36: Stories of HOPE: Finding Community Through Fantasy Football and Volunteering

Welcome to the Meet Hope podcast, where we have conversations about faith and hope.

Hope is one church made of people living out their faith through two expressions in person and online.

We believe a hybrid faith experience can lead to a growing influence in our community and our world for the sake of others.

Welcome to Hope hey everyone, welcome to the Meet Hope podcast.

I'm Dave Falcon, I'm the executive pastor here at Hope Church and I'm excited to be hosting today.

Joining me are two of my friends Rob Finnegan and Dennis Kessler.

Today I have the privilege of hosting because we're talking about one of my favorite things here at Hope, and that's community.

So welcome Rob, welcome Dennis.

Why don't you both take a minute, introduce yourselves and tell us how you've gotten connected here at Hope?

Hi, I'm Dennis Kessler.

I've been going to Hope for quite a while.

I started when I was about 13 or 14, in like 1996, when we were over at the high school, so it's been a little while.

My family also goes here my wife Erin, and my son Grayson, who's nine, and my daughter Anselie, who's four.

By profession, I am a DBA, which is in the IT realm.

We deal with a lot of data on the back end of healthcare firms and a lot of financials and stuff like that.

And initially I started coming to Hope and I connected through the youth group, as I mentioned, when I was in my teens.

So that was great, having that community there.

And then, as I grew older, we played.

We had the softball team, which I also met a lot of the members that were already here, that were a little bit older than myself but who we're still in contact with, and then also the fantasy football, which is we're going to be talking about later, which is a great avenue to make connections to.

And one of the other things is Tomorrow's Hope as well.

The preschool here which my kids have attended.

Staff is just great.

So the community with that as well.

Hi, my name is Rob Finnegan, my wife is Janet.

I have two adult sons, Ty and Chase, who all attend.

We've been coming since around 2015.

Been involved with fantasy football, golf, cornhole, horseshoes and then Mount Laurel and we had the Mount Laurel campus Also helped out over there.

What did you do as part of the Mount Laurel campus?

How did you help out?

Well, rick wrote me into driving.

I saw my truck at a golf outing and said we need you.

So I ended up towing the trailer on Sundays, bringing it over, helping everybody set up and break down at the end of the day.

Awesome, rob.

You mentioned the Fantasy Football League.

Dennis, you did as well.

For those of you that are listening and don't know what the Fantasy Football League is, to give you a quick insight For those of our listeners that aren't sure what Fantasy Football is, it is a game in which you, as a manager, create your own team of players from real players in the National Football League.

You compete against other managers in your league, so usually Fantasy Football Leagues are made up of friends or colleagues or people you know, so you compete against other managers in your league to score points based on the performance of your players in real NFL games.

So we started a Hope League back in 2014 with 20 guys, and then in 2016, which I believe was the first year both of you joined, we changed our league format a little to accommodate more guys and still end with one winner at the end of the year.

We've had as many as 60 guys in one season playing together in our league.

It's fun, it's exciting.

Fantasy Football helps connect people on the outskirts of Hope's community because it's culturally relevant.

It's fun, it's welcoming to someone who isn't heavily connected at Hope.

There is no faith requirement, there is no commitment to Hope requirement.

It really is just an opportunity to create some community within this Hope setting and listeners.

I have to share with you that you are listening, or as you are listening, you are in the presence of greatness, because Dennis is our current reigning champion.

He won the 2020-22 season.

Correct Congratulations, thank you.

Thank you, yeah, it was.

You know, in the past few years it's been a little rough.

I've gotten bumped out of the playoff early a few times, so it was good to finally sort of get over that hump there.

So let me ask you, dennis, as current reigning champion why Fantasy Football?

What is it that you like about it?

What are your favorite parts about it?

In general.

I just I'm a Fantasy Football nerd regardless.

I do a bunch of other leagues outside of this, but any excuse to do another Fantasy League and I'm in.

So I think the beauty of it is a lot of the members here and the Fantasy Football League in general.

Staying connected is the biggest thing.

You know if you might miss somebody, you might not see them for a few weeks, but there's always Fantasy Football.

You know there's always trash talking and stuff like that.

So you always are able to connect and it's an easy way to connect with people.

You know it's sort of bridges the gap between you know, church life here and also personal life too.

So that's great and I think the beauty of it is, as you touched on earlier is it's easy to bring in anybody, because I think there's a lot of people who are involved in Fantasy and maybe they're locked into, maybe coming to church.

But you know Fantasy is an easy way to get people involved.

Yeah, and it is a lot of fun.

