Sports

Community

Observing the rules

A minister needs only one set in the pulpit and on the playing fields.

By KELLIE DIXON, Times Staff Writer
Published September 21, 2007

---

ADVERTISEMENT

For 16 years, Pat Jones has served as a minister at Beacon Community Church, while also putting in hours as a youth sports official. A former athlete and coach himself, Jones now officiates soccer and volleyball. He also co-coaches the Hudson Cobras, a U-18 girls soccer team. Jones sat down last week with Times correspondent Chris Wagenheim.

How do you go from a position of minister that demands respect to one that doesn't always get respect like a referee?

I have to be true to myself. For me, I don't see a difference between myself as a minister versus what I am doing out there -- it is all the same person.

We have several coaches that come to church here, and I have done their games. That is always fun, because they know if they get too out of hand I will more than likely use them as a sermon illustration.

The harder part for me has been, not refereeing, but being a coach. Coaching draws out the competitiveness of you a lot more. There have been times when I, as a coach, have lost my cool, kicked the ground or threw my hat down. For a long time the kids always said that "Coach won't cuss at you, but if he throws his hat down, you know he's hot."

What is the best example of someone not knowing that you are a pastor while you are out there refereeing?

One of my favorite stories -- I was refereeing a match up in Hudson. A team had come from another area, and the coach was trying to help me referee the game.

As I ran by him on the sideline, I didn't want to stop the game and make a scene, so I just ran by and said, "Coach, I really don't need your help. Just encourage your team," and I kept running.

As I kept running, I heard him say real loud "Who does he think he is, Jesus Christ?" And the other coach from Hudson laughed and said, "No, but he works for him."

Why sports? Why did you get into it, and why do you keeping going back?

I was not athletic growing up, so I had to work hard.

I had two options, and, unfortunately, I chose both options at the time. One option was the real rough crowd, kind of the neighborhood gang scene that wasn't real healthy, and the other option was athletics.

Athletics was just something I started doing, I worked hard; I would play basketball for six, seven hours a day.

I would ride my bike around looking for courts just because I wanted to get good. I didn't get any major scholarships or anything, but I became good enough of a player and understood the game well enough that I could coach it.

And actually in my profession, I am a spiritual coach, so they go hand in hand in so many ways.

How is your volunteering an extension of your parish duties?

A lot of times, in churches, we get stuck behind our walls and we do our programs. We try to get people to come to our church and our programs. Philosophically we think that is kind of backwards for us, we are more about just helping ourselves live better in the community.

That is one of the major ways my volunteering helps, just to stay connected to the community.

My kids have always been involved in sports. It actually was just part of me being a parent as well as trying to set an example as a minister.

Submit feedback, story ideas to communitysports@tampabay.com

BIOGRAPHY: Pat Jones

• Born: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
• High school: Community Christian School in Bradenton, where he played football, basketball and soccer
• Education: Graduate of Trinity College of Florida with a B.A. in biblical studies
• Current residence: Hudson
• Family: Wife, Janice. Children, Stephen, Kristyn and Jordan.
• Experience: Started coaching youth sports in 1990 and officiating in 1993. Has coached college soccer. Has officiated soccer, volleyball and basketball.

[Last modified September 21, 2007, 01:15:54]

[an error occurred while processing this directive]