Triad Baptist Christian Academy has its first official booster club and a mission — to support the school’s athletic and fine arts programs and grow the fan base inside and outside the church to make connections and point lives toward Christ.

“As the Titans Club, we want to provide financial support, volunteer support, and foster a greater sense of school spirit and pride by making more people aware of our sports and arts programs,” said Steve Jones, head of the club’s steering committee.

“The Titans Club is not for TBCA families only,” Jones said. “It’s for anyone who shares a passion of concern for the school’s students and athletic and fine arts programs. Since the church and Academy share facilities—and the Academy is an educational ministry of the church—our club really is for all of us, whether you have a child that is currently enrolled or not.”

Plans for the club began to take shape last summer when Jones, then head of the Upward Football program, talked to Michael Bowers, coach of the Titans boy’s basketball team.

“We spent a lot of time talking about his program and vision for it and the entire athletics program at TBCA, including the challenges, obstacles and opportunities,” Jones said. “One clear opportunity was a booster club. The more we talked about it, the more I felt God laying it on my heart to get plugged in and see where I could help.

“My wife, Christy, and I had previous success with Upward flag football and had been exposed to other booster clubs through our involvement with our own kids in local youth sports.”

After meeting with Donna Mannon, director of education for Triad Baptist Christian Academy, and Ronnie Kruger, the Academy’s athletics director, and getting the go ahead late last year, Jones tapped a group of TBCA parents and staff, coaches, church members and deacons to form the steering committee and get the new club off the ground.

In addition to the Joneses and Michael and Kendra Bowers, the Titans Club steering committee includes Daniel Brown, Jeff and Renee Huffman, Debbie Hinds, Jennifer Locklear, Stephanie Stoltzfus and Shannon Wilson.

“We met throughout the spring and summer to get us headed in the right direction,” Jones said. “I don’t know where we would be today without those folks, who stepped up and sacrificed a lot of their personal time on behalf of TBCA.”

An early win was partnering with the church’s Recreation team to get an LED scorer’s table for volleyball and other sports—followed not long afterward by the biggest win of all: securing Chick-fil-A as corporate scoreboard sponsor for the new displays in the Worship Center/Gym.

With more than 40 members, Jones said that the Titans Club saw increased attendance and stronger concession sales during volleyball season—a trend expected to increase now that teams are in basketball season and with new games against Salem Baptist Christian School and Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School added to the schedule.

“What an awesome opportunity to create positive exposure for Triad Baptist Christian Academy and ultimately Triad Baptist Church,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, that is really what we are doing through the Titans Club. Our steering committee team believes in the direction of TBCA and its desire to provide a quality Christian education for young men and women. We also believe that, at its very core, the school and our booster club are an outreach ministry of TBC pointing lives to Christ.

“Looking down the road we would like to see the Titans Club grow, and be a strong advocate for athletic and arts programs in this community which the upcoming land purchase is going to make even more possible,” he said. “For the first time since the Academy was established, we’ll be able to bring TBCA sporting events on campus to our own fields. Currently, only volleyball and basketball are played on campus and are revenue-generating sports.

“We’ve made a lot of progress already but know even more exciting days are ahead!”