It is something that we have done, you know, has just shared joy over the years.

There's no real life impact to it, but it has developed and created some friendships.

Rob, I know you've been involved with it since 2016 and I'm sure you can share a lot of the same things Dennis said about why you do it.

But let me ask you this, Rob what are some good stories or favorite memories that you have over the years stemming from the fantasy football league?

I got a couple of fun times we had.

Well, it was the first year when I went to the draft.

I brought hot wings with me and you would have thought I brought caviar to the event, with the reaction from everybody as hot wings Although I guess hot wings are caviar to fantasy football but yeah, it was just shocking Everybody that jumped in and thought that was such a great thing.

But the other memory which Dave will jump in on is my Levy and Bell story.

My son, one of the reasons I joined the Hope Fantasy Football was an opportunity to play in the league with both of my sons and so that first draft my older son, ty, couldn't, couldn't make it to the beginning of the draft, so he had set an auto pick and selected Levy and Bell, and Levy on was actually ended up holding out for the season because he got a franchise tag on him and as a result, my son wasted his number two pick on a player that wasn't going to play.

So for those of you that are listening and have no idea what Rob just said, because you're not in the fantasy football realm, just to give you an idea is you draft players and what's important about drafting players is in the first round you're probably trying to draft the best players in the league who are going to score the most points for you.

So if you go ahead and draft someone who sits out a whole season and you do that in the first round, that's going to have some major implications to how poorly you're going to perform over the years.

And, rob, I remember when Ty drafted Levy on Bell, who had very publicly announced that he was not going to play that year, and it was all over the news, it was all over fantasy football media and still, with the second overall pick, tyler drafts Levy on Bell and we will never let him forget that.

Well, as a dad, you know, initially I felt bad for him, but then I saw Dave and how he jumped the right on that and ended up realizing that, you know, maybe I do belong here with the level of trash talk.

Yeah.

Well, and you know it is.

It's one of those things where you when you find people that are similarly minded and have similar personalities.

But I will say this you know that was the start of the friendship between Ty and I.

I remember, after the draft was over, going home and Rob texting your wife and saying hey, can I have Tyler's phone number?

Because I want to.

I want to just send him something.

And of course your, your sweet wife, was sure you know this is great.

The pastor wants to tell my son.

He was one year too late on draft.

Yeah.

So of course, you know the I'm sending him.

You know articles about how Levy on Bell is not going to be playing that year and and we spent the better part of two or three hours on a texting back and forth and busting each other's chops and laughing and talking about a lot of things, but that was the start of it.

If something just as simple, yeah, and he ended up.

He respects you a lot with your knowledge on fancy after the fact, but I know he still texts you for advice on all the leagues that he's in.

So so, jumping back to the main theme of this, podcast community.

Let me ask you guys this what is having community in your life matter to you?

You know, I, I think that you know as a guy, as an older guy relatively, it's sometimes hard to make connections.

I think guys are reluctant to get outside of their comfort zones a lot, and so the fantasy people I think gives gives people a chance to find that fellowship.

And just for me, just the community knowing that they're always there to pray for me and to help out and support us and my family whenever we need it, just it's instrumental for our, you know, our life Same.

It's a way to give back the charity.

With all the different events that you get involved in, there's always an organization that's always there.

It's always an organization or a charity that's behind that that we're doing it as well as helping out in Mount Laurel and serving, and it's just an opportunity to to give back.

I've been very blessed in my life and so it's a it's a good, good way to to return the favors.

I think the big thing for me is you know, you hear a lot about being the light in the world and this Opportunity to volunteer and to help and to have this community just allows you to come full circle and to give you an opportunity to involve yourself and to show that you're that light in the world and to To reflect God's love to others.

So just having that opportunity, you know is is a great thing.

For me, you know, provides new perspectives on life and it allows me to, you know, see, see different things as well, as it keeps me grounded, keeps me humbled and, like I say I am, I'm very blessed in my life and, you know, being involved in, and all the different events and and with all the different people.

It just, you know, refocus me on on what I'm really here for.

So, rob, let me follow that up with a question.

You know, did it click right away for you, or did it take some time?

well, I Not a religious guy and I followed my wife here, janet she she was a youth leader at our, our Previous church and when my sons aged out of youth the, there was really not much youth left in the church so she was kind of set afloat and didn't feel like she had a home.

So when she was looking she found hope.

And I had not been Involved a lot with our previous church and I felt I needed to step up and support her and and be with her.

So I followed her to here and I really liked the format of the.

