In nearly 15 years of doing shows, there have been two times where my luggage did not arrive in time for the show.
The first time was on Easter weekend about five years ago. My flight was diverted (due to weather, I think) to a different city than originally planned. I rented a car and drove to my show. My luggage was still lost somewhere in airlinedom. So I did what any sensible juggler would do: I went to Walmart at 2am and bought over $200 worth of machetes, baseball bats, plates, tennis rackets, fishing nets, extendable poles (for balancing), various types of fruit, and whatever else I thought was juggle-able. I did my show the next morning and then gave all my stuff away (including the machetes) to any kid who could recite the memory verse of the day to me. It was a thrill. Delta ended up paying me back for my Walmart bill!
The second time I lost my luggage before a show was last week in Mississippi. This time, though, I did not have time to do my Walmart thing. My flight got me to Memphis, TN and my luggage went to Tupelo, MS (the mix up was also weather related). And I was going to just barely make it for the show. The only problem was that I was an hour and a half from my show and my host was not able to come that far because they were setting up for the Upward program. So I called my friend Jason Blackburn (the man who knows everyone in northern Mississippi). He of course knew a guy who was commuting from near the airport to where I needed to go. So Ricky pulled up at the airport a few minutes later and told me to hop in. Southern hospitality is not dead, folks.
But that was only half the battle. My show was coming up fast, and I had none of my luggage. Nearly a thousand people were filling into the Bull Ring in Pontotoc, MS waiting for a juggling show. Meanwhile, I was rummaging through the Children’s Ministry closet of my host church, grabbing balls, stuffed animals, a ladder, some hula hoops, and whatever else I could juggle.
We rushed into the Bull Ring and I set my stuff up on two flatbed trailers before a sea of people ready for the show. They showed their league highlights video and then introduced me. I somewhat nervously began and then proceeded to have a great time presenting a show and message to a crowd that had no idea I lost my luggage. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That was the case for this show as I tossed around things that I had never laid my hands on before. It challenged me to press on and just do my best with what I have. God was in control, and I pray that His Word was presented clearly. That is the most important part of my show anyway, and juggling equipment is not necessary for God’s Word to spread, just the power of His Holy Spirit.
Upward Entertainer Jesse Joyner gets some assistance from an Upward player
Upward Sports™ Entertainer – an individual or group who performs and presents the Christian Gospel for the closing awards ceremony of a local Upward™ Sports league.
That’s the basic definition. The goal of this outline is to be informative and helpful for Upward Sports™ league directors, Upward Sports™ parents/family members, Upward Sports™ participants, Upward Sports™ volunteers, and anyone who is curious to learn more about the Upward Sports™ closing ceremony program.
Author’s note: I have had the privilege of being an entertainer for over 100 Upward awards programs. I am on the Upward Sports™ endorsed speakers list. I am not on staff at Upward Sports™. I simply partner with local leagues to help them have a great closing ceremony. What I say here is my opinion based on my observations of working with many local leagues. If you want the official low-down about Upward Sports™ sports, please check out their main website. If you’re a league director, refer to the materials that Upward Sports™ provides for you. These are simply some tips and suggestions from one of their endorsed entertainers.
What is Upward Sports™?
As of the writing of this, Upward Sports™ is the “world’s largest Christian sports league for children” (quoted from the Upward Sports™ website), serving over half a million kids and their families through some 5,000 sports leagues or camps. They have basketball, cheerleading, soccer, and flag football for kids and youth.
What is the Awards Ceremony?
At the end of the season, each local league hosts a free awards ceremony for the players, families, and the community. The goal of this ceremony is to celebrate the kids and what God has done in their lives all season long. Another goal is to deliver a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with an opportunity for people to respond, and this is often done by bringing in a speaker/entertainer who delivers the message and challenges the crowd.
What does the Upward Sports™ Entertainer do?
First of all, Upward Sports™ entertainers are not official Upward Sports™ staff or employees. They partner with each local church/league to help execute a great awards ceremony. There are Upward Sports™ entertainers who are on the Upward Sports™-endorsed list and those who are not. If you’re a league director, you should do your own homework to find the right program for your ceremony whether you choose from the endorsed list or not. The endorsed list is privately available to league directors when they login to the Upward website. There is a rigorous application and screening process for entertainers to be endorsed by Upward Sports™.
