From John Ritland…
Burmese team watching Liberians and E/W Aftricans play for title
An outreach event for internationals called the St Louis World Amateur Cup was held at the Midwest Soccer Academy in St Louis on Saturday, July 31. Sixteen teams competed in two divisions (open and 35+) representing many countries from the Americas (North, Central and South), Eastern Europe, Middle East, Central and SE Asia and Africa. Following competition, all participants and fans were invited to nearby Tower Grove Park for a picnic/BBQ, gifts and awards ceremonies. Gifts for all the players included an Adidas back pack with a DVD of “The Life of Jesus Christ” in 22 languages.
Enjoying the picnic at Tower Grove Park in St Louis
The event was envisioned by Ion Cheptene, associate pastor of missions and outreach of Cornerstone EFC. Dawn Williams of First E. Free took overall leadership for the event and, through her connections with students at Covenant Seminary, was able to enlist the support of several area churches with a heart for reaching out to immigrants. The idea was to take advantage of the strong interest in the 2010 World Cup among internationals, but the response has been so positive that many have expressed a desire to make this an annual event.