Christian Family Day at Busch June 23, 2007

By Jim Day

The St. Louis Cardinals...they’re Champions to their fans, Champions of their sport, Champions of the world but, most importantly, they’re Champions for Christ!

What does the smiling face of a child, a concert by Mercy Me, and a hotdog at a Cardinal baseball game have in common? Try the 17th Annual Christian Family Day (CFD) at Busch Stadium on June 23rd! “How cool is it that we have Mercy Me performing at this year’s Christian Family Day?” said Judy Boen, Chairman and Founder of CFD. “We’re also very excited to have Tony Nolan as our featured speaker. His story of abuse as a child and how God healed his heart through his faith in Jesus is incredible!” continued Judy.

The event takes place behind the Cardinal’s dugout after the 2:45 p.m. Cards and Phillies game. Cardinal and Philadelphia players will share their Christian testimonies; and the Christian musical group Mercy Me will lead everyone in praise and worship. Deidre Pujols, wife of Albert Pujols, is this year’s Honorary Chairman and KTRS AM 550’s McGraw Milhaven will serve as the day’s Master of Ceremonies for the post game event.

Two very special people will be throwing out the traditional first pitch this year; Ethan Harris from Shiloh Children’s Ranch located in Sheleina, MO and Wes Schlit from Albion, IL. Last year, despite a troubled childhood and thanks to the faithfulness of Jesus, Ethan was able to lead his high school football team, the South Shelby Cardinals, to their first state championship in 26 years. Ethan represents a great role model for kids. Wes, who miraculously survived a brain tumor, lives in Albion, IL, which is a small town with a population of about 2,000 citizens. On fire for the Lord and CFD, Wes put together an all day event this past January he called “Wes’ Wingding.” Thanks to Wes’ hard work and the generosity of those who attended, Wes managed to raise $1,500 for CFD.

The day begins at 12 noon in Kauffman Park where some 3,000 at risk kids and their leaders will be treated to a carnival atmosphere of games, motorcycles, a hot lunch, and ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery donated by Kevin Garrett from his Wildwood store. Special cookies will be made for each of the children by Gene and Maryanne Robinson and the Jim and Jeremiah Panhorst families. Clowns, face painting and balloon animals, made by Jason Mirikitani, are sure to be a big hit with the kids as well as The Hampel Family Circus. The Gideons will also be on hand giving out Bibles and, this year, Appreciate the World will be handing each child a children’s book. CFD’s famous Christian baseball cards will also be given to each child.

As in years past (and always a big hit with young and old alike), while the kids are enjoying themselves in the park, hundreds of volunteers will be passing out CFD’s special testimony baseball cards at Busch Stadium. Last year 100,000 cards were given out as Cardinal fans entered the stadium and the CFD committee plans to pass out twice that number this year due to an increase in volunteers. The cards look similar to regular baseball cards however, the player’s testimony and the plan of salvation are printed on the back of the card which makes them a great way to get readers thinking about their relationship with Jesus.

During the National Anthem, nine children will stand next to a Cardinal player at their position and receive an autographed baseball and a hug from their favorite player. The Cardinal Care organization, thanks to Tim Hanser, will give each of the kids a coupon for a free drink and hotdog during the game.

“This year the Cardinals have given us 9,000 tickets to sell” stated Ticket Chairman for CFD Sherri Gandillon. “The sales are going very well and we’ll probably draw from 14 states all around the St. Louis area.”

Tickets to the game for the kids are provided by the CFD committee through ticket sales and donations. “We have to raise $75,000 to be able to give 3,000 kids this great day” said Jo Beaman. “It costs $25 per child to feed them and send them to the ballgame.” Jo has been raising money for the past 17 years and thanks to her tireless efforts CFD has 30 sponsors for this year’s event. Seventeen years ago we had one sponsor and we took 50 kids to the game” said Judy Boen. “She is just amazing, you can’t say ‘no’ to Jo.”

The sponsors for this year’s CFD are Agape Financial Group, Apollo Home Builders, Cass Bank, Chick-fil-A, Curves -141 and Big Bend, Dierbergs Family Markets, Dr. Kevin Morgester D.M.D., Donahue-South County Heating and Cooling, Herm Shields-Financial Planner, Garlich Printing, Hamilton Jewelers, J.K. Music Repertoire, Appreciate The World, Cold Stone Creamery-Wildwood, Day Spring Centre for Arts and Education, Lay Renewal Ministries, radio station WIBI FM 91.1, Turn-Key Video Works, American Artists, Bott radio stations KSIV AM 1320 and FM 91.5 plus FM 91.7 Lake of the Ozarks, McAllister’s Deli, Metro-Vision Ministries, Mid Rivers Mortgage, Gregory A. O’liphant-Law Office, ProPrint, Revelation Products, Sports Crusaders, Wright Financial, Inc.-Festus and The St. Louis MetroVoice, St. Louis’ Christian News and Events Newspaper.

The Post game activities will take place behind the Cardinal dugout as some estimated 15,000 fans will fill in around the dugout, left to right field and the upper deck. Praise and worship will be led by the Christian musical group Mercy Me. This year eight Cardinal players will share their faith and will include Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright, So Taguchi, Yadier Molina, Randy Flores, Kip Wells, Albert Pujols and Dave McKay. Their wives are also very involved in promoting the event. Tony Nolan will tie it all together and the day will end with a concert by Mercy Me.

It’s not too late to get your tickets to this awesome event. To order tickets call (636) 227-9788 or order online at www.ChristianFamilyDay.com. Remember that a portion of every ticket sold goes to provide a Christ centered day at the ballpark for a child at risk. Come hear what the Champions of the world have to say about being Champions for Christ.