July 18, 2010 marked the beginning of Team XXXchurch as we completed the Vineman 70.3 half Ironman Triathlon. Many months ago the idea was fresh and untested – would it work for a organization battling porn to break into the endurance world to raise funding and awareness? Absolutely YES! This last week our team, made up primarily of men who had no previous connection to the ministry, raised over $12,000 and completed a 70.3 mile triathlon. Our goal was to raise awareness to the ministry and to raise funds for the ministry.
As Sunday morning neared 6AM our team arrived and prepared for the event. We were all wearing our new team jersey’s and ready to fight the battle in front of us. In each wave members of our 8 man team started the journey standing tall for an organization we all believe impacts a forgotten segment of the world. There were a number of times during the race that I reflected on the battle many face each every day to stay free or to break free from the world of pornogrpahy. Having attended a number of porn shows with XXXchurch, the desperate eyes of the so many women caught in the world of porn inspired me to press ahead.
After the swim and the ride I was running the final 13.1 miles when I connected with a man out on the street. He asked me (as he ran past me) what X3 stood for and I briefly explained the mission of XXXchurch. He yelled back, “I thought that might be you guys!” I believe that as we do more events we will see an increase in participation by people we have never known or touched. In my mind, the Vineman 70.3 is just the first event of many.
We had amazing individual sponsors who jumped on board and supported the team as well as a number of companys. We are thankful to all of them, including: Safe Eyes, Internet Safety, Bridgeway Christian Church, Electrical Design, Simms Chiropractic, William Baker Law Offices, Synergy Brokerage, and HeartSupport.com.
Check out our Flickr pictures and sign up today for one of our events coming up…Thanks Team, you all did an amazing job!