Graced Out Youth Ministries held basketball competitions that brought San Quentin inmates together who don’t normally go to church to see Christianity being practiced.
“Basketball and food bring people together. When they get here and see the unity and the camaraderie, then they will know we have more in common than what we thought,” said Ferrari Moody, a Graced Out member.
Other Graced Out members include inmates Antoine Watie, Fanon Figgers, James Metters, Darell “Obadiah” Flowers, Jack Osby, Dwight Kennedy, Antwan “Banks” Williams, Marlon Beason and Lemar “Maverick” Harrison. The founders are Moody, Watie and Figgers.
Chaplin Mardi Jackson and church elder Derrick Holloway came up with the idea of Graced Out Ministries. They challenged the faithful young men “to do something different to bring the word to the youth,” stated Metters.
One of the ways they responded was with basketball.
“The modern religious settings don’t really identify with the youth today. Therefore, we came up with ideas that use common grounds to relate the word of God to the youth,” said Metters.
“We want to show them that God hasn’t forgotten them, and we are going to use any and all things at our disposal,” said Watie.
“Our mission? If y’all won’t come to church, we’ll bring the church to y’all. God is everywhere,” Moody said to the crowd during the first event last year.
The contests consisted of a three-on-three half-court elimination tournament, a three-point contest, a free-throw contest and a raffle, with canteen items as prizes.
Top winners of the basketball contest:
Three-on-three team (with one sub): Julio Saca, Quoc Chau, Phillip Brown and Terrance Horton overcame former S.Q. Warriors players Marcus Cosby, Erick Nelson and current S.Q. King player Charles Sylvester in the final to win it all.
“It was fun. We were average ball players but … if you have fundamental players that communicate, anything is possible,” said P. Brown. “May the grace and glory be to God.”
Jay Brown won both the free-throw and three-point competitions. He says he won the free-throw contest easily, hitting 14 of 15. The three-point contest went to sudden death against Larry “TY” Jones.
“I had to wear him down. I’m a set shooter!” J. Brown exclaimed. “It was a blessing. These guys put on a good show.”
Using basketball works for P. Brown. “Sports is a stress release. It gets me through a lot of my hard times, especially basketball,” he said.
“It was successful. I’ve started seeing many new brothers in church that were at last year’s event,” said Fanon Figgers.
“Here you see love – a sense you can be whoever you are, togetherness and unity,” said Osby about the Aug. 30 event.
“It feels good to give back like this. It connects me to people,” said Flowers.
To reach those with violent pasts, the message has “to be raw, uncut and rugged. The youth are, at this moment, in such great and grave danger,” said Watie. “There is violence in the streets, with many dying without a relationship with God.”
“It’s our goal as youth ministers to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the future that He has for them as productive men of God. It is meant for them as much as anyone else,” Watie added.
“It’s not about making an instant 360-degree change; it’s about taking that first step, and allowing God to transform you,” added Moody.
Graced Out meets in the Protestant Chapel one Friday every other month. The group often opens with Christian rappers Williams, Harrison, Beason and/or Metters. Graced Out invites all to “come and discover their true identity,” said Metters.
