We are pleased to welcome Katie Weigel to CSO this summer for a 5 week internship. Katie is entering her junior year at Western Carolina University where she is on scholarship to play soccer. Katie grew up in Charlotte and even had some experience in sports ministry as she played soccer in the SOAR sports ministry at Christ Covenant Church. And, interestingly enough, that’s where she is getting some hands-on experience in sports ministry through the internship process.
To get to know Katie a little better, as well as the impact CSO is having on her, here’s a brief Q & A with her:
What did you know about sports ministry before CSO?
I honestly just thought it was organized sports through a church. For example, I played soccer and basketball at SOAR when I was younger and had always thought of them as Christ-centered games or activities. It never occurred to me that sports ministry was so much more than that until I began interning with CSO.
What do you think you will remember from your internship five years from now?
Definitely the Theology of Competition class that Tim wanted me to take! That class along with the questions Tim would ask allowed me think about things that I’m sure most christian athletes have not, myself included.
You and I have dialogued a lot regarding the ‘Theology of Competition.’ As a collegiate soccer player, how will this material change the way you play soccer?
The class teaches how to be a “competitive Christian” which at first was a phrase I didn’t understand at all, but after week 2 of the class it finally began to sink in. And the most encouraging and insightful thing that I got out of the class was to start visualizing your opponent not as an enemy but as another individual created in God’s likeness. So with that in mind, you would step onto the field and challenge each other to compete your hardest, bringing out the ultimate gifts and abilities that God has blessed you with. After it all clicked I was eager and excited to begin playing and competing this way during my fall season.
