Our ICTA Global Mission Trip to the ATP Cincinnati Masters Series tournament was a success. Much hard work, dedication, and love brought our little ministry to this high profile tennis event.
This was our 2nd straight year in Cincy. Last year, our mission trip to Cincy was phenominal. God's hand was all over our movements. In 2005, we gained hundreds of ICTA members as God brought together a body of believers to unite in His name through the sport of tennis.
This year was phenominal as well. Not just in numbers, but in the quality of person joining the International Christian Tennis Association. People really wanted to sign up. They want something better, something more to be part of. Tennis is good, but tennis when focused on Christ is amazing.
Here are a few of our fantastic new members...
Don and Doris R. Wickliffe, Ohio Retired
interested in going on our cruise and attending the US Open with us!
Kris J. Aurora, Colorado Semi-Retired
interested in going on our cruise, plus the Australian open, French Open, Wimbledon, Vegas, and Cincy!
Cam and Cody Y. Columbus, Ohio Teacher/Special Ed
interested in going on our cruise and ALL our tennis tours in 2007!
Ron B. Estrander, Ohio Golf Course Owner/Retired Teacher
interested in going on our cruise and to Cincy with us!
Thomas J. Dayton, Ohio Pastor
interested in going on our cruise and to the US Open with us!
Troy F. Knoxville, TN Mortgage VP
interested in attending US Open with us!
Ruth S. St. Charles, MO Accountant
interested in attend ing Cincy with us!
Lori R Groveport, Ontario Stay at Home Mom
wants to attend the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open with us!
These are just a few who joined ICTA membership during the Cincy Masters! How amazing to have such wonderful people join ICTA membership and want to travel with us worldwide through the Scott Paschal Tennis Tours Co.!!
We drove my donated Chevy Suburban the 2500+ miles of the mission trip.At nearly $3 a gallon for gas and only getting 17.5 mpg hwy, it was expensive. But, the 'burban did well. We stopped in Birmingham, Alabama on our way to Cincy. A great night's sleep and a morning tennis workout later, we borrowed a friend's trailor, spread out our stuff, and drove on to Cincy! cont below...
Arriving at the Cincy Masters site and preparing to unload our supplies... 100's of Bibles/Christian books, 10 different styles of ICTA T Shirts, ICTA bookmarks & balloons, Christian materiels for kids, ICTA signage...
Unpacking all the GREAT Christian materials we brought!
We had just began setting up our booth this day, yet we were loaded with interested people who wanted to join ICTA! How awesome!
again, even before we had been able to set our booth up, people flocked to learn more about our sports ministry.
Our exhibitor's booth stayed one of the busiest booths at the tournament. We spoke with hundreds of people. The International Christian Tennis Association name & our staff were seen by tens of thousands of people. This high quality name branding is great for the successful growth of ICTA.
Both Rachel and Melody have developed their leadership skills to a high level. This has helped their ministry careers. Each one feels comfortable speaking with anyone at anytime. I can see a time when Rach & Mel will be speaking inspirationally to large groups of people.
Lots of new ICTA members joined everyday! Sometimes, our booth would be surrounded for hours! ICTA is well established in the greater Cincy area.
That's me in the back on the left. Phil is next to me, then Rach on the right. In front are a bunch of really funny guys from Mexico City. Each one received a Bible or Christian book of their choice. I was so grateful to be able to reach them with our Bible outreach ministry.
Here's a pic of me and Phil signing up new ICTA members, giving away Christian books/Bibles/Tshirts, and talking with people about ICTA.Phil is one neat guy! God is leading Phil into ministry, most likely through tennis.
Phil will be able to bring a high quality and integrity to tennis ministry. His call to ministry is authentic. I have watched God place his steps in order to lead Phil down the path to fulltime ministry.
Phil is not a competitive or insecure minister, which, for me, will be very welcome within tennis ministry worldwide.
ICTA has almost always been located next to Tennis Week at world class events. My friend and ICTA member, Gene Scott, founded Tennis Week Magazine in May of 1977. Gene joined ICTA during the 2004 Nasdaq 100 Open In Key Biscayne, Florida. Gene quickly began opening doors for ICTA throughout the tennis industry. He was always a phone call or email away.I was with Gene for a week last December in the Bahamas where we often spoke of life after death. Gene had been seriously ill, though no one knew what exactly was wrong with him. I felt Gene was a seeker, not yet a Christian.
He wrote me a few weeks later saying he had "faith he would rally." I smiled upon reading the email and looked forward to seeing him at the 2006 Nasdaq.
Our meeting didn't happen. Gene died as the Nasdaq 100 Open began. Though I am highly sad Gene is gone, I am forever grateful God used me in Gene's life; and brought Gene to help ICTA grow to another level.
This wonderful lady became an ICTA member and is interested in traveling with ICTA to Grabd Slam tennis events!
