Athletes help carry the weight of mission's costs
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Ashleigh Mason, 21, of East Brunswick, attempts a bench press during a fundraiser in North Brunswick organized by the New Life in Christ Regional Worship Center.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - Members of a local church are hoping to help bring new life to residents of Nassau, Bahamas, when they visit a mission and youth conference there from June 29 to July 8.

Fifteen congregation members of the New Life in Christ Regional Worship Center in New Brunswick held a charity weightlifting competition at the home of Evelyn Lomax, a North Brunswick resident, on Sunday. Lifters projected a target range of weights they could support for a few repetitions and were sponsored by their family, friends, relatives and co-workers. The idea was to defray the cost of the trip, which could be as much as $1,000 per person for each of the eight youths and various chaperones attending.

"This is a unique way to get the youth involved in something they enjoy doing to raise money for the trip," Pastor Kevin Pleasant said.

Both males and females ages 13-24 lay on the bench and hoisted the weights above their heads, trying to outdo each other in order to raise more money.

Ashleigh Mason, a 21-year-old from East Brunswick who competed in the 120- to 145-pound weight class, was able to lift 100 pounds despite her original goal of 80. She said the last time she lifted weights was for her track team four years ago, and that the weights felt heavier than she remembers.

"This is something a little different than the run-of-the-mill fundraiser. It's something not a lot of people have done," she said, expecting to have raised about $200. "This gives you something positive to do, a goal to accomplish, and it keeps everyone focused."

Although Justin Matthews will not be traveling to the Bahamas, he felt it was important to support those who will. Weighing 190 pounds, the 18-year-old from Hillside was able to complete 10 repetitions of 200 pounds. He is hoping his 25 sponsors pledged enough money to make his contribution significant.

"Guidance, talking to them, seeing what's going on with them" are the ideals he hopes his fellow church-goers bring to the people of the Bahamas.

The weightlifting idea stemmed from a fundraiser for the East Brunswick football team a few years ago, in which Fabian Pleasant participated. The 18-year-old, weighing in at just 153 pounds, lifted 205 pounds due to his boxing skills and attendance of the Naval Academy.

"Besides raising money, it's fun getting everyone together," the pastor's son said. "To be successful, this had to be a joint effort. If everybody works together, we could actually get it done."

Pleasant likened the strength of the physical body to the strength of the spiritual mind, citing a passage in the Bible that says that as athletes train their bodies, so do Christians train their spirits. He said the weightlifting process and the mission project share the ideals of sacrifice, working hard and self-discipline.

"They are part of the solution. Although they're young, they can be active in doing things to help other countries, in this case, and reach out beyond the doors of their local church," he said. "I expect the youths will come back more in tune with the needs of the world and more in tune with their personal needs. Many [young people] see their experiences as hard and difficult, but compared to others, the Bahamas has a tourist area, but the Bahamas also has rural areas, depressed areas, … so we hope they're [going to have] a life-changing experience."

Lomax was grateful to the business adjoining her property for allowing her guests to park in their lot instead of her backyard, which held the competition but is usually her parking area.

"To me, we really are a family and we really are a family church," she said. "It's a good thing to be able to send the children and broaden their horizons and aspects of what they can do and their potential."

In addition, the New Brunswick church will use any outstanding funds to help with the purchase of a new facility on Lawrence Street in July. Currently they meet at 100 George St. on the Douglass College campus.

New Life in Christ also supports the Feed the Children supply center in North Brunswick and is the host church for the National Day of Prayer every year on the first Thursday in May. The youth group offers mentoring and community service projects. For more information, visit www.nlicrwc.org.