Mississippi RBI

From the ESPN and MLB Network special "Faces of RBI" which aired in 2009

CONTACT: Brian@MississippiRBI.com or call me directly at 601-665-7884.
Facebook Group is “Mississippi RBI” Twitter: @JxnRBIBaseball

I have been involved with inner city ministry in Jackson, Miss for years and one thing that continues to frustrate me is the opportunities that the kids miss out on.  That’s why we’ve created the summer league and that why we run monthly events all over Jackson and the metro area.

The best way to assure participation is to make the events free or of little cost.  Our baseball camps, which feature instruction from pro scouts, coaches of all levels and former pro and college players, are always free to the player.  Our summer league signup fee is just $10.

I want to make sure that any barrier to playing baseball and hanging out with positive role models is eliminated. Baseball is a very expensive sport to play.  The most common obstacle facing urban teens today would be the uncertainty of their futures.  Not many teenagers are thinking about what tomorrow will bring.  The majority of our players are growing up in fatherless homes and some have never met their fathers.  This means many of the youth in our city are searching for their identities.

Their role models must be real people, good influences, like you and me or they will look to Hollywood, rap stars, and pro athletes.  RBI coaches and volunteers walk along side of the players throughout the year to help them learn valuable life experiences and improve as baseball players.

WHAT IS RBI?

Major League Baseball’s community program, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, was created in 1989 in Los Angeles.

RBI’s main objective is to allow kids to play baseball and softball more often through the year.  One of the main objectives of Mississippi RBI is helping kids get into college.  We will have college academic recruiters at all of our clinics. Also, during the summer league we will have academic recruiters from local colleges and junior colleges on hand to get information to the underclassmen, giving them a better understanding of how to get into college.

God has burdened my heart with a desire to influence inner-city youth. The funny thing is that I am not a natural born-leader at all.  However, God is the “Ultimate Leader” and he calls every believer to lead others and I can’t help but notice the call to leadership is a pretty consistent pattern in the Bible.

John Maxwell says leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.  If you are being salt and light as Jesus commanded, then you have begun to obey God’s call to leadership.  God has transformed my life and my priorities since we began MS RBI in October 2008.

“Transformational Leadership” (Maxwell) follows the pattern laid down in scripture.  It is the kind of leadership where people’s lives are changed from the inside out.  It is based on character, conviction, and Christlikeness.  So, everyone has the potential to be a leader. Our goal is to transform these kids into leaders in their community both on and off the field.

I pray that this league will be a year-round community-building, confidence-boosting, relationship-creating program.

A little background info on me:

My girls - Heather and Cameron at Trustmark Park. Cameron lost a tooth that day. Our daughters Chloe and Zoe were born in 2010.

I am now 33 years old and I was born and raised in Madison, Miss and graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in sport communication.  I also have a master’s degree in sports management.  I’ve served as a deacon at Pinelake Church.  I also work in sports marketing for Hinds Community College and teach in the developmental computer lab.  I also serve as the Chaplain for the Eagles baseball team.

I married the former Heather Woodcock of Meadville, Miss in 2001 and we have three daughters, Cameron, Chloe, and Zoe. We live in Clinton, Miss.

How I got into inner city ministry:

Working with my good friend Vince Gordon, who serves as the Area Director for Young Life Inner City here in Jackson, has given me many opportunities to see first-hand how inner city kids are often left out of activities.

Vince, who was raised in Los Angeles, has served in that role for nearly 10 years and he really has a heart for the youth of Jackson.  His home is 20 feet from the doors of Lanier High School (he is an ’82 graduate of LHS) and he empowers volunteer leaders like me to go with him into eight high schools in Jackson (also a teen prison ministry in Hinds county and the MS School for the Deaf) and use our own life experiences to help others.

We tell them of the amazing grace and love our Lord Jesus Christ covers them with.  We meet for 30 minutes before they begin their day at school and hang out at the Perkins Center on Robinson Road every other Wednesday for Club.  Vince and the volunteers meet with students from Bailey, Callaway, Forest Hill, Jim Hill, Lanier, Murrah, Provine, and Wingfield high school’s.

Our Heavenly Father can answer all your questions in life and Vince (or Mr. G) and all of us volunteer leaders can tell them how He has changed our lives.  Below is my personal “life verse”

Yesterday I hung on the cross with Christ; today I am glorified with Him: yesterday I was dying with Him; today I am brought to life with Him: yesterday I was buried with Him: today I rise with Him. Let us become like Christ, since Christ also became like us. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20