PUSH THE ROCK VISION

DOMESTIC MINISTRY FOCUS

We envision becoming a multi-dimensional sports ministry that is known across the US for its excellence and high athletic and spiritual standards. We anticipate being viewed throughout the sports community as a quality organization that is highly successful in promoting athletic excellence and sportsmanship. We expect our portfolio of offerings to include camps, clinics, teams, tournaments and instruction.

Camps/Clinics – We envision becoming a leader in sports camps in both Christian and secular circles. We also anticipate assisting other groups and organizations in duplicating our ministry model. Our camps/clinics will be targeted to young people between the ages and 6 and 18 and include a wide array of traditional sports (basketball, soccer, baseball, hockey, wrestling, tennis etc) and other non-traditional activities (extreme sports, hiking, canoeing, etc.). We also expect to expand our target audiences to include kids from a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and economic standing. Our offering will include camps for out of area kids, underprivileged kids and handicapped kids.

To capitalize on the quality of our programs, we envision reaching out and marketing our program to others. Our plan is to offer multiple camp options for church’s and other organizations to select from. We also expect to train others to run camps and clinics and franchise our camp /clinic curriculum. A roll out model with adequate monitoring will be used to ensure that the Push the Rock standards, principles and values are followed. By 2010 our goal is to minister to over 10,000 kids a year in the US.

Training - We envision a staff of excellent instructors who will leverage their skills by offering skill-based youth clinics and coaching clinics. As we grow, we envision developing a sports academic program, which will assist us in teaching others the finer points of sports ministry.

Teams - We envision sponsoring youth and adult teams to compete in leagues, tournaments and exhibition games.

Tournaments - We envision sponsoring tournaments for all ages.

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GLOBAL OUTREACH

We envision a mission ministry that is recognized around the world as a leader in using sports to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. We foresee taking multiple trips a year to different parts of the world using a variety of sports. We anticipate having streamlined processes which will be used by domestic and in country resources to plan efficient and effective trips. Each trip will be geared to evangelizing the area we visit, partnering with the local church, and offering a life changing opportunity for each of the team members.

Local Church – We plan to partner with local churches around the world with the objective of providing them with an effective tool that they can use immediately. Our hope is to adapt our approach to meet the specific needs of the local congregation and community we minister in. We foresee training local people to run camps after we leave and plan to act as a resource center for them in years to follow.

Teams – We envision taking high quality teams to compete with local teams in exhibition and tournaments games. As our ministry grows, we expect that big name players will be attracted to go on some of our trips. We expect each trip to be a rewarding experience for each team member both athletically and spiritually and expect it to be a life changing event for many who attend. Our hope is to establish life long bonds with our players.

Target Areas – Under the Lord’s leading we envision targeting different areas of the world with different sports for periods of time.

Funding – We envision a mission ministry that is self-supporting apart from the rest of Push the Rock. Our hope is that each trip is fully funded via team members raising support, church partners in the US and some funding from the local church’s we partner with.

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SPIRITUAL GROWTH

We envision a ministry that is committed and prepared to facilitate the spiritual growth of the Push the Rock Family. Our camp and missions staff will be trained to share the message of Christ and to follow-up with individual campers as needed. All of our programs will include activities that will present the gospel in clear terms with an individual call to excellence in spiritual growth and walk. We will offer a planned approach for coach and camper follow-up and offer a full range of materials and support resources for campers and staff before, during and after camps and missions trips..

Training – We will take the role of training our staff seriously and be intentional in our approach. Each camp and missions trip will be viewed as an opportunity to mentor and disciple our staff. Each camp coach will be trained and discipled in all aspects of the ministry, from leading an individual to Christ, to new believer follow-up, to discipleship of individual campers. Mission team members will also be trained to work through an interpreter. Activities will be planned to follow up and keep in touch with our staff after the camp season.

Accountability/Fellowship – We envision a ministry where the leadership is accountable to one another, and prays for and encourages others in the PTR family on a regular basis. Accountability partners will be established to promote closeness and fellowship. Cell groups will exist where members meet and to pray together and encourage one another in the Lord. Our hope is that we will disciple and sharpen all members of our staff and encourage them to “Coach and Play for Christ”.

