Central Baptist Church

Annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

How Basketball Changed my Life:

The Testimony of Dr. Jim Townsley,

Pastor of Central Baptist Church                

I was born in 1953 in a small rural town in Indiana. Two months prior to my birth the tiny Milan Indians went to the final four Indiana state basketball championship, finally losing to the ultimate winner South Bend Central. Not bad for a high school of 150 students and a tournament of 755 teams. (Indiana’s state high school tournament included every school regardless of size and did not place schools in divisions by their enrollment.) Literally every high school had the opportunity to be the state champion. In 1953 Milan fell two wins short of the championship; however in 1954 they succeeded and won the Indiana state boys basketball championship. Their unlikely success was the basis for the movie called Hoosiers. Milan’s success inspired young men in the state of Indiana to play basketball and initiated a movement called Hoosier Hysteria. My first memory in life was the next Christmas when I received a basketball and rim as a present. I recall my uncle holding the rim in the air while I tossed the ball into the basket.

I, like hundreds of other young men, lived in an era of “Hoosier Hysteria.” My dream was to win a state championship and continue on to Purdue University where I would play and eventually become a high school coach and win several state championships. My small high school did not even win a local tournament, but my hopes of earning a position as a player for the Purdue Boilermakers seemed promising. However, through some confusion, though promised a spot on the team, I was let go. You can imagine the disappointment I felt at that time. Surprisingly, this low point in my life became a positive turning point for me, though at the time I couldn’t see God’s plan. Though my future plans were developed at a young age I’m thankful God changed them.

I suddenly found myself at a small Christian college in Tennessee where I was given the opportunity to play basketball. Although I was enjoying the school I was unfamiliar with Christian colleges and I my real motivation was to play basketball. Toward the end of the first semester a special chapel service brought a change in my life when I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. Quickly my interests began to change and soon I was only concerned about doing the complete will of God. In a matter of months my personal plans, established for many years, were changed to follow the Lord’s leading into the ministry.

Upon graduation, my wife and I moved to Connecticut to establish Central Baptist Church. My wife and I have raised our family in Southington and they are now following the Lord into the ministry. I have enjoyed teaching watching my children all play basketball, but keeping it in the right perspective. I still love the sport, but my desire now is merely to use it to point other youth to the Lord. God literally used the sport of basketball to help me find His perfect will for my life.