JEFFERSONVILLE, Ga. — Daniel Wright turned a World Cup watch party into a ministry opportunity without a large church campus or elaborate setup. A television in the carport, food for families, children playing in the yard, and a halftime gospel presentation were enough.
Wright, pastor of Jeffersonville Baptist Church, hosted the gathering at his home during an afternoon U.S. group-stage game. About 12 to 15 people attended, including children connected to the church and others who were not.
Wright said the event was another way that Jeffersonville Baptist seeks to reach families in its community.
“We launched an Upward sports ministry here a couple of years ago,” Wright said. “Soccer has been our emphasis.”
The watch party grew out of that ministry, coupled with the excitement surrounding the World Cup. Wright also participated in Mission Georgia training calls aimed at helping churches use soccer as a bridge for outreach.
Mission Georgia, a Georgia Baptist Mission Board initiative that helps churches meet needs and share Christ in their communities, has been equipping churches to use the excitement surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup as an opportunity for gospel witness. With Atlanta hosting World Cup matches, including a semifinal, Mission Georgia has encouraged churches across the state to think creatively about ways to engage their neighbors.
Beth Ann Williams, lead strategist for Mission Georgia, previously said churches do not have to be in Atlanta to take part in World Cup-related outreach.
“The nations are here, in your neighborhoods,” Williams said.
For Wright, the strategy fit naturally with what Jeffersonville Baptist was already doing through Upward Soccer. Soccer, he said, has been easier to organize than some other sports because it requires fewer resources.
“It’s just basically a ball, a couple of nets and a field,” he said.
The church’s interest in soccer intersected with the excitement of the World Cup coming not only to the United States but to Georgia.
“With Georgia hosting some matches, it’s right in our backyard,” Wright said.
Wright participated in Mission Georgia’s training calls and said they gave him practical ideas that could be adapted to Jeffersonville Baptist’s size and setting.
“They were really, really helpful,” he said. “I came away with a lot of good ideas.”
Some of those ideas were shared with other churches in the community and association. One idea Wright decided to try was simple: invite families to his home to watch the U.S. game, eat together, and hear the gospel.
The setup was informal. A television in the carport showed the game. Food was available. Children moved between watching the match and playing outside.
“We were hosting a soccer watch party, but we had a basketball game break out in the driveway,” Wright said.
At halftime, Wright shared a gospel presentation using Mission Georgia resources, including a tract called “The Goal of Your Life,” which connects soccer imagery to the message of Christ.
The tract was part of a package of materials provided by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
Those materials, Wright said, were intended to follow up with the kids and remind families that Jeffersonville Baptist is there to help them in their walk with Christ.
Wright said he saw impact from the event, especially with two children in particular. He said his own son also benefited from the presentation and conversations.
The watch party was not the end of the church’s World Cup outreach. Jeffersonville Baptist has continued using Mission Georgia resources through its soccer ministry. Wright said the church recently hosted an Upward soccer clinic and used some of the same materials, including the gospel tracts.
“We’ll continue using them,” he said. “They’re very helpful.”
The church is also planning a soccer league in the fall and may incorporate some of the World Cup outreach resources into that effort.
For Wright, the watch party and soccer ministry are part of a larger effort to equip the church and create opportunities for gospel conversations with families.
“Sports bring people together,” Wright said. “Sports are a unifying thing. You can always leverage that opportunity to create some gospel conversation opportunities.”
Wright said churches do not need large budgets or large campuses to take part in outreach. Smaller churches can use the resources they have available, while getting support through their association, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and other churches.
Jeffersonville Baptist, which typically runs in the low 20s to 30s on a Sunday, has leaned into partnerships as it has sought to reach families. Wright said the church has partnered with other churches on ministry efforts, including Vacation Bible School, because Jeffersonville Baptist did not have enough manpower to do a large event on its own.
“For a church our size, partnerships are really our key,” Wright said. “Partnerships are huge.”
World Cup outreach does not have to be complicated to be meaningful. For Jeffersonville Baptist, a pastor’s home, a soccer match and a willingness to invite families created space for children to play and the gospel to be shared.
As Mission Georgia continues encouraging churches to use World Cup interest for hospitality and gospel witness, Wright said the opportunity is not limited to large congregations or major events.
The key, he said, is for churches to pray, be intentional, and look for ways to serve the people around them.
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