I’m incoming CSPC Director of Elementary Ministry Lisa Tarantino, & this is how God’s enabling me & my family to live deeply in Him.
Our family’s lives changed because someone invited our kids to play soccer back in 2006. We were living across the street from some friends who said, ‘Hey, you should sign your kids up for soccer at CSPC. We know a great coach there.’ Honestly, it felt like it was time to get them involved in something, so we enrolled in the fall soccer season. Our daughter Marissa was about 8, & Michael was around 6, going into first grade. Right away, soccer at CSPC felt like something different than we’d ever experienced. Everyone was so welcoming & cared about our kids. It wasn’t just surface level- they really wanted to know about us & our lives. We were introduced to Mike Wenger (longtime CSPC sports ministry director) right away, & he took a genuine interest in us: ‘You need to meet my wife,” he said. “You two would be fast friends.” (He was right!) Brad Lewis was Michael’s coach (& he WAS great), and his son Will became Michael’s best friend instantly. Soon, it was more than just seeing everyone for soccer on Saturdays. We hit it off with the Lewis family: our families started spending time together off the soccer field and all our kids became close. Our families built a great relationship that we still have to this day. Rich started coaching with Brad, and our kids were enrolled in the sports at CSPC every season. While our youngest daughter Christina was too young to play, she was able to run around the fields with other kids her age & develop friendships. For the neighbors who invited us: they never went to church at CSPC. It was just soccer for them. But for us, it opened the door to something so much bigger. Rich & I knew this environment was important to our family. God used that simple invitation to weave us into a new extended family that poured into us- especially when we faced painful, unexpected trials.
About a year after we started playing soccer at CSPC, in 2007, Rich’s mother passed away very suddenly from a brain aneurysm. She had just turned 60. She was an important figure in our family and our kids adored her. The loss shook us. We were grieving, confused, trying to figure out how to move forward. But in the middle of it, the love we felt from the people we’d met through soccer -especially the Lewis and Wenger families- was overwhelming. They just showed up. They didn’t try to fix it. They didn’t say a lot. They were just there. That simple act was exactly what he needed. It wasn’t about grand gestures. It was about the little things: showing up, checking in with a phone call, laughing with us when we needed it, asking how they could help & what they could do. They were intentional about serving our family, living life alongside us. Mike, Brad, Jeremy Johnson- they became like brothers to Rich. Seeing this community, Rich & I knew we wanted our kids to grow up surrounded by people like this. We wanted to raise them to have a strong faith, and it was so clear God had already paved a path for us to start attending CSPC. Through a soccer program, through friendships, through open arms- He had shown us the community He wanted us to be part of. We knew it was time to make CSPC our church home.
Over the years, our family became more involved at the church and my kids began working in the sports ministry. They refereed games, worked in the concession stand, and worked at the summer sports camps. While their jobs were about sports, Mike Wenger and Jeremy Johnson taught them it was more important for the kids to feel known and loved than to pay full price for a piece of bubble gum. These mentors showed them what it looked like to live like Jesus by example. While my kids were growing in their faith, so was I. Reading the bible became more of a focus in my life. Sunday worship and sermons became very important to me and vital to setting my focus for the week ahead. Building friendships with strong faithful women through the opportunities CSPC provided helped me understand the need to be in a relationship with God and community with other believers. The people I meet at church inspired me to be a better teacher, friend, parent, and wife. I have witnessed this church support so many different people across generations, and my hope is that the Elementary Ministry continues to do just that – support generations in their faith and point them to Jesus.”
NOTE: Lisa will share more of her story in next week’s Live Deeply posts.