By Stacey Tinsley, Press-Tribune
On Sunday, March 24, 2024, Cypress Baptist Church held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the long-awaited Cypress 3:16 Field House. The Cypress 3:16 Field House is an 81,687-square-foot building, with 49,000 square feet of courts and turf. It features two 84’ x 50’ full-size basketball courts lined for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball. In total, there are 12 basketball goals, two volleyball courts, and six pickleball courts. Additionally, there is a 66-yard x 48-yard indoor turf field for football, soccer, kickball, and other turf sports.
The facility offers ample spectating areas, bleachers, and a concession stand that will be open during league game days. “We will offer year-round sports at the Field House and will host several church and student ministry events throughout the year. Our league schedule will consist of Flag Football, Volleyball and Cheerleading this Summer (May-June 2024). Athletes will register according to the grade they will be enrolled in during the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. For more information about registering for our Summer Football, Volleyball, or Cheer leagues, please visit 316fieldhouse.com and click on ‘Register for Leagues and Events,’ ” said Brian Loe, Recreation Pastor at Cypress Baptist Church/Cypress 3:16 Field House.
“Other upcoming leagues will be Basketball (October-December 2024) and then Soccer in the Spring of 2025. We will also have a Summer 2024 Pickleball league for Senior Adults, and will be putting out more information about a Mixed Doubles Pickleball league open to adults later this Summer/Fall 2024,” Loe added.
The facility also boasts a 550-seat auditorium, which will be home to the Cypress Baptist Church High School ministry, hosting Sunday School on Sunday mornings, and midweek Bible study on Wednesday evenings.
“We will host Project Graduation this May for Benton High School, Super Summer Vacation Bible School for children this July and a Fall Festival this October. There will also be several other events and activities this year which will be posted on our cypressbaptist.org church website, our 316fieldhouse.com website and our Cypress Baptist and 3:16 Field House social media pages,” Loe concluded.
The building was purchased by Cypress Baptist Church in 2018 with the vision to use it for sports ministry. Construction and renovation began in 2021 and the building was dedicated for use by the church in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 24, 2024.
“Sports ministry has been something that our Pastor and the leadership of our church has been passionate about for a long time. We’ve organized church softball and basketball teams for several years but when the opportunity to purchase this building became available, the vision of a multi-sport facility where the church and the community could come together started to take more shape. We believe that sports are a gift from the Lord and that they provide an opportunity for breaking barriers and building relationships with one another so that we can share the hope of the Gospel. The 3:16 Field House is a great tool to help in the mission of sharing the Gospel,” Loe said.
Loe concluded, “We believe that sports are a gift from the Lord and that they provide an opportunity for breaking barriers and building relationships with one another so that we can share the hope of the Gospel. When we come to understand that God created us with a passion and with creativity and skill, we can start to see how much He wants us to use that to glorify Him with how we use that passion, creativity and skill. The same way that a singer could use their talent to glorify God in how they sing and perform, an athlete can glorify God in how they use their athletic talent to compete. We want to provide a place where athletes, their families and the community can enjoy competition and recreation in a Godly environment.”
The Cypress Baptist Church 3:16 Fieldhouse is located at 4703 Palmetto Road in Benton (adjacent to Cypress Baptist Church).