📚 Case Study: Serving at the Pickleball Center

Serving at the Pickleball Center

Narrative

The men at Grace Community Church had been meeting for Saturday breakfasts for years. The food was always good, the conversations friendly, but a restlessness began to grow. One of the younger leaders finally voiced what several of them had been feeling: “Are we just feeding ourselves? What if we went where the people already are, and served them there?”

That question sparked an energy in the room. They began brainstorming: the football field on Friday nights? The local park on weekends? Then someone mentioned the new pickleball center on the edge of town. Everyone knew about it. The place was buzzing nearly every evening—retirees in their seventies who played daily, young families coming after dinner, singles looking for recreation and friendship. It wasn’t just a sports facility; it had become a hub for the whole community.

The more they thought about it, the more it seemed like the perfect place. Instead of inviting men to come to the church building, they would go out into the community’s gathering place.

The next week, two of the men set up a meeting with the center’s manager. They explained their vision simply: “We’d like to serve food one Saturday a month—for free. No strings attached. We’ll provide the food, the volunteers, and the cleanup. We just want to bless the people who come here.”

The manager leaned back in his chair, surprised. No one had ever made an offer like that before. After a moment, he broke into a smile. “You really want to do this?” he asked. When they nodded, he shook their hands and said, “Yes. Let’s give it a try.”

The first Saturday arrived, and the men came early. They pulled into the parking lot in pickup trucks and minivans, unloading coolers, folding tables, and stacks of paper plates. By the time the sun began to dip, the smell of grilling hot dogs drifted through the air, mingling with the rich steam of chili simmering in crockpots. Platters of homemade cookies—snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin—were carefully set out, already attracting curious glances from people filing into the pickleball center.

It wasn’t fancy, but it felt like a feast. The men had agreed on one guiding principle: keep it simple, keep it generous. Nobody would pay a dime. Nobody would be pressured. Just food, smiles, and service.

But they had also added something new—something they weren’t sure how people would respond to. Off to the side, near the corner of the building where people walked in and out, they set up a small table with a white cloth draped across it. On top sat a basket of small Bibles, some note cards, and a thermos of coffee. A handwritten sign, carefully lettered with a black marker, read:

“Prayer & Encouragement — Need someone to talk to? We’re here.”

The men called it the “chaplain table.”

At first, it looked almost out of place beside the buzz of sizzling hot dogs and the chatter of families heading toward the courts. A few people glanced at it curiously, then kept walking. The men stationed there didn’t push. They just smiled, offered coffee, and greeted people warmly.

The whole setup sent a quiet but powerful message: We’re here for more than food. We’re here for you.

At first, the chaplain table sat quietly, a white island in the middle of all the activity. Most people made a beeline for the food, grateful for the hot meal and cookies. A few nodded politely at the men behind the table but kept walking. The volunteers didn’t press. They simply smiled, offered coffee, and carried on gentle conversations with each other.

Then, about half an hour into the evening, a young woman with two children tugging at her arms hesitated nearby. She carried the weary look of someone fighting battles no one else could see. One of the chaplains smiled and said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? Or maybe we could pray for you?”

She sat down slowly, her children crunching cookies nearby. Her voice cracked as she whispered, “I’m a single mom. I’ve been trying to hold it all together, but honestly—I’m exhausted. Could you pray for me?” Tears streamed down her face as the chaplains bowed their heads and prayed for strength, peace, and hope. For the first time in months, she felt like someone had seen her. She left lighter, promising to come back the next time they were there.

Later that evening, an older couple stopped on their way out. They had been regular pickleball players for years, but lately health challenges had begun to slow them down. “We’re not really church people,” the husband admitted, “but could you pray for us? We’re both feeling the weight of getting older.” The chaplains prayed with them right there in the cool night air. The couple smiled and said, “We’ll see you again next month.”

Near closing time, a young family wandered over—mom, dad, and two energetic kids still bouncing from their game. The father, still holding his paddle, leaned against the table and sighed. “Work’s been crazy. I feel like I’m failing at being both a good husband and a good dad.” The chaplains listened, nodded, and prayed encouragement over him. His wife wiped away quiet tears and whispered, “Thank you. We needed this more than you know.”

By the time the food was packed up and the grills cooled down, the chaplain table had been visited by half a dozen people. Nothing flashy, no sermons, no pressure—just prayer, presence, and encouragement.

Over the coming months, those simple encounters turned into relationships. The single mom began attending Sunday service with her kids. The older couple joined a midweek Bible study. The young family, hesitant at first, started showing up regularly, eventually bringing their neighbors too.

