MADISON – Heritage Sports Leagues, an outreach of Heritage Church, are accepting boys and girls for soccer and cheer squads. League players will have their share of fun in a safe and nurturing environment.

Rev. Michael Katschke and Rev. Suzanne Katschke serve as pastors at Heritage Church; Michael and Suzanne are married. The church’s address is 29768 Huntsville – Brownsferry Road in Madison. Heritage Church is affiliated with the Methodist conference.

Keyana Malone and Tynesha Malone lead the leagues as Sports Directors. The Malone sisters “are very active in the local sports scene, have extensive coaching experience and simply have a heart for kids and families,” Suzanne said. “We feel extremely blessed to have directors of such high caliber.”

Heritage Church’s sports teams are a “developmental league,” Suzanne said. “To us, a developmental league is concerned with a child’s development as a whole person. Our league is not a competitive league, but kids will be developed to the best of their ability. All kids will play and will be challenged to grow in their character, skill and spiritual development.”

Church leaders founded sports leagues to serve local families. “We have a heart for kids and want to serve them. Our motto is, ‘Come Play!’ We know that kids learn best through play,” Suzanne said.

As a community-based league, children who sign up for the league will play against each other – not ‘outside’ teams in other leagues.

Heritage staff wants to partner with families to offer children a meaningful, rich experience. “Our emphasis is on mind, body and spiritual development,” Suzanne said. “We focus on character and physical skill development, along with encouraging spiritual development through team devotions and service projects.”

The staff also understands time constraints on busy families. “We offer the convenience of practice and games on the same day (Saturdays) to meet the needs of our kids and families,” she said. Leagues will open Aug. 13 and continue through Sept. 24.

Children in Heritage leagues can learn the same basic skills as other leagues but with a special emphasis on character and spiritual development.

In addition to the Malones, local sports leaders, parents and volunteers coach the teams. All coaches and volunteers will complete training and must submit a national background check.

All team members will receive a uniform and a seasonal devotional sheet. Children from 4 to 12 years old are eligible. Fee is $110.

Founded in 2016, Heritage has approximately 600 members. On Sundays, worship times are 9 and 10 a.m. for in-person services and 11 a.m. for online.

Heritage Sports Leagues will have children on scholarships. “Not every child can afford to participate in extracurriculars, but our desire is to help families who struggle financially by providing scholarships,” Suzanne said.

The staff wants to instill the importance of serving others. “Each team will be tasked to complete a service project during their season. The best part? We will let them decide how they would like to make a difference in our community,” Suzanne said. “We are excited to see what the kids do for others!”

To sign up, visit yourheritagechurch.churchcenter.com and click “Signups.” Then, click “Heritage Sports Leagues.” For more information, call 256-325-1700, email info@yourheritagechurch.com or visit yourheritagechurch.com.