Camper Follow-up – We envision a ministry that is committed to the follow-up of each camper regardless of the camp location. Our goal is to ensure personal contact with each camper and be proactive in getting him or her plugged into an evangelical local church which best fits their needs.

Resources & Courses – We envision a ministry that goes the extra mile in ensuring that the appropriate resources are available to campers and staff. For each camper we expect to offer a take home packet, complete with resources that will encourage spiritual growth. For players who sign the “Play for Christ” commitment, we plan to offer a daily walk program and off-season seminars to help them grow in their faith. For camp staff we envision having a discipleship manual and course for their use.

For the entire Push the Rock Family we expect to offer mail correspondence and inter-active Bible studies.

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COMMUNITY IMPACT

We envision a ministry that has a positive impact for Christ in each community we minister in. We expect that impact to be demonstrated by strong character and good sportsmanship. Our activities will be intentional to reach out beyond our programs and minister to the community at large. We plan to pursue avenues to build bridges to the secular world and hope to be known as a caring organization that displays concern for people from all walks of life. We plan to be proactive in facilitating attendance by the underprivileged. We dream that the Lehigh Valley will someday be known as "Home of Push the Rock."

Community Activities – We envision offering a variety of programs and events that will benefit the community including sports events, after school programs, and character based school rallies. We hope to be known throughout the community and in demand to coordinate sports events.

Approach – We anticipate developing relationships with various community organizations (encourage participation without compromise) and plan to take steps to influence them for Christ and sportsmanship. We plan to encourage our campers and staff to extend the principles of Push the Rock beyond camp and into their communities.

Prison Outreach – We anticipate an effective sports ministry within various prisons where the message of Christ is communicated and individual prisoners are encouraged to make life changing decisions for Christ that will benefit society.

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CONNECTION WITH the LOCAL CHURCH

We envision a ministry that is significantly connected and partnered with evangelical churches around the world. Our objective is to be viewed as an extension of the local church and to meet each church at its point of need. We believe that through our ministry we can attract and reach out to individuals who would not otherwise connect to the local church. By 2010 we expect to be partnered with over 200 churches.

All aspects of our ministry will be geared to plug people into an evangelical local church, which is best suited to meet their individual needs. Our preference will be to steer them to the particular church we are working with but want to make sure we are sensitive to the specific needs of the individual. With each church we are partnered with, we envision a shared accountability / responsibility for follow up and integration.

Partnering Church’s – We envision strengthening our partnership and connection with the key church’s who was the catalyst for our ministry. Our desire is to be integral part of their long-term visions.

Support Resource – We anticipate becoming a support resource for the church’s we are partnered with and will have a full menu of offerings available to them including camps, clinics, facilitating sports events, training, seminars and mission olympics.

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MINISTRY PARTNERSHIPS

We envision a ministry that actively pursues partnerships with others as a way to most efficiently advance the ministry of Push the Rock and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to be viewed as a partnering leader and a model for others to follow. Partnerships will be pursued in all aspects of our ministry including camps, missions, prisons, local businesses, local schools, colleges, and Christian ministries.

Partnerships will be pursued with the objectives of resource sharing, name recognition, financial support, and meeting the needs of our constituents in the most effective manner.

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LEADERSHIP / STAFF DEVELOPMENT

We envision a ministry that places a high priority on development of both full and part time staff.

Full-time staff – We envision a staff that is continually learning and places a high priority on improvement. As an organization we expect to allocate resources and time to see that this priority is maintained. We envision developing and maintaining an organizational development plan, which identifies key skills, and plans to achieve them.

Part-time staff – We envision a ministry that views its summer staff as future Christian leaders and places a high priority on their development. As an organization we expect to offer seminars and develop curriculum to assist in their development. We also envision developing partnerships with colleges and universities and hope to offer college credit for work as a counselor. We also hope to develop a career scholarship fund to encourage students who exemplify the values and principles of Push the Rock to work summers with us.

