A Community Thriving Together Through Ping-Pong Ministry

I serve at a small-to-midsize church in the northern part of Silicon Valley, California. While the congregation is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse, it remains predominantly White. When I first arrived five years ago,  I could sense the deep faith and dedication of the members who faithfully attended worship, but there was a noticeable lack of vitality among the people. Members did not know one another well, and there was rarely any effort to get to know newcomers; it felt like a cold church. After worship, most people left immediately, and the mini-donuts served during fellowship time went untouched. In addition, many of the older church members expressed feelings of loneliness and depression.

I wrestled with the question, “How can we become a church where, beyond Sunday worship, not just a few close friends but all members feel warmth toward one another and experience spiritual and emotional connection?” During worship, I encouraged people to greet someone new during the “Greet and Meet” time. After the service, I moved the coffee table closer to the church entrance, making various attempts to create spaces for fellowship. The congregation, seemingly unaware of my intentions, showed little response.

Surprisingly, it was Ping-Pong—my personal hobby—that became the catalyst for change in our church. At first,  I had doubts: “Could a Ping-Pong ministry work in an American church?” The congregation greeted the idea with curiosity, but now Ping-Pong has become the church’s signature fellowship program. It became a doorway through which new members connect to the church, and it even linked with our homeless ministry, creating opportunities to experience a “community without boundaries” through sports. This transformation did not happen overnight, and it continues to unfold. I have come to experience Ping-Pong are more than a sport; it’s a tool for spiritual renewal and community building.

1. Begin with Interest by “Listening.”

I did not start by proposing, “Let’s do a Ping-Pong ministry!” Instead, I listened to church members’ interests and carefully mentioned my hobby of Ping-Pong, paying close attention to their reactions. To my surprise, many responded warmly, “We used to have a Ping-Pong table in the garage when I was a kid!” I then shared stories of how fellowship was revitalized through Ping-Pong in Korean churches, as well as my own experience of a Ping-Pong fellowship at a previous appointment, sparking their imagination.

Without a concrete plan in place, something remarkable happened just a week later: a church member donated a brand-new Ping-Pong table to the church. The response came far more quickly than expected. What made the difference was not the pastor taking the lead but allowing the congregation to develop genuine interest on their own.

2. Foster Natural Participation Through “Congregation-Centered” Leadership.

Once interest was sparked, I suggested to a few members, “Would you like to take the lead in organizing the Ping-Pong gatherings?” I intentionally kept my involvement minimal, offering ideas and support only when needed. At the same time, I casually informed the church leadership: “A new interest is emerging among the congregation these days.” In this way, the program was deliberately launched as “congregation-centered” rather than “pastor-centered.”

Soon after, a member donated to a social activity fund, and concrete plans began to take shape. Through collaborative discussion, we established a weekly Tuesday Ping-Pong fellowship at 11 a.m. and a monthly “Pizza and Ping-Pong Night” on the third Friday as a churchwide fellowship program. The very first Friday event drew half of the congregation—a remarkable turnout. Once the Ping-Pong ministry was in full swing, a neighboring Korean church donated a used Ping-Pong table, and the following year, a friend of a church member donated yet another table from their home. In this way, three Ping-Pong tables were secured.

3. Remember That Ministry Is Part of Our Everyday Lives.

On Friday evenings, the pastor prepared one simple question for the group to share over a meal, creating a time for attendees to open up about their personal lives. Through these moments, church members and other participants got to know one another more deeply, discovering common ground and deepening their fellowship. Members began inviting friends. Neighbors from the local community who learned about the Ping-Pong gatherings through the church website began joining in as well. Several of them now attend the church regularly.

The weekly and monthly Ping-Pong gatherings became more than exercise; they became a part of life where people laughed together, lived together, and found renewed energy. Seniors regained vitality, and members began to see one another in a new light. One senior member who had lost a spouse several years earlier said, “My life before Ping-Pong was like a zombie’s,” explaining how much vitality the ministry had brought back to their life. Now this member is actively involved not only in Ping-Pong but in every church event.