What started as a free meal and a small chaplain table had become something much bigger: a visible reminder that God shows up in unexpected places—even at the edge of a pickleball court.

By the end of six months, the men’s group was no longer just feeding pickleball players—they were feeding the community spiritually. The chaplain table had become a lighthouse for those quietly searching for hope. Attendance at the church grew, not from flashy programs, but from hot dogs, honest prayers, and faithful presence.

Biblical Reflection

“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke 14:13–14)
Jesus’ teaching reminds us that true hospitality is not about impressing those who can repay us, but about welcoming those who are often overlooked. The men at Grace Community Church lived out this command when they set up grills and crockpots at the pickleball center. They weren’t serving food to attract new church members or to earn recognition—they simply opened their hands to whomever came, whether a struggling single mom, an aging couple, or a busy young family. Their “banquet” looked like hot dogs and cookies, but in the kingdom of God, it carried the same weight as the feast Jesus described.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
The chaplain table was a simple wooden table with a handwritten sign, yet it became a lampstand. By quietly offering prayer and encouragement, the men allowed their faith to shine in a very public place. They didn’t preach sermons or hand out tracts; they lived their witness. And as a result, people saw something different—a light in the middle of ordinary life—and were drawn toward the Father.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
Every conversation at that chaplain table was an act of burden-bearing. A single mom shared her exhaustion. An older couple shared their fears about aging. A young father admitted his struggles with work and family balance. In each case, the men listened, prayed, and shouldered part of the weight. They didn’t solve every problem, but they created a space where no one had to carry their burdens alone. This is the very heartbeat of men’s ministry—not just to gather, but to stand alongside others, helping to lift what feels too heavy for one person to carry.

Ministry Sciences Observation

Ministry Sciences reminds us that real transformation often happens in the ordinary spaces of life, not just in formal church settings. The pickleball project demonstrates how a simple act of doing—serving food—can become the seedbed for deep spiritual encounters.

1. Doing as Formation
   Men tend to bond shoulder-to-shoulder rather than face-to-face. By cooking, setting up tables, and serving food, the men created a natural environment where spiritual conversations could emerge organically. Action broke down barriers. Ministry Sciences emphasizes that formation happens as we do—through shared rhythms of service, work, and mission, men grow into discipleship together.
2. Presence as Pastoral Power
   The chaplain table embodied what we might call visible presence. It wasn’t elaborate: a simple table, a pot of coffee, a handwritten sign. Yet its very existence said, “We’re here for you.” In Ministry Sciences, presence is more than physical proximity—it is a posture of availability, attention, and care. By being available in a public space, the men disrupted the cultural assumption that spirituality is private or confined to a church building.
3. Hospitality as Witness
   Hospitality has always been a central ministry practice of the church, from the meals of Jesus to the table fellowship of the early Christians. Serving food at the pickleball center was not just about calories—it was about creating a space of welcome and dignity. Hospitality softened hearts, lowered defenses, and opened doors for prayer.
4. Multiplication Through Accessibility
   The ripple effect—one single mom, one elder couple, one young family beginning to attend church—shows how ministry multiplies when it is accessible. The men didn’t wait for people to step into a sanctuary; they carried ministry into a recreational hub. By meeting people where they already were, they created low-barrier entry points to faith. Ministry Sciences highlights this as missional ecology: when the church inhabits community spaces, seeds of faith spread naturally, often far beyond the original act of service.

In short, the pickleball case shows how doing together plus being present leads to multiplying impact. A meal and a table became more than an event—they became a living parable of Christ’s invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

7 Application Discussion Questions

1. What do you notice about the difference between serving food in the church building versus serving at the pickleball center? Why did it matter that the men went where the people already were?
2. How did the chaplain table turn a simple food project into something spiritually significant? What does this teach us about the power of visible presence?
3. Luke 14:13–14 challenges us to invite those who cannot repay us. How does this passage reshape the way we think about hospitality and outreach?
4. In Galatians 6:2, Paul calls us to “carry each other’s burdens.” What burdens did the single mom, the elder couple, and the young family share at the table? How did prayer help them carry those loads?
5. What fears or obstacles might keep you from setting up a public “chaplain table” in your own community? How could your group overcome those barriers together?
6. The Ministry Sciences lens highlights doing, presence, hospitality, and multiplication. Which of these stood out most to you in this story? Why?
7. If your men’s ministry were to plan something like this in your own town—at a park, sports center, or community event—what would be your first step? Who would you invite to help you get started?