Bishop and his honorary Rangers first pitch
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The video captures a deeply moving experience for a United Methodist Bishop who participated in the ceremonial first pitch alongside his honorary Dallas Rangers teammates. The event took place at Globe Life Field, home of the World Champion Texas Rangers, and was attended by the Bishop's entire family, including four children, two spouses, and grandchildren. A central figure of joy during this occasion was Maya, a young girl who is an enthusiastic fan of the team; she arrived dressed in Dallas Cowboys boots with a custom shirt that drew constant attention from fans throughout their travels to the stadium.
The atmosphere at the ballpark was electric as people stopped to admire Maya's outfit and cheer for her presence on the field while players warmed up, showcasing years of dedication to reaching such high levels of athletic performance. When it was time for the Bishop to pitch, he received specific instructions not to step on the white chalk line or the rubber but instead to stand atop a designated mound area before throwing the ball across home plate. Despite his lifelong experience playing baseball since childhood and feeling no nervousness about the task, he successfully threw the ceremonial ball over the distance of sixty feet, which was noted by the catcher as being lighter than expected due to a cut on it, leading to a celebratory photo opportunity with the game ball afterward.
Throughout the nine innings following his pitch, the Bishop remained standing rather than sitting until the final inning because fans from various parts of the conference and even churches traveling specifically for this event were constantly approaching him to take pictures and share stories. These interactions highlighted a remarkable sense of fellowship among Methodists who had traveled great distances, including groups bringing buses full of people from Waco and other regions, creating an environment where individuals connected outside traditional church settings in ways that felt natural and joyful.
Ultimately, the Bishop described this entire day as a holistic experience he would never forget, one that allowed him to process the magnitude of being introduced as a United Methodist Bishop at such a prestigious venue while surrounded by loved ones and supportive community members. The event transcended typical sports entertainment by fostering genuine connections among people from different backgrounds who came together in celebration, proving that even amidst potential hecklers or skeptics, the overwhelming presence of fellow believers drowned out any negativity with smiles, laughter, and shared memories at the ballpark.
Read the full video transcript
well got a first for tonight's day gradu
Sten at Boston University in South Texas
lady
Serv conf
United well for me it was a whole
experience I I mean it just it's just
hard to condense it first of all to be
there with Maya Maya was super excited
she's a rabbit Ranger fan well she was
she had like a blank bling shirt on and
a jacket and Dallas Cowboy Boots and
everywhere we went people were stopping
are like hey stop where'd you get that
you know you go girl I mean it it was it
was it was so I I I I was really
enjoying watching how people were
reacting to her because you know you
know Maya she Maya will go to all of the
clearance racks and buy stuff on the
cheap but she makes it look like a
million bucks right and so she just got
that that that thing going down to the
field right and and being there on the
ground and watching The Players warm
up uh was was I mean you you have to you
have to admire those guys because they
trained for years and years and years
and years and and they're there playing
at the highest levels night after
night uh but just watching them you know
run and warm up was amazing then I I was
given the ball and said you stand here
at the tea uh and then when they call
when you start introducing you walk
across don't step on the white chalk
line and get up on the mountain you can
preach from you can either pitch from
the front or from from the top of the
mountain but don't step on the rubber so
I decided I was going to get as high up
to the top as possible and then the
announcer starts announcing right and
introducing me and I was so like wave to
the crowd so I'm waving and the people
are actually cheering after man I'm a
United Methodist Bishop given all that
we've been through there going to be
some hecklers and boers in the crowd but
I guess there were so many Methodist
that they drowned out everybody if they
were any any naysayers but it was
amazing to hear from both sides of
methodists that were there uh and then I
said all right stand back and fire it
across and and uh I was I I wasn't
nervous because I you know I I play
baseball since I was a kid and so uh but
I I did want to get over the plate and
believe me 60 feet is further than what
it
sounds so I got it across and then I met
the the coach who caught me and uh he
said hey that that ball had a cut on it
I said that was that's much
lighter and we took a picture and got
back and then I I got the game ball and
so that was that was exciting and then
we spent the rest of the the nine
innings just talking to methodists that
were at the Ballpark I didn't sit down
till the ninth inning cuz we were from
from the first all the way up to the
ninth people were just coming up taking
pictures and I heard stories there was
there was a a church that came over from
from the north said we're a chak to
church and and we raised funds to come
here another group brought a bus you
know there people from Waco and from
different parts of the conference and
there just had a blast everybody was
smiling you know they were all together
and taking pictures and connecting with
each other and you know it was it was
nice to to Fellowship outside of a
church box in just something the regular
people do and and uh and then of course
for for us all of our family was there
all of our four children two spouses
were there and our grandchildren were
there so yeah it was it was it was the
the the totality of it all I'm just I'm
still processing and but uh it was
something I'll never forget um to have
that opportunity and and to and to be
introduced as as United Methodist Bishop
at a Texas at the world champion Texas
Ranger field