Last night Upward Sports kicked off its 2008 training tour in San Antonio with its typical “service beyond expectation” style. On Friday night, Caz McCaslin, the founder and president retells the creation story with humor and passion, urging church partners “to race to the heart of the child” cause “the first one there wins!” Upward is introducing somewhat of a paradigm shift this year to take their mission deeper in cities across the world, “to introduce children to Jesus Christ by creating opportunity to serve through sports.” The paradigm shift is the cultivation of a stronger missional heartbeat in the churches that run the sports programs. Caz says, “Upward is not a program for your church, its a program for your community!” The picture of this kingdom perspective is painted by their vision proper- the memorable numbers “4-1-1.” Over the last twelve years Upward marked the moments that there programs reached four thousand kids, then forty thousand kids, then four hundred thousand. The vision is now is 4-1-1. Reaching four million kids with one million leaders that lead to “won hearts” for Christ.