James Holmes, a member of the South Bound Brook Municipal Alliance, saw three-on-three basketball as a means of bringing together three groups — community, church and young people.
The basketball tournament he hosted at Maple Avenue Park in South Bound Brook on July 20 was a rousing success. More than 50 people attended, including South Bound Brook Mayor Tom Ormosi. Music and giveaways added to the fun, and prizes were raffled off. The town’s fire department even provided a fire truck to cool everyone down.
Holmes, 30, who came up with the idea for the tournament at a meeting of the Municipal Alliance, expects to host many such events.
“I’m looking to get more involved with the youth and the community, church and schools of South Bound Brook,” said Holmes, an elder at the World Vision Ministries in Bridgewater. “I wanted to bring people together to have a good time. It’s the first one in a long time, but it won’t be the last.”
Among the participants in the tournament was Bound Brook High School junior Michael Mosley.
“It was very good,” Mosley said. “It’s all about kids not getting in trouble, and kids having fun. It was the first time I ever saw people come together for South Bound Brook.”
The tournament champions — Keith Hunter, Julian Smoot and Maino Beasely — received prizes, but there were giveaways for other participants. Mosley said he scored a pair of headphones.
Holmes was appointed by the mayor to the combined South Bound Brook/Bound Brook Municipal Alliance, where he has contributed his time fighting drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse in his community.
Holmes, who with his wife, Kimberley, has run the ministry for almost four years, also started a nonprofit organization called The Movement.
“We do outreach with hip-hop music, live DJs and different local bands,” Holmes said. “It’s really an outreach to the community — to the young adults. We use hip-hop music to draw them in and get them to do something positive. We hope to prevent drug and alcohol use as well as gang violence.”
Once young people become part of The Movement, Holmes said, he and his wife identify their strengths and empower them to develop interests and job skills.
“For example, we have a concession stand at the church, where we sell candy and little snacks,” Holmes continued. “The kids interested in business and entrepreneurship help out at the concession stand and learn to do things like take inventory.”
Meetings are conducted at the church, housed in a conference room of the Bridgewater Days Inn on Route 22.
“Sometimes we set up a club scene with soft lights and music going on,” Holmes explained. “But everything is Christ-centered.”
Jarod Bright is one of the young people Holmes mentored in The Movement. Bright showed an interest in writing rap lyrics. He now makes a living penning gospel hip-hop.
“When I went to Bible school, I did an assessment of the town,” Holmes noted. “I saw all three groups working by themselves: community, school and church. My endeavor is to bridge all three gaps so they all work together as one.
“Having a tournament was my way of giving back to the community,” Holmes added. “I’m bridging that gap by showing the church wants to be involved with the community.”