On Sunday evenings in Dallas, the sound of basketballs bouncing against the polished floor of Zion Lutheran Church’s new Recreational Outreach Center (R.O.C.) fills the air. What began as a simple time of fellowship —ten to fifteen members of the church and school gathering to shoot hoops and close with a short devotion —has grown into something far greater: a mission field.

As Pastor Ebersole and one of the players, Connor Shannon, reflected on these evenings, they saw God’s hand at work. The question arose: What if this wasn’t just basketball? What if it became a bridge to Christ?

Together, they envisioned a new kind of outreach, one that takes the familiar rhythms of a game and pairs them with the life-changing truth of the Gospel. Rooted in the principles of the Texas District’s Evangelist Training, the goal was clear: equip everyday believers to use the gifts God has placed in their hands (and in this case, their gym) to share Christ with others.

The plan is simple yet powerful. Over the course of six to eight weeks, the players who already gather are intentionally inviting friends, classmates, neighbors, and teammates who are not connected to a church. Every game night ends the same way: with fellowship, a devotional that points hearts to Jesus, and prayer. By the end of the season, the prayerful hope is that some of these young men and women will desire something even greater than the joy of playing—they will desire to be baptized into Christ.

To support this effort, Zion has prepared brochures and invitations for every participant, extending the welcome beyond the court to a personal encounter with God’s love. As the Lay Evangelist Training program teaches, outreach often begins not with a pulpit, but with a conversation, a relationship, a simple invitation.

The R.O.C. is more than a gym; it is a gift from God, a place where walls are broken down and community is built. Now, it is also becoming a place where the Holy Spirit is at work, drawing people from the basketball court to the baptismal font.

The prayer of Zion’s leaders is the same as the prayer of the Church in every place: Lord, bring the ones You desire. Use us as instruments of Your grace. Let the love of Christ be known here—in our community, in our city, and in the world.

So, on Sunday nights in Dallas, as the game clock ticks down and the devotion begins, the sound of basketballs gives way to something even greater, the sound of the Gospel, calling hearts home.