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More Than a Game: Oakwood Adventist Academy Basketball Team Forfeits Chance at Finals to Keep Sabbath

    • School had never made it this far in postseason play before, was their first chance at a regional final.
    • State Athletic Association refused to swap their game time with another semifinal match scheduled after sundown.
    • Oakwood still went to semifinal tournament to cheer other teams on.

22 February 2022 | The Mustangs, the basketball team at Oakwood Adventist Academy in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S., forfeited their regional semifinal game because it was slated to start before sunset on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2022.

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The school had never made it this far in postseason play. Only a few years ago, Oakwood’s varsity boys basketball program had posted a winless season, reported Yellowhammer news. The Saturday game against Faith Christian would have given Oakwood an opportunity to advance to the Class 1A Northeast Regional final.

“When God created the earth, on the seventh day he rested; he calls us to rest on that day and give that day to him,” said Raynon Andrews, senior captain of the team. “I’m not going to play on that day no matter what, because it’s bigger than basketball.”

The game was scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m CT, at which point the sun would still be up. As a result, Oakwood asked the tournament’s governing body, the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), to swap to a 7:30 p.m. CT time slot, reported Newsweek.

According to Oakwood athletic director Calvin Morton, the school’s opponent and the teams scheduled for the 7:30 p.m. time slot were willing to make the switch.

Although Oakwood asked for a swap multiple times, AHSAA denied the request for a time change to 7:30 p.m. CT, according to WAFF-TV.

Though they could not play in the semifinals, the Oakwood team could still show good sportsmanship.

That Saturday, they traveled to the tournament at Jacksonville State University to thank and cheer on Decatur Heritage Christian Academy, which had been willing to switch game times to accommodate the team and its beliefs, according to an Oakwood Academy Facebook post.

Andrews said he hopes their decision to not play will create change so that other teams won’t have to go through what they did, reported WAFF.com. He also said he had no regrets about the decision to forfeit the game.

“There is a whole Facebook community, there are people all around the world texting parents, saying how proud they are of us,” said Andrews. “That means a lot, and I know for the team that means a lot, too.”


(Photo: The Mustangs, the Oakwood Adventist Academy basketball team, traveled to the Alabama playoff tournament at Jacksonville State University on Feb. 20, 2022. The Mustangs forfeited their regional semifinal game because it was slated to start before sunset on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2022, but went to the tournament anyway to cheer on other teams. Photo via Oakwood Adventist Academy Facebook page screenshot.)

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Adventist Tomorrow: Fresh Ideas While Waiting for Jesus, by Jack Hoehn

ADVENTIST TOMORROW by Jack Hoehn has become the best-selling book that Adventist Today has published, selling over 850 copies so far (480+ in the paperback and  370+ in the electronic Kindle version).  It is being read by Adventist College and University students.  It is being read in Canada, in Australia,  in South Africa, in Kenya and in Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Who is reading Jack’s book?  Jonathan Butler said it is on his reading list.  Smuts Van Rooyen says he is enjoying it.  Pastors John Hughson and Kenneth Preston have highly recommended it.  Pastor Kevin McGill in Seattle quoted from the book in one of his sermons.   Carmen Lau has read the book.  Jennifer Ogden, Beverly Beem, Linda Nottingham,  Cherri-Ann Farquharson, Gina Olberg have all read it with positive reviews.

Even Clifford Goldstein told Jack he liked the chapter on Intoxicants and got a new idea from the chapter Not a Rib, “but not much else.” (Jack accepts this as good a review from Cliff as he could ever hope for!)

You too don’t have to agree with Jack to read the book.  The ideas discussed in the book are important for all caring Adventists to carefully consider.  It is up to you to decide what you want to do about these issues.  Is there a future for Adventism as well as a past?  And what might that future look like?

Readers who like the book say:   It’s a good read.  I have enjoyed it immensely.  A very valuable piece of work.  Once I started it, I could not put it down.  Very well written.  An unprecedented and transformative rescue of Adventist thought.  A genuine pleasure and a relief.  Added very richly to my heart, soul and mind.

The book is good for individual consideration.  It can be even better as the basis for group discussions — Sabbath School classes, book clubs,  classrooms, workers’ retreats focusing on the challenges of tomorrow.  After you read your copy share it with someone else, or gift them their own copy.   There are 92,000 SDA congregations in the world, most of  them should be having  discussions on important topics like these.

HOW TO GET YOUR COPY–

USA and Canada:  CLICK HERE for Amazon.com   who will print and mail you a paperback copy for $US 20.00 or send you an electronic Kindle copy for $US 9.00.  All profits go to support Adventist Today.

UK:  ADVENTIST TOMORROW from www.Amazon.co.UK is available for GBP 14.64 paperback or GBP 6.47 Kindle.

Australia and New Zealand:   ADVENTIST TOMORROW from  www.Amazon.com.au for $AUD 28.38 for the paperback or $AUD 11.57 for the Kindle version.

Europe:  For example Germany has www.Amazon.de  where ADVENTIST TOMORROW (in English) is available for EUR 17,41 paperback  or EUR 7,42 Kindle. You should be able to do the same with Amazon.[fr/es/it].

Japan:  Try www.Amazon.co.jp. where paperback is offered for JPY 2,309 and Kindle for JPY 948.

Kenya:  A few copies have been imported to your country, contact us for information.

Other Countries: If not close to one of the above sources, Amazon does ship to other countries.    You can go here:  https://www.amazon.com/International-Shipping-Direct  and find out if a printed book could be shipped directly to you, and what shipping costs would be.  Kindle electronic versions have no shipping costs.

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