Mel Jones, AIA staff member, speaking to audience at Training Table. Photo by Mark Fierst.
Athletes in Action is a religious-based, student-athlete organization that is popular nationwide, with a presence at over 200 college campuses. The mission of the organization is to make disciples who make disciples. In other words their focus is to help guide the athletes involved in the organization and help them grow in their faith, in hopes that they too will share their experiences and knowledge gained through Athletes in Action with others. The organization is rapidly growing around Hamline’s campus. Athletes in Action (AIA) is trying to reach as many student athletes as possible with Hamline University being one of their focal points. In addition to the baseball team, Womens Basketball now has a small group with AIA.
Locally, the organization is gaining momentum at the University of Minnesota where Minnesota-wide events are often held. Originally formed in 1966 by Dave Hannah in Ohio, AIA provides an environment where college athletes can relate with their peers and grow in their faith. Today, AIA has a concentration on universities around the Twin Cities including the University of Minnesota, Augsburg, St. Thomas and Hamline University. These schools hold local small group meetings once a week, usually organized by sports teams, and consisting of about eight to twelve group members and a group leader.
Perhaps one explanation for the organization’s growth is due to students interest in an event called Training Table.
“I value getting to interact with other athletes, mainly from the University of Minnesota about a topic we have in common,” said Hamline sophomore and AIA member Ryan Brauer.
Training Table is a great way to interact with other athletes from different colleges, as well as individuals from a wide variety of sports, giving members a chance to talk about their faith and support each other through the challenges of university life.
AIA holds Training Table events twice a semester. At a Training Table event, many of the local university small groups, and some from across the state, carpool together to this exciting event at the University of Minnesota. Chipotle is provided to all members, and a faith-based, Christian speaker shares their story with all the athletes and group leaders in attendance.
On Sunday, Oct. 1, the first Training Table event of the 2017-2018 school year took place. A small group from Hamline gathered with about 100 other athletes from universities around Minnesota. Speaker Mel Jones, a long term follower of Christ and is soon to be a full-time staff member of Athletes in Action, spoke with the group about how they can keep strong in their faith and encourage and support others to build upon their faith in today’s college atmosphere, mentioning how athletes can grow in their faith by first surrounding themselves with other Christ-followers and building upon their relationships with them. The athletes then dispersed into their small groups to review the message Jones shared and discuss personal application of the life lessons. These speakers bring up some very intriguing topics. Many speakers at Training Table will try to relate their topics to athletes lives on and off the field, making it more relevant to the audience.
“I’ve learned about how my faith can be applicable to my life in the future from speakers who are wise beyond my years,” said Hamline sophomore AIA member Cyle Hartwig.
When the groups reconvened, Jones answered some questions from audience members and concluded the event by closing the group in prayer.
Along with the weekly small group meetings with fellow teammates and the Training Table events, AIA hosts an end of the year event called The Ultimate Training Camp. In addition to the intense physical competition, these annual events are focused on getting athletes to talk to fellow athletes and share their experiences, learn from other leaders and spread their knowledge of the Christian faith, putting into motion the the overall focus of the organization.
Interested in learning more or getting involved with Athletes in Action? check out their website at goaia.org. twitter page (twitter.com/aiausa) or contact some of the group leaders involved at Hamline University (Tyler.Hartmann@athletesinaction.org or Shayne.Hartmann@athletesinaction.org). They’d be more than happy to help you get involved.