Feb 21, 2003 By Jenny Susa 3 min read

When the Rev. Terry Collins started Discipleship Ministries in the late ’90s, it was the vision of those involved to provide help to people in local communities and beyond. Rev. Collins said the ministry has been described as a “traveling church” that teaches the word of God and helps those in need. He said that most of their efforts have touched the lives of adults and they thought it was time they organized something that would reach younger people as well.

This was the group’s motivation for planning a youth rally that will take place Saturday at A.J. McMullen Middle School. The rally will begin at 7 p.m. and last until 9:30. Admission is free and refreshments will be sold throughout the evening.

The event is called “Kick This Around,” and Rev. Collins calls it a power event that “Discipleship Ministries has been privileged to put together.”

“The purpose of the evening is to have a night of Christian entertainment for the youth in our area,” said Rev. Collins.

“We hope to get the kids tuned in to God’s way.”

The evening will begin with a performance by the contemporary Christian band Fight Like Steve.

Rev. Collins said the band is enjoyed by many local teens, and while he’s sure they will want to dance the night away, there will be a lot of good entertainment to follow the band’s performance.

Other planned entertainment includes a presentation by the Flat Rock Tae Kwon Do Studio, a performance by soloist Jordan Zeigler and original music by Michael Rosinski.

The keynote speaker for the evening is Derek Potteiger from the Pittsburgh River Hounds.

“My parents were missionaries,” said Potteiger. “They were in Zimbabwe, Africa, for one year as part of the Brethren in Christ Missionaries, which is based in Mechanicsburg.”

He was five years old at that time and said he first became interested in soccer while he was there.

“Every day except Sunday, we would play from after school until just before dark,” said Potteiger.

Before joining the River Hounds, he started all 87 games in his four-year career at Penn State University and was a 2001 All-American selection.

Potteiger said that he tries to positively influence others through the game of soccer by staying committed to his faith and showing that God is an important part of his life.

“I take this as my opportunity to be a missionary,” said Potteiger. “Part of my role is to be influential and show others that it is possible to be a good Christian and a professional athlete.”

Rev. Collins said that he hopes to reach a lot of youth through the event.

“Our prayer is that we fill up the gym of A.J. McMullen Middle School with young adults and present Jesus Christ to them,” said Rev. Collins.

Bus transportation will be provided from Chalk Hill United Methodist Church, St. Joan of Arc, Samson Chapel and Grace United Methodist Church beginning at 6 p.m.

For more information, contact Rev. Collins or Susan Collins at 724-329-8414 or e-mail disciple@lcsys.net.