Entire families joined the vision of ICTA! We look forward to getting to know each ICTA member. So great to see God bring so many hundreds of people into fellowship together through the efforts of our tiny sports ministry.
Four years ago, our own Rachel Snelen decided she wanted to grow out her hair so she could donate it to kids with cancer who have lost their hair.Rach chose the Cincinnati Masters as the location she would cut her hair. Rachel partnered with Locks of Love. A local salon owner offered to come out to the tournament with a stylist to cut Rachel's hair! Right before I preached in ICTA's Church Service on Sunday morning before the Final between Andy Roddick and Juan Carlos Fererro, Rachel had 11 inches cut! cont. below
Rach and her twin, Mel, posing for media pics before Rach donates her hair! Both Rachel and Melody are newly WTA ranked after 6 years of hard work and dedication. This has opened up terrific ministry opportunities.
Rachel Snelen's hair was shoulder length 4 years ago when she started!
While I was sad to see Rach cut her hair, I know she is thrilled her hair will make a huge difference in the life of a cancer victim. Four years of dedication! Dedication is truly Rachel's character. She is dedicated to Jesus, dedicated to her sister, dedicated to her mom and brother, dedicated to her ministry friends, dedicated to ICTA, dedicated to developing her tennis game, dedicated to improving herself daily....
Rachel, you are amazing! What a fantastic example of what a Christian athelete is all about! Now, Rachel has a goal to bring others to donate their hair to cancer victims. She wants to partner with Locks of Love, or similar, and have people donate their hair at all high profile tennis events ICTA attends! What an honorable goals!
Mark and I enjoyed $1 ice cream cones after the Final between Roddick and Fererro! Actually, I had two:)!
Mel with family! They came from Dayton, Ohio to visit.
A quick pic of the gang at the end of a long day! Still smiling!
ICTA held a non-denominational Church service at 10am on Sunday before the Finals! I preached on allowing Christ to live through our lives, and I challenged everyone to use their life in powerful ways for Christ.
Posing for a pic during a really HOT afternoon!
Our 2000+ mile drive was a GREAT time! Our team bonded and saw some neat places together. In fact, now that we are home we miss our time on the road together. My house is too big!
Over 150,000 attended the tournament! We enjoyed an amazing outreach.
This is a pic of the motel where we stayed one night on our trip and of Aunt Bee's restaurant where we had breakfast.
Here's a pic of me driving home from Cincy. I'm a Mountain Dew fan and look forward to their sponsorship while we are traveling. My favorite "road" drink is an AMP Tall Boy! Wow, are those good.
Our travels took us from Florida to Georgia to Alabama to Tennessee to Kentucky to Ohio! What a blessed time of bonding together. Everyone played games, such as Connect Four, read tremendous Christian books, ate all of our meals together (rare in this world), talked... so nice.
If you can guess what this is, I'll send you an ICTA Tshirt for free! Here's a hint... this is my favorite and I only know one person who can make it!
Cool pic somewhere in Kentucky.
Did I mention my Suburban was packed!? Rach is asleep, I'm driving, and Mark is laughing!
My co-pilot for the trip, Melody, writing in her journal. Mel keeps track of everything. This has proven very useful as we look back on times and events... such as the details of Julia's stay with ICTA, people we have met, places we have been...
One awesome Chic Fil A in Georgia!
The pic above really has nothing to do with Cincy, but it means a great deal to me and was taken during this trip.
My friend on the left, Francis, is a missionary from Hong Kong. He and his wife plant churches. I am honored to know Francis and am grateful for his work. I look forward to assisting Francis in Hong Kong in the near future.
Riding "piggy back" is Rudy, who is a stick of dynamite from Guatamala. Wow, does this kid have energy!
To my right is Mark. Mark's parent's live in Mexico where they plant churches. Mark is an extremely kind young man who trains with me fulltime at my Christian tennis academy is beautiful Palm Coast, Florida.
Riding "piggy back" is Rudy, who is a stick of dynamite from Guatamala. Wow, does this kid have energy!
To my right is Mark. Mark's parent's live in Mexico where they plant churches. Mark is an extremely kind young man who trains with me fulltime at my Christian tennis academy is beautiful Palm Coast, Florida.
Cool bike in Truett's Diner
This litle guy loved our balloons! His Grampa owns a huge tennis megastore.
This kid loved his ICTA Serve Hard shirt!
Rach and Mel, both newly WTA ranked and with ICTA since 1999, working hard volunteering their time reaching people for Christ!
The gang went to King's Island, a huge amusement park next to the tournament. We all got in for free the whole week! Thanks King's Island!!
Word and pics can't begin to describe how blessed our mission trip was! God's hand is all over our blessed sports ministry. He has opened all doors! Our little sports ministry points to Christ. He is why we exist.
There is nothing as valuable as a relationship with our Creator.
God bless!
Scott Paschal
Ministry Director
www.christiantennis.net
386 793 0557
