06/05/2026
This past year, 2nd Baptist Church in Hopkinsville made the desicion to create and start "Open Gym!" With an eye on reaching the community around the church and a facility ready for basketball, two times were created on Sunday afternoons for area youth and young adults to fellowship and play pickup games. The early time on Sundays is for young adults 18 & up and the late time is for High school and Middle school students!
At the end of each Open Gym session, athletes huddle together for devotion.
When asked about the Kingdom impact of opening the space up to the community, Robby Shearon, 2nd Baptist Church Youth Pastor and FCA Volunteer said,
"Our Sunday open gym has been going on for a little while now, and we’ve already seen incredible growth. What started as a simple outreach has turned into a consistent gathering of students and young adults, many of whom now show up every single week excited to connect. We’ve watched our numbers grow from around 10 students to regularly having 20–30 engaged, respectful, and energetic young people on Wednesday nights!"
"Open gym has opened doors for relationships we simply wouldn’t have made otherwise. We’ve connected with both youth and young adults who now trust us, talk with us, and look forward to being here. These relationships are already proving fruitful, and we’re confident God is going to keep using them in meaningful ways."
"We’ve been able to share the gospel weekly, and we’ve already seen how God is working through this ministry. A few weeks ago, after tempers flared, I had to make the hard call to shut down basketball for the day. Everyone respected the decision, but several players asked if we could still do the devotion, so we stopped the game, shared God’s Word, and reminded them how much we care about each of them. Every single one of them came back the next week appreciative, and many are now joining youth group, attending events, and leaning into a growing relationship with Jesus and His church."
Let's celebrate Second Baptist Church and their willingness to open and leverage their athletic facilities for student athletes and the Gospel!
We Are One