Many of the entertainers have a unique talent that appeals to the kids, such as ball-handling, illusions, ventriloquism, juggling, comedy, singing, clowning, stunts, bike tricks, or other motivational and variety entertainment. They often perform for 30-40 minutes and somehow close with a challenge to follow Jesus Christ. Each program looks different. The rest of the awards ceremony is time for the league director to thank people, recognize the players, have the cheerleaders do a cheer, and other related things.
How to Have a Great Upward Sports™ Awards Ceremony
Based on my observations of the many times I have participated in these, here are a few tips:
Be Time Efficient: There’s nothing worse than the never-ending awards ceremony. I think an hour is a good amount of time to recognize everyone, do a cheer, announce the teams, have some entertainment, and challenge the crowd to follow Jesus.
Be Super Energetic: Another common fallacy is the boring emcee or announcer. Make sure that everyone in the spotlight has joy and energy because this is a celebration!
Be Hospitable and Authentic: Many families attending are not regular church folks. Make sure you greet people, make them feel welcome, and genuinely invite them to enjoy themselves and listen to a positive message for the evening. Tell them about your weekend church services but don’t pressure them to join or give money.
Be Clear About Closing: I have worked with many different types of churches and denominations and each one has a different way of closing and challenging people to respond to the message of Jesus Christ. Upward Sports™ provides these great response/evaluation cards that let people mark how they want to respond to the message and/or be followed up with. The style in which this is executed might look different from church to church, but make sure you are clear with your leaders and the entertainer about how this is going to look and who’s going to explain the response time.
Follow the Upward Sports™ Handbook: Upward Sports™ is a super-organized operation. They are a well-oiled machine that has a reason for everything it does. They provide resources for league directors about how to have a great closing ceremony. Refer to that handbook and do what they say, and you’ll do great!
My Personal Entertainer Recommendations
I don’t have access to the full endorsed list, so I can’t say who is on it and who is not (except that I know I’m on it). So this list is my personal list of friends and ministry partners who I think are great entertainers who also present the Gospel in a clear and effective way:
Jesse Joyner – That’s me! Read all about my ministry by starting at my home page and exploring from there. While I would love to do your Upward Sports™ awards night, you might want to compare some other great entertainers, so here are my referrals….
Bob Cates My friend who is a dazzling variety performer
Sarah, Kezzie, and I just got back from a camp in Mississippi (Lake Forest Ranch). On our way back, I performed at Hillcrest Baptist Church in New Albany, MS. It was at these recent shows that I first tried out the new light-up stickman costume with LED juggling props – definitely a hit with the crowd!
On our way back to Virginia, we stayed the night in Greenville, SC. We saw some old friends who live in the area (Chris and Rebecca), and then made a stop at the Upward Sports Headquarters in Spartanburg, SC.
Though I don’t work for Upward, I feel very close to the organization, having been on their list of suggested speakers for their awards celebrations for the past 5 years. Upward is a global youth sports organization that has leagues serving over 500,000 kids per year. Their goal is to break a million by 2016. Their ultimate goal is to introduce kids to Jesus Christ through sports and recreation.
We were impressed with their facilities and the warm hospitality we received at their headquarters. We were unannounced walk-ins, and they immediately found someone on staff (Jennifer) to give us a personal tour. It has the look of a modern office building complete with cubicles and offices, but decorated with inspiring photos, posters, wall art, shadow boxes of memorabilia, and printed values, mission, and vision for the organization. What stands out is the “knights-of-the-round-table” style board room in the center of the second story, a glass enclosed meeting area where everyone at the meeting has equal value and input.
The statue out in the front of the property depicts the servanthood of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. If you are ever passing through Spartanburg, SC, don’t miss this special place that is the hub of a lot of God-glorifying activity.
In nearly 15 years of doing shows, there have been two times where my luggage did not arrive in time for the show.
