Young players from various churches come together on the field, inspired by Nashville Blaauw’s vision for a brighter future. School teacher, author and pastor Nashville Blaauw is taking young people off from the streets and away from gangsterism and crime to be part of inter-church soccer tournaments. Blaauw, who previously made headlines when one of his poems was used in the matriculation examination at Elsies River,is continuing to inspire the youth.
Blaauw, who previously made headlines when one of his poems was used in the matriculation examination at Elsies River, Blaauw, of House of Elijah Prophetic Ministries, who initiated the tournament, said several churches participated, which included: Pentecostal Prayer Ministries, Clarke Estate and Elsies River, New Born Ministries in Connaught Estate and Elsies River, City Faith in Delft and Liberty Pentecostal in Bishop Lavis. Each church had a junior and senior team with more than 100 boys participating recently in Elsies River. “We are aiming to get the young people to become more active, especially those who are not involved in any substance abuse and social ills,” he said.
“It is also a way to occupy their minds contrary to the gang violence and shooting they see daily. “We invited several churches and involved young men as the players from different communities. Celebrating teamwork and community spirit at the inter-church soccer tournament “We involved the junior teams and they played against each other, with New Born Ministries winning in that category.
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“In the senior category, House of Elijah won first place.”Blaauw added that his own father James Solomon had become renowned in the community for being a soccer icon. “This is a small community, whose children often cannot play outside due to the gang violence,” he said. He said soccer matches inspire children to go for their dreams and to rise above their circumstances.
“We are teaching them about unity,” he added. “It is about submitting to authority, that there are more than the socio-economic issues in our community.
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