This is an archived copy of a story that appeared in the McHenry, IL-area Daily Herald.

- John

By Jeffrey Gaunt
jgaunt@dailyherald.com
Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2007

They break bats with their hands. They smash concrete blocks with their heads. And they try to save souls.

But when a group of bodybuilding ministers come this week to two area public schools, district officials say they won’t be talking religion.

Instead, The Power Team is scheduled to preach the gospel of common sense — no violence and no drugs — at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville and Willard Elementary in South Elgin.

“They send a good message,” said Dundee-Crown Athletic Coordinator Al Zinke, who helped plan the event. “It’s a different way of getting kids’ attention. They relate physical power to enthusiasm and motivation.”

The Power Team’s Web site claims they’ve put on more than 25,000 assemblies at schools across the country and have been endorsed by scads of principals, lawmakers and other public figures.

But the group also has gotten flak from people who say The Power Team uses the school assemblies to recruit kids to their evening church crusades.

The mission statement on the group’s Web site, www.thepowerteam.com, reads: “To reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ which an ordinary church meeting or event cannot. Drawing people through the use of performing visually explosive and spectacular feats of strength by incredible athletes who share with them the life-changing message of the cross.”

Locally, The Power Team will perform during the day at Dundee-Crown and Willard and in the evening at Elgin’s Church in the Word.

Officials from both District 300 and District U-46 said the group won’t be allowed to pass out religious literature on school grounds.

“There will be none of that at this presentation,” District 300 spokeswoman Allison Smith said. “This is strictly anti-drug, anti-violence. There will be no materials distributed.”

Karen Geddeis, District U-46’s manager of communications support, echoed those comments.

“The focus will be morals and character,” Geddeis said. “They don’t mention religion or religious aspects at all.

“The group did ask if they could pass out literature,” she said. “U-46 does not allow religious materials to be distributed. School administrators will be in attendance at the assembly and can certainly intervene should the need exist.”

The Power Team is set to perform from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday at Willard and from noon to 2:30 p.m. Friday at Dundee-Crown.

The group also will perform at 7 p.m. every evening from today through Sunday at Church in the Word, 430 Airport Road, Elgin.