Sunday, October 15, 2006 Ball and Bible By Rachel Chloe T. Palang
THEY got the looks, the game and the drive. With a ball in one hand and the Bible in the other, they play to prove to the crowd that there’s more to basketball than money and popularity.
The Athletes for Christ in Excellent Service (Aces) was first organized in 1999 under the Living Word Christian Ministries (LWCM). It was formed by Carmelo Capparros, senior pastor of LWCM.
“Basketball is a sport that is well-loved in the Philippines. We thought of using it to attract young people and tell them about Christ.”
For the past seven years, it hasn’t only raised talented basketball players but also individuals with the drive to play for God.
“We also do our part in the community,” Pastor Mel said. “We help the youth stay away from drugs and alcohol.”
JM Buenconsejo, 26, a licensed tour guide, joined the Aces when he was 20. He wasn’t unfamiliar with Christ, having grown up in a Christian home. But while vacationing in Manila, he tried every vice as a form of rebellion against his parents. He had his own share of life’s difficulties as a young man.
Looking back now, he can’t believe the change in his life after joining the Aces. When the Christ he thought he knew suddenly became clear to him, he understood his trials and was grateful for them them.
He said, “There truly is a God who moves in the lives of people, that’s why I thank God for my trials.”
Berthel “Tidol” Jude Reyes, 26, has been with the team for only a year, and yet there’s already a huge change in his life. Like JM, he had a Christian background. But he chose the exciting world of gimmicks in bars, in night outs and with girls.
“I thought being Christian was boring,” he said. But he saw a different kind of happiness when he joined the Aces. Basketball, the game he used to know as all about popularity, became something else.
“I was playing for fun and fame. Now we’re playing for the Lord,” he said.
Other than the change in lifestyle, he became more determined. He now trains harder. There’s no space for mediocrity when you play for God, he said.
Jed Cabellon, 22, was 16 when he started with Aces. It was pure love of the game that encouraged him to be with the team. Whenever the Aces brought the players together for a Bible study or a fellowship gathering, all Jed thought about was basketball. But after being with the team on and off court, he realized there was something different about the fellowship gatherings.
“They looked nice praising God,” he said of his teammates.
He wanted to be able to raise his hands with the rest of his team and sing songs of adoration to God. He is now the team’s captain while being with the coaching staff for the commercial team Tribu Sugbu.
Now coached by Al Solis, former PBA player and acting assistant coach for the University of the Visayas green lancers, the Aces continues to play the game for God. Managed by Jerry Guardo, the team is now in partnership with the Tribu Sugbu.
It’s the same game. But what makes the team different from others is their purpose in playing it.
Basketball for the Aces is a tool to make Jesus known to the world.
