this trip.  I will be in Arizona for a memorial service for my longtime friend, Corky Schumacher.  Here is a link to a recent article I wrote about Corky for our newsletter. 

On August 12th, we are heading to Jacksonville CC.  Neither August 12th nor Jacksonville showed up on our original schedule when we passed them out in February!  Please pray for that visit as well. 

On August 26th, we have plans to visit Graham CC and Vandalia CC.  We have been to Vandalia several times but this will be our first trip to Graham. 

Thank you again for supporting the ministry this summer.  Here is how you can pray for the team in August:

 

• Pray that the staffing issues are resolved enough for us to make our scheduled visits

• Pray for our endurance- after a quiet July, we will be on the road for 3 of the 4 Saturdays in August.  This is exciting but this could also be grueling as well!  Pray that God provides safety for our Missionary Athletes during this stretch

• Pray for Kyle Krall and Brent Gerber as they share the Gospel this Saturday.  Pray for Kurt Hand and Jon Isbell as they share their testimonies.

• Pray for the family of Cliff Goller.  Cliff was a longtime missionary athlete for the Saints.  He passed away from cancer on July 23rd. Please pray for his family.  

 

Inside the Mind of Gibby- Corky

Corky Schumacher passed away in April. Most of you reading this column have never heard of him, so I am taking a break from my typical column to introduce you to the man. We all know people who fly under the radar without getting recognized for their impact - and they like it that way. Corky was one of those people, but it is important for you to know that the Illinois softball team exists in large part because of the way God used Corky Schumacher. 

I first met Corky in 1995 when I was in high school. Of course, he was just known as “Cassie’s dad” then and he volunteered hours of his time to help with our band program. He spent countless Friday nights moving props and large musical instruments on and off the football field so that we could play the halftime show. 

Corky also worked with my mom at one of the local hospitals. In 1997 Corky invited my mom and dad to attend Calvary Baptist Bible Church in Peoria. He was initially my Sunday School teacher, but over time we served together through several different church and sports ministries. He taught me the art of not freaking out during a bad deacon’s meeting! 

The fondest memory I have was playing several years of church softball with him. When I showed up at church in 1998, Corky was at the tail end of a really good softball career. He was a strong, left-handed power hitter who was an excellent defender at first base. It was fun playing church softball with him and then enjoying some pizza and wings after the games. More importantly, Corky was becoming a friend and advisor to me, and I embraced the relationship. 

In 2011, I committed to going on a Saints softball crusade to Ohio. I wanted to see what they did and wanted to learn how to be a better minister through using sports. Of course, Corky was enthusiastic about the trip and encouraged me by making sure he hit some ground balls and fly balls to me before I left. 

After the first day of that trip, I knew that the Saints Prison Ministry was something special and I called Corky during our team meal that evening. I told him that he had to see this for himself! 

Shortly after the trip, I had begun trying to figure out what it would look like to start a Saints team in Illinois. Corky and I spent some time praying about it and discussing it. 

And then we did something that most normal Midwesterners don’t typically do; we boarded a plane and flew to New Jersey! We had an opportunity to sit down with then Southeast Director Frank Zeidler and Saints all-time great Don Conner to discuss what it would take to get a team started in Illinois. Of course, I was ready to start the team as soon as we got to the airport, but Corky was the much needed voice of reason God used to make sure I was praying and doing it for the right reasons. 

When we got back, we started laying the groundwork for who would be on our team. Corky and I spent that winter sitting down with prospective missionary athletes. Although we agreed completely from the start, his disciplined approach balanced my full-steam-ahead mindset perfectly. We almost had a good cop - bad cop routine where I would explain the ministry and Corky would grill them on where they stood with the Lord. He would make it clear that this was about the Gospel and not just playing more softball. 

Our first trip as the SPM Illinois team was in 2012 at FCI Greenville. We won our first game! Unfortunately, it would be over a year before we won our second game - but it was special to share what we prayed about come into existence with him. 

Corky stayed with our team through the 2014 season before retiring and moving to Arizona. Like other teams, we have had some turnover over the years. There are some guys on our current team who never met Corky, but he is one of the most vital pieces God provided to bring this team into existence.

Outside of my own dad, Corky is probably the most important mentor I have ever had. I appreciate his encouragement, and, at the same time, I appreciate that he wasn't afraid to have a hard conversation with me and tell me things I didn't want to hear. He taught me to take joy in serving the Lord whether it was teaching a Sunday School class, working with the youth group, or spending the day on a softball field in prison. 

Corky’s passing is a tremendous loss for me. I am thankful that God provided Corky as a friend, mentor, and Saint! I take comfort in knowing that God kept His promise to Corky, and that we will get to rejoice together someday in what God has done in the prisons here in Illinois!