We Go to Church, and it's not about Baseball

Clovis Hills Community Church, Clovis, California

Jeremy Affeldt took an interesting theological stance on the Parable of the Sheep and Goats from Matthew 25. “The Son of Man on the Throne said, ‘Giants fans to the right and Dodgers fans to the left.’” People laughed, and Affeldt joked, “I’ve got the stage, I can do what I want.”

Affeldt pitched for the Kansas City Royals, the Colorado Rockies, and the Cincinnati Reds, but now that he’s retired, he’ll always be closely related to the San Francisco Giants, because it was as a setup pitcher that he earned his three World Series rings.

He was joking, of course. The Dodgers had fan representation in the house: Scott Hinman (“I’m one of the pastors here at Clovis Hills Community Church”) admitted, when he introduced Affeldt, that he was a Dodger fan. Hinman received some booing when he made that admission. Good natured kidding of the Dodgers continued as Affeldt spoke, particularly about Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw (“Kershaw has Cy Young Awards, which is cute; but it’s not a championship.”)

Obviously, many people were there because a major league player was speaking. That’s why we were there, too. We’d heard he’d be speaking from an Bonnie, who’s read this blog and contacted us months ago to visit a church together. She mentioned she’d be attending Saturday night’s service, and we asked if we could join her.*  

So Mindy and I drove out to Clovis on a dark autumn evening. The church campus is in a less developed part of town, so the large, lighted building stands out from a distance. The first time visitor parking spots were all full, but we found parking pretty nearby. We bypassed the Dutch Brothers coffee truck in front of the church (I didn't bypass the cookies right inside the door. Rice Krispies treats and chocolate chip were options.) We didn’t bypass the greeters at the door, who were quite friendly and hard to miss.

I took a seat, while Mindy met Bonnie. There was a good crowd, I’d guess about a thousand people there in the service.

During the announcements, Derek, the high school pastor, announced a high school baptism service coming soon. “If you’re in high school and say, ‘I don’t like going to my parents’ church’, well we have a service just for you.”

Several groups had teamed together with the church to bring Affeldt to speak at the church, including the Central Valley Justice Coalition, Breaking the Chains, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Affeldt told some of his life story. He grew up in Merced (about an hour from Fresno); playing the game from a young age. He remembered his father taking him to the Oakland Coliseum for an A’s game, watching Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco play (who looked like such big guys to him back in the day, and now he understands why they were so big). He remembered telling his dad he would play on that field someday, and one day, before a game, he called his dad from the field to say he was just about to play there.

But not all was well in his major league career. When he’d played for the Kansas City Royals, the team was not playing well, and he wasn’t pitching well. He didn’t like what he was doing, though when you tell people “I hate my job” they tend to be surprised when they learn you play major league baseball. He was happy when he was traded to the Colorado Rockies, and it was in Denver that God made a great change in his life.

Affeldt took a walk through the city and headed for a Starbucks. A young woman sat in front looking sad and battered. She was lost and scared, and he realized he felt the same. He bought her some food, and he felt happy to help someone. The joy he felt stayed with him as he went to the stadium that day.

He felt purpose as he played that day. He realized he could use his position to speak out for those without a voice; he could provide a platform to lift up those who were hurting. He researched the problem of poverty in the United States and eventually began a nonprofit that included the project, “Something to Eat” with the purpose of feeding children. He also worked to address the problem of those who need water, digging wells in Uganda.

Then Affeldt had another opportunity to change teams, and he wasn’t initially excited, even though playing for San Francisco would allow him to be closer to home and to play for a team that would be a contender. But he admitted that something held him back from wanting to play for the Giants: a fear of the city, which he considered “weird.” He ruefully admitted that homophobia was part of his problem.

Once he came to the Giants, his attitude changed. He was introduced to the problem of human trafficking. In the city, he met young men who had been kicked out of their homes when they came out as gay. Many of them turned to selling themselves to survive. Affeldt looked for ways address the problem and found support from the management and front office of the Giants. The Giants began (and continue to have) a “Not for Sale Day” which addresses the issue of modern slavery. Players were willing to donate a day’s pay to address the problem (which can add up, what with Major League baseball salaries).

Affeldt challenged the crowd at the church to consider how they can be serving Christ in the world. When he finished, Pastor Hinman reinforced the message by saying that at Clovis Hills, they try to remind people that they don’t “come to church.” They are the church, sent out to do Christ’s work in the world.

After the message, there was another video to present the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Started in the 1950’s, one its founders was Branch Rickey of Dodgers fame. The organization uses sports as a tool for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The overall message of the evening for Dodgers fans and Giants fans -- and even those who don’t care about baseball -- can do the work of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoner; in general, meeting the needs of the needy. It’s a giant task, but it’s not one the church can dodge. (Sorry about that.)

*A sidebar: it was great to meet Bonnie. We’d love to meet you, too, especially if you know of an interesting ministry we could visit with you. We’d love to visit it with you. Just contact us through DeanandMindyGotoChurch@gmail.com.)