Chants and shouts in a lively mix of Korean and English reverberated throughout the Terasaki Budokan basketball court at the Community Recreation Center in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood on August 5.
Over 150 players and supporters from six Korean American churches (Grace Ministries International, LA SaRang Community Church, New Life Vision Church, Good Stewards Church, Tapestry LA, and Living Way Community Church) participated in a basketball tournament organized by the AKP Sports Foundation, led by CEO John Lee.
To ensure fair play, the organizers invited two experienced National Basketball Association (NBA) referees to officiate the games and enlisted the help of more than 30 volunteers.
The event was organized by the AKP Sports Foundation with the aim of promoting neighborly love and community service through sports. Named after the first letters of the Latin words for love (agape), opportunity (kairos), and life (pneuma), the foundation collaborated with participating churches to distribute back-to-school supplies to underprivileged children during breaks between games.
The Living Way Community Church team proudly claimed the tournament trophy. Pastor Jacob Cho of New Life Vision Church, whose team finished as the runner-up, expressed, “While we came with the goal of winning, playing basketball with other church teams and having fun brought us immense joy.” He further added, “We eagerly anticipate more opportunities for Korean American church youth to socialize and bond through sports.”
BY NICOLE CHANG [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
