TEAM

Fall 2025 began with such promise. The Eagles were the defending Super Bowl Champs, their team stocked with returning veterans and high draft picks. The talent was practically oozing onto the field. Many said that they were the team to beat. And my beloved Penn State opened their season with a line-up of returning seniors, who had deferred their opportunity to be drafted last year in order to play together for the national title this year. Penn State was packed with talent and experience. They were ready! And the pundits agreed, ranking PSU #2 at the beginning of the season.

Let the games begin! But when they did, both the Eagles and Penn State struggled. When the Eagles won it was barely worth celebrating because the play was messy and disjointed. And Penn State found even UCLA to be too much of a challenge. Where did my teams go wrong? For the next few months, armchair quarterbacks will offer their analysis of the collapse of these two teams. Was it the coaching? Did the team lose their shared sense of direction? Was it injuries, age, exhaustion? Both teams had lots of talent, but that potential just never seemed to come together.

Then I look at Indiana. This should not have been their year. A transfer quarterback from Cal Berkley, new to the team and to their offense. A coach only in his second year, still forming the culture of his team. Put side by side at the beginning of the season, Penn State looked like the goliath in the room, with Indiana ranked #20 in the AP preseason poll. I love an underdog story, unless that underdog beats my Nittany Lions. On November 8, Indiana bested PSU at Beaver Stadium for their first ever victory in Happy Valley. Painful! I used to like watching football- it was my escape from all the challenges of life. But this fall, watching caused my stomach to clench and my mind to think rather unkind thoughts. Watching the rise and fall of my teams has made me wonder what makes a successful team. Certainly, talent is necessary… good coaching… creative strategy… hard work… the list could go on. But I think there is another element that Terry Smith and Fernando Mendoza have discovered. If those names are not familiar to you, let me introduce them.

Terry Smith is a Penn State alum. He played wide receiver for the Nittany Lions from 1987-1991 and then was drafted by the Washington Redskins for a very short NFL career. He went on to play in the Canadian league and finally Arean football, before moving on to coaching. In 2014, Smith was hired by Penn State as a cornerbacks coach, rising the next year to assistant head coach. When James Franklin was fired in October, Smith was named the interim head coach. We soon discovered that Smith was a man of faith, a prayerful man, a man whose integrity was without question. And his love for his players, and their love for him played out at their last home game with the team leading the stadium in a chant- Hire Terry… Hire Terry. It was that shared love and faith, that inspired the team to play and play hard at the Pin Stripe Bowl. There is no glory to be found in playing in that bowl game. They played for Terry, the coach who loved them when they were down, and prayed for them to find their way back up.

Fernando Mendoza is a Miami native, who studied at Cal Berkley, earning his business degree in three years while playing football. With one year left of eligibility, Mendoza transferred to Indiana where his younger brother was already on the team. Before his first practice, Mendoza asked for the roster of players and their pictures, so that when he came to that first practice, he could call each player by name. All the while he was working on an MBA. One win after another put Mendoza in front of the press. They wanted to understand how this team kept on winning. Each time, he gave glory to God, and then all the credit to his teammates and coaches. When he received the Heissman Trophy, again he gave glory to God and then thanked his mom. What’s not to love about this guy? He’s a great athlete, but even more he is a caring and faithful man. You can see Jesus’ call to Love God and Love Neighbor playing out in how he lives his life.

In a world that honors power, and motivates with hate, Smith and Mendoza are a refreshing oasis of hope. Their example of faith and love should move and shape whatever team we are on- our workplace, our sports team, our scouting troop, our vocal ensemble, our church. I saw that kind of teamwork on Saturday, when Christmas had to be put in the attic at LVC. Faith Frank, our building manager set the tone with her servant leadership. She prepared for the clean-up with tree bags positioned and boxes at the ready to receive all the decorations. The call went out for a team to gather, and they did. Many hands make light work. In an hour, all that beauty was packed safely away for next year. There was joy in the house of the Lord. I love our Lenape Valley team!

February at Lenape Valley offers many opportunities to join the team! February 1st Annual Congregational Meeting that I like to call the Family Huddle- where we will reflect on the past year and look to where God is calling us to go. Stay after worship and share in the ‘huddle’. February 8th- 25,000 Meals- we definitely need the whole team for that mission event! February 21st- the Chili Cook-Off- whether you are competing or just tasting, it is an evening of team building that is worth your time. Then on Friday, February 27th we have a double-header- the IF Women’s Conference simulcast in our sanctuary and Family Movie Night in Fellowship Hall. Ladies, feel free to do both that night!

With you, celebrating a team founded on faith and love,
Anita