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ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

We envision a ministry that is committed to excellence, strives for continuous improvement and continually evaluates strengths and weaknesses. We plan to place a priority on learning from the successes and failures of others and hope to adjust our plans as needed to succeed in achieving our mission. We anticipate evaluating each area of our ministry on a regular basis and expect to adapt and change as needed to succeed in achieving our mission. We envision regularly seeking feedback from parents, kids and others to get input on improvement. Our goal is to always do the right thing based on how God leads. We also envision maintaining an attitude that does not worry about what other non profit organizations are doing.

Mission / Vision / Objective alignment – We envision a ministry where everyone and everything is aligned with our mission and vision. Activities, which are not aligned with our mission and vision, will be eliminated or changed.

Organizational structure – We envision an organization where the roles of each person on staff and Board are clear and aligned with achieving the mission and vision of PTR. We anticipate developing and maintaining an organizational structure and plan which includes job descriptions, reporting relationships, staffing plan, decision making hierarchy, mechanism for resolving conflicts and clear delegation of authority.

Operational excellence – We envision an organization that places a high priority on operational excellence and has effective and efficient processes in place. Before new initiatives are launched a thorough evaluation will be given to our ability to maintain our standard of excellence. Quality will remain at the forefront of everything we do including all our programs, ministries and materials.

Communication – We envision an organization that places a high priority on clear and frequent communication to all of our constituents. We also envision having comprehensive marketing material in place including a first rate web site, logos and a quality newsletter.

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FACILITY

We envision owning a muti-function year round facility in the Lehigh Valley area that includes indoor and outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, soccer fields, locker and shower facilities, weight and fitness facilities, outdoor pavilion, and training areas for team training. The facility would also include meeting rooms, office space, dorms, dining room, kitchen facilities and staff housing.

We envision that in addition to supporting our own ministry the facility would be available as a resource center for others to use as well as a membership fitness center.

FINANCIAL

We envision a ministry that fully trusts in GOD to provide the resources required to support the day-to-day needs of the ministry and to grow at the pace that he wants. We are committed to operate with financial discipline but plan to move ahead by faith as GOD leads. We are committed to our core values and under no circumstance will we accept money from any source which would ask us to compromise them.

We envision a Board of Directors that is fully behind the ministry and willing to support it via personal gifts as well as communicating the needs of the organization on a regular basis.

While we anticipate being aggressive in communicating our needs, our approach to fund raising will vary by audience. We envision raising funds through a variety of activities such as foundation grants, corporate sponsors, trusts, fund raising events, franchising fees, individual gifts, Rock Threads, partnering churches, and board members. We expect to be aggressive in our pursuit of foundation grants and corporate sponsors but will be low-key in our pursuit of individual gifts. Designated giving will be reviewed on a case by case basis and may be declined if in conflict with the vision of the BOD.

Our staffing, budgets, and priorities will reflect our commitment to achieve our desired future. In addition to supporting our own ministry, we anticipate our budget will reflect the vision we have to support missions, have an impact on communities, be a resource center for local churches, and provide for staff and leadership development.

Full-time staff – We envision a staff that is committed to raise 80% of their support. Each staff member will be asked to commit 20% of their time to raising support via personal contacts with individuals and churches. We anticipate that there will be times that this may not be practical and will review each individual situation on a case by case basis.

Camp Fees – We envision a ministry that maintains camps and clinic fees at levels that are perceived as affordable by the majority of our constituents. However, we anticipate a fee structure that will cover our camp operating expenses, 20% of our full time staff support connected with the camp ministry and 100% of administrative personnel. We also hope to provide scholarships for underprivileged, kids and expect this to be covered under separate fund raising activities. Our goal is to raise scholarship funding to provide 10% of our campers with a scholarship.

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Push the Rock Family

We envision a ministry that has a high commitment to family and values people over programs. We anticipate a Board of Directors and staff that has closes relationships, which extend beyond their involvement with Push the Rock. We expect that the board will pursue regular opportunities to fellowship together individually and as families at events such as board retreats, Christmas socials, and summer picnics. The relationships and attitudes that develop would be like that of a family.

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