?An amazing day at Jesus? home court Nazareth?, this is what one of the players of ?Athletes in Action? said, after a special event that was held June the 10th.

Athletes in Action (AIA) is part of Life Agape (Campus Crusade for Christ). It was founded in 1966 and their desire is to capitalize on society?s great love of sports and utilize the platform given to athletes to reach the world for Jesus Christ. Included in the ministry efforts of AIA are ministry to college and professional athletes and coaches.

The players of ?Athletes in Action? arrived to Israel on June 6 and stayed for 3 days in the Wingate Sports institute and played few times against the Israeli National team under the age of 20 as part of a tour in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

On June the 10th, AIA played in Nazareth against the Nazareth Greek Orthodox Club. The game was part of a festival organized by the locals who succeeded to attract around 700 spectators that night to watch the game against professional American players. The final score was 76-43 for the AIA group.

Before the beginning of the game the players exchanged gifts, ?Athletes in Action? players handed Bibles to the members of the Greek Orthodox team. During half time one of the players shared his testimony and he told the people that even though he had accomplished a lot in his life, (He went to Harvard, he played college basketball) he never had peace of mind on what the purpose of his life was and he wasn?t never satisfied with all that he had done. Then he said the reason that his life was changed when he met Jesus of Nazareth personally. He gave his life to Jesus and let Him take control.

After the game Staff from Life agape and volunteers handed out some materials for everybody. Hundreds of Bibles, Jesus Film and other books were distributed.

?We are glad that the team chose Nazareth to play in, we feel great about it, Nazareth is the home town of Jesus, but it isn?t given what it deserves?. This is what Janan Simaan said, one of the people watching the game.

The event was organized through the Local Life Agape organization. They approached the Nazareth Orthodox Club who was very anxious to host the Basketball players. ?They were very excited to host professional players, it was a privilege for them and it was a great opportunity to show the Love of Jesus and share our faith. It is a creative way to reach people?. Rajai, a Life Agape staff shared.

In addition to the game, AIA and some of the Local staff of Life Agape in Nazareth went for ministry. They distributed Jesus Film, Bibles and Christian books in the Nazareth Hospital before the game.

The team left Nazareth to Bethlehem and played against the Orthodox and Catholic clubs in addition to the national Palestinian team. They had the chance to talk with the players and share the gospel with them.