You know I'd have mathless churches and then you know Jeff and Rick are great orators and the way the lesson is presented in in in modern-day terms, it just really attracted me and like I've been to more services here than I think I've been to any church of my past, so it's a great experience for me.

Well, it's been neat to see that progression of that for you, because I remember in the early years when you and your wife would attend at the end of the service it was.

It was.

It was funny to see Rob posted up by the front door, quietly and patiently standing there with your what?

Six foot five frame, just waiting for your kind, sweet-hearted, loving wife to finish saying goodbye to everybody in the church community.

And for those of you that don't know Janet, she is, she is full of joy and if you it spend any time with her, you can see that she will hug you and embrace you and pray for you and and, and I remember, at the end of every service there's Rob waiting by the door and there's Janet saying hi to everybody on her way out.

And you know, for that 10 or 15 minutes as Rob Try to kindly and patiently wait, seeing Janet make her way to the door.

But I remember it was not too long after that the hot wings that you brought to the draft.

It was the first time that you and I met.

I happen to be walking through the lobby after church one day, one Sunday, and I had been to have my sixers had on and From over in the corner of the room.

I hear You're a Sixers fan.

Looking around, I'm like who was that?

And I see you standing by the door again, waiting patiently for your wife and with a big smirk on your face, like you're a Sixers fan.

I was like, yeah, I was like we live in the Philadelphia area.

Of course I'm a Sixers fan.

Ah, and then we engaged in a five, eight minute conversation or whatever, until Janet finally made her way to the door, and it's been neat to see that now, quite often, janet will be waiting by the door for you to finish your conversations with the friends that you have made over the years.

I don't know about all that, but it's possible.

But I do like talking sports and there's a lot of great sports fans here, but I think we have that Sixers conversation every Sunday on here.

Yeah, and the conversations right now probably aren't as good, we're still having the same Sixers conversations you had.

Yeah.

So let me ask you both this what is something that you would share with someone new who is looking for what you found here at Hope?

I would say to try new things, do things that make you uncomfortable, get out of your comfort zone, which that's for me.

I'm not a behind the scenes guy, I'm not one that's on the front, but for me it was meeting the different people who are getting involved in the different events, helping set up, helping break down, and it always ends up being a fun day.

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is just not being afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.

I mean, there's so many wonderful people here who are willing to lend a hand and to reach out to you and I think, just, I think the biggest thing is just not being afraid.

Just always trying to find somewhere to volunteer, I think is the biggest thing.

I think that really leads to a lot of really good fellowship and community.

So I think just stepping outside of your comfort zone and just volunteer, yeah, and I think there's plenty of ways to volunteer here at Hope.

So if you're looking to do so, there are opportunities for you to volunteer Behind the scenes, like Rob setting up chairs and breaking things down because he doesn't like to be out in the front, and there are plenty of ways to volunteer like Dennis does.

One thing we didn't mention is Dennis is on a team of people that coordinates are annual golf tournament, and so I know Dennis, you're always looking for volunteers to help out with that event, and there's plenty of other things going on here at Hope.

So if you're looking to volunteer, if you're looking to be a part of a community of other like-minded people, there's probably somebody here that is like you, and we'd love to help you get connected to them.

So if you are interested in being a part of something like our fantasy football league, you can get more information for that.

You can sign up for that all at meethopeorg slash football.

For those of you that are interested in that, the draft will be Wednesday, september 6th.

That'll be done in person or online, whichever you prefer.

If you're interested in being a part of the golf tournament, you can talk to Dennis or myself.

You can participate as a golfer, as a sponsor, as a volunteer.

There's more information at meethopeorg slash golf.

We'll include some links in our show notes, like how to join both the fantasy football league or be involved in the golf tournament, or if you're looking to volunteer or find more ways to be a part of this community at Hope.

Our goal at Hope is that there are places for everyone, which means, if you are listening, there is a place for you here at Hope.

So we want places for everyone to take a next step and find community.

So if you're looking, I'd love to help you.

You can reach out to me at davidmeathopeorg or talk to me when you see me if you want to catch me on a sunny morning, or I am in the building here at Hope quite often since I work here.

But we hope that this has been beneficial to you and has been inspiring and uplifting.

But that's all we have for today.

So I want to thank Rob, I want to thank Dennis for both of you being here I really appreciate it and for all of our listeners, thanks for listening.

I hope you have a great day and we'll see you next week.

Thanks for being a part of the Hope community as we continue our conversations about faith and hope.

If you don't already, please join us for worship on Sundays or on demand.

You can learn more at meethopeorg or find us on socials at Meet Hope Church.

Finally, thanks so much.