the isf story
Thousands of spectators traveled to Madagascar in 1990 to watch the Indian Ocean Island Games. These Games served as a qualifier for the summer Olympics. Spectators cheered on athletes who dreamed of making it to the Olympics, and the spectators had no idea that God was planting another dream for the foundation of cross-cultural sports ministry.
Fred Sorrells, an agricultural missionary in Madagascar, noticed the large number of people traveling to the island and recognized it as a movement of God that had potential to bring thousands of lost souls together. The missionary realized the dream from God where the universal language of sport could bridge the gap between culture and language. He also recognized that many countries closed to Christian witness would offer open invitations for athletes and coaches to invest time and energy in their sports programs.
Cheryl Wolfinger was on the other side of the world in Alvarado, Texas. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and former employee of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, she was volunteering at the First Baptist Church of Alvarado. Cheryl was not sure of her next step in life, and she never dreamed of meeting Fred Sorrells who would soon introduce her to a way to change the world through sports ministry. She had spent a lifetime loving the Lord and loving basketball. God had plans to use her passions to make a difference throughout the world.
The International Sports Federation was founded in 1993 by Cheryl Wolfinger and is recognized as a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization by the United States Internal Revenue Service. Since then, ISF has sent hundreds of teams into countries around the globe and watched God touch thousands of lives through sports ministry.
ISF is the product of a God-sized plan and vision. You are part of that dream. As a talented individual serving missionaries and the lost, you are joining this great adventure of God’s making. It is a mission to fulfill God’s call on your life and to win a world for Christ.
Fred Sorrells, an agricultural missionary in Madagascar, noticed the large number of people traveling to the island and recognized it as a movement of God that had potential to bring thousands of lost souls together. The missionary realized the dream from God where the universal language of sport could bridge the gap between culture and language. He also recognized that many countries closed to Christian witness would offer open invitations for athletes and coaches to invest time and energy in their sports programs.
Cheryl Wolfinger was on the other side of the world in Alvarado, Texas. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and former employee of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, she was volunteering at the First Baptist Church of Alvarado. Cheryl was not sure of her next step in life, and she never dreamed of meeting Fred Sorrells who would soon introduce her to a way to change the world through sports ministry. She had spent a lifetime loving the Lord and loving basketball. God had plans to use her passions to make a difference throughout the world.
The International Sports Federation was founded in 1993 by Cheryl Wolfinger and is recognized as a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization by the United States Internal Revenue Service. Since then, ISF has sent hundreds of teams into countries around the globe and watched God touch thousands of lives through sports ministry.
ISF is the product of a God-sized plan and vision. You are part of that dream. As a talented individual serving missionaries and the lost, you are joining this great adventure of God’s making. It is a mission to fulfill God’s call on your life and to win a world for Christ.