One of the core members of the Ping-Pong group, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer and was near death, noted, “Of all the church programs, the Ping-Pong fellowship was the best.” Many others said that the church has become joyful again. As the pastor, I was deeply moved. The fellowship built around Ping-Pong created a cycle of spiritual renewal, beginning in spaces where people laughed together, wept together, and shared their lives, flowing naturally into the joy of worship and the vitality of community.

4. Share Ping-Pong Spirituality Within Your Worship.

The Ping-Pong gatherings did not remain simple fellowship activities. During worship, I shared short video clips of our gatherings and frequently wove Ping-Pong into sermons and benedictions as a spiritual metaphor. For example, just as improving at Ping-Pong requires consistent practice, so does our spirituality grow through repeated discipline and training. It is not completed by a single worship service or a single act of service but through the daily, repetitive process of building “spiritual muscles” directed toward God and neighbor. This analogy resonated with the congregation in a fresh way.

When playing Ping-Pong, every time you face a new opponent, you need an open mind. Understanding the other person’s style and adjusting yourself with flexibility closely mirrors the maturity of faith. I emphasized that in our spiritual lives, a posture of continual learning and openness to change is essential.

In Ping-Pong doubles, where two players form a team, playing well on your own is not enough. While it is important to use your strengths, it is even more important to cover your partner’s weaknesses and move in sync. In the process of embracing each other’s mistakes and building points as a team, we learn that we need each other. We understand that the church shines brightest and is most joyful when pastors and laity serve together in harmony.

This is what we might call “Ping-Pong Spirituality”—an attitude toward life. Faith and ministry are not a solo game; they are a sacred journey of collaboration, played in rhythm with God, between pastors and laity, and alongside our neighbors. Through this message, the congregation began to understand that playing Ping-Pong together goes beyond fellowship; it is a spiritual movement that nurtures spiritual maturity, connects us to one another, and expands our boundaries toward our neighbors. Through the laughter and rallies of Ping-Pong, we are affirming that we are called as worshipers whose lives extend the kingdom of God.

5. Expand the Boundaries of Ministry: Play Ping-Pong with Your Homeless Neighbors.

Our Ping-Pong ministry became connected to the “Safe Parking Program,” a partnership between the City of Fremont and our church that supports people who are living in their vehicles. Through conversations with our homeless neighbors, the topic of Ping-Pong came up, and church members invited them to the Tuesday gatherings and Pizza and Ping-Pong Night. Those who were initially hesitant soon found themselves laughing and playing alongside us. They shared, “I’ve been cooped up in my car all the time. I’m so grateful to be able to exercise and laugh like this.”

We realized that our homeless neighbors need not just food or supplies, but human dignity and love expressed through moments of genuine togetherness. The prejudice and fear we had carried when we first launched the program for our unhoused neighbors dissolved completely. We learned that they are no different from us; they can be neighbors and friends. We understood that hospitality is an expression of God’s love that crosses every boundary. This experience sent a powerful message to the congregation. Members began sharing meals with their unhoused neighbors, playing Ping-Pong together, listening to their concerns, and praying with them. They no longer hesitated to embrace and encourage them with open arms. The congregation came to confess: “We have been a church that shares food; now we are becoming a church that shares life.” Through the Ping-Pong ministry, the church became not merely a “service provider” but a community that shares one another’s joys and wounds together.

“Thriving in Community,” the mission and vision of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, has been renewed in our church through the Ping-Pong ministry. Ping-Pong connected the hearts of congregation members, bridged generations, turned “you and me” into “us,” and broke down the boundaries of our local community. Within this movement, we are learning God’s love with our whole bodies and, each week, reaffirming the essence of our calling: to thrive together and live well as one community.

Korean - 탁구 미니스트리를 통해 함께 살아나는 공동체

Rev. Youngmi Jung is the pastor of First United Methodist Church of Fremont in California.