Salem EC Church members held a special pork and sauerkraut dinner benefit for the new Centershot Ministries at Salem. The new program will incorporate teaching archery using Biblical principles.
Set to start in March, Centershot teaches the sport during eight week periods with one and half hour sessions. A large part of the program is that everyone can take part from ages ten to adult seniors. The sport is inclusive and as long as the person can move their arms, any adjustments can be made so that they can participate.
“We have a lot of fun and make it enjoyable,” said Frank LaPearl, who is excited for the program to come to Salem. “We teach technique. Our number one priority is safety.”
LaPearl and his father brought a Centershot program to a church in Reading in which they had two classes going at the same time. Classes can have a maximum of 12 people per session. Now, that Centershot program is left in good hands as the instructors are former students.
Though it can be used for hunting, the focus of the program is on archery as a sport and the students are taught the same techniques as Olympic athletes. LaPearl has seen the sport become contagious since it is so inclusive meaning that one does not necessarily have to be athletic to do well.
“It gets them excited. It’s something they can do on their own,” said LaPearl of the students. “When they first hit the target, they are super excited. It’s nice to see that enthusiasm.”
Part of that inclusion is that those with any type of disability are able and encouraged to participate. LaPearl and his father recall a former student who was older and had arthritis. They worked on a different technique to allow her to participate and she ended up doing very well in the class. Archery is a sport that can also be done sitting down, something that a class or two focuses on.
The mission of Centershot, which is headquartered in Minnesota, is to serve, inspire and partner with local churches to spread the word of God. For church members, Jesus Christ is the target of their lives. In archery, the idea is to make the arrow hit the target. Centershot takes those two ideas and connects them using Biblical principles to teach the sport. During the sessions, there is a 15 minute Bible study.
Though there is a religious focus, the group is welcoming to all those who want to participate. Within the group there will be archery competitions, such as the Block Shoot that was held earlier that day to also benefit Centershot, and LaPearl is hoping to branch out and have competitions with other churches as well as area schools and groups.
For more on Centershot, visit www.centershot.org. Centershot Ministries at Salem is set to start in March with classes most likely set for Tuesday. More information will be available. Any questions can be directed to Salem EC Church at 610-562-5033 or through the church’s Facebook page, “WeAreSalem.”
