communityofferings@bostonvineyard.org July 2009
Vineyard Community Offerings Newsletter
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Meet unlikely friends. See God. Change the World.
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Soccer Nights 2009 Kicks Into Gear
On June 29, more than 225 kids, parents and volunteers gathered on Russell Field in North Cambridge for the first session of Soccer Nights 2009. The weeklong free soccer camp met each evening from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and provided a forum for kids to learn soccer fundamentals and important team lessons such as "we need each other" and "slow down - look around." To say this was an enormous undertaking would be an understatement. Preparations first began last fall, following the first ever
installment of Soccer Nights in July 2008. Since then, the program has more than doubled in participants and volunteers.
In addition, the community support has been tremendous. The City of Cambridge, the
Cambridge Police Department, a network of churches, the Federal Management at the Fresh Pond Apartments, and the North Cambridge Crime Task Force are a few of the organizations who have stepped forward to partner with Vineyard Community Offerings and provide support for this event. Soccer Nights truly is a community-wide initiative.
Throughout the week, parents, siblings and neighbors spilled into the sidelines - cheering on teams, meeting one another, helping to distribute snacks, setting up and tearing down the equipment, and supplying water for the kids. Although the weather was a bit drizzly, Friday was an absolute blessing as sunshine streamed down from the heavens.
What first started out as a desire to bring our diverse community together has turned into a community soccer adventure, drawing people from all ages, backgrounds and phases of life. It's amazing how Soccer is a universal language that brings everyone together!
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A Moment  with Prideful Paco,
enthusiastic Soccer Nights attendee (and member of the daily skit team)
What's one take-away from your experience with
Soccer Nights?
"I
know that I'm an important part of the team and that the only way to be
my best is to work together with others. I also look very good in red."
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"It's neat to see different organizations collaborate together to have one common mission - to establish relationships through soccer. We all come from different backgrounds - from different needs, wants and desires - and for one whole week we can put those differences aside to kick around a soccer ball and create some community."
"Meeting other parents and friends - even the kids have lots of new friends."
