Called to impact children, this PE teacher left his dream job to reach families through sports ministry

Daryl Sung, 44, has always had a soft spot for children.

That is why being a Physical Education (PE) teacher for 12 years in a primary school was his “dream job”.

“From young, I have loved children. It’s some affinity with them that I think is God-designed.”

Describing his role as the “right fit”, the father of two shared that he not only enjoyed what he did, but also felt competent and called to teach.

Besides teaching PE classes, Daryl was the coordinator for his school’s Programme for Active Learning (PAL), which equips lower primary pupils with social and emotional competencies, among other skills.

However, around seven years ago, God placed a burden on his heart.

“These things that I was teaching them … I felt I needed to do it upstream. It’s too late to start in primary school.”

So between 2018 and 2019, Daryl started to explore opportunities in the early childhood industry, but the doors were closed.

“During that season of seeking, I thought God wanted me to get out of teaching and set up a business.”

Yet Daryl was still unsure what exactly he was supposed to do.

He only knew that if he were to start a business, he would need a compelling story to “tell people about why I do what I do”.

“I told God I wanted a story,” he recalled.

Laying the foundation

Surprisingly, more clarity came one day in church.

“I was at a missions night when God downloaded the whole framework for me. He gave me a story – but a story from the Bible!”

Marvelling at how God brought to mind the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders from Matthew 7:24-29, Daryl penned down all that he received that night. This inspired the children’s programme he would eventually roll out.

“If you want to be a wise parent, you have to build your kid on the right foundation – the solid Rock,” he felt the Lord saying.

God also gave him four letters – R. O. C. K. – and revealed what each of them meant.

Regulation: With self-regulation representing the broader category of social-emotional competencies, Daryl shared that teaching a child such skills from a young age sets them up for success in terms of self-awareness and relationship building.

Obedience: Observing that obedience does not seem to receive much emphasis now as it is often about “what the kids want”, God brought Daryl back to the Bible on what He commanded children to do (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1-3).

The starting point of building character and cultivating a moral compass in a child begins from teaching them how to obey. Even through play time, kids can learn how to listen to instructions and follow.

Cognition: Recognising that young children are in their “sponge years”, this is the “best time to teach, said Daryl. Whether it is colours and counting, or mindsets, principles and values, kids are absorbing information at a very fast rate.

Kinesthesia: Pointing out how this is a key component in the development of young children but is lacking in many kids these days, a simple game of catching can teach a range of motor skills.

But just as quickly as the framework came, so did COVID-19.

The pandemic upended everyone’s lives, including those who were in sports-related jobs.

“I parked the whole idea aside,” said Daryl. 

Furthermore, “starting a business at my age is very daunting”, he admitted, especially since his family was still on a single income.

Daryl’s wife, who is also an educator, was a stay-home mum then.

Daryl with his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters aged 12 and nine.

While there were “hints along the way” that God might be directing his paths elsewhere, leaving the teaching profession was not on Daryl’s mind after COVID hit.

Deep down, he was also scared of losing his “right fit”.

“For me, it was about losing comfort and familiarity, your security, your 铁饭碗 (iron rice bowl).”

The tipping point

Then came 2021.

At the end of the year, Daryl went for a personal retreat – his annual tradition – where he heard clearly from God about his next steps. 

“He spoke to me about closing my 12-year season in teaching,” said Daryl.

Immediately, he knew what the “12-year season” meant – June 2022 would mark 12 years of his employment as a teacher.

Unsure why he had to wait six more months, Daryl obeyed anyway.

Daryl shared how the word “season” kept popping out repeatedly as he sought the Lord.

“I didn’t know where was I heading. The only thing I was very sure of was that it was from God. 

“He didn’t tell me what He wanted me to do. He just said, ‘It’s time to go.’”

The Lord also reminded Daryl of words that he had already received in the past.

“Prior to COVID, He spoke to me about stepping into the unknown and how He would prepare me along the way.”

The second confirmation came in January 2022, when Daryl attended a fathers’ retreat.

The theme of the retreat was “seasons of life”. Again the word “season” resonated strongly in his spirit.

While he was at the retreat, one of the fathers had shared this picture that was drawn by his daughter.

That same month, Daryl and his family also joined a new church.

Within the first two weeks, a lady passed him a name card of someone whom she thought he should meet.

That person was Reon Tay, National Director of Sports Net Singapore, which was formerly known as Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Singapore.

“It was my first time understanding what is sports ministry and what they do as a non-profit. I did not even know there was such a thing.” 

After sharing his heart for young children and where God was leading him, Daryl learnt that the organisation was already running classes for preschoolers in the homeschool community.

“(Reon) asked me to check it out, so I went to volunteer and help out. After one to two sessions, I took over the class.”

While Daryl was teaching the homeschoolers, God reminded him of the Solid R.O.C.K. framework.

“There and then I tried (the framework), and it blew my mind. It was just like a PE lesson, but I could do everything that God wanted me to do: Share the Word of God, teach devotion and pray.”

Referencing Isaiah 55:8-9, Daryl said that it was an example of how “His thoughts and ways are much higher”.

Daryl also realised that this ministry converged with something else he was already doing on his own.

In 2020, the avid runner started Kingdom Runners, building and discipling a community that is strengthened both physically and spiritually.

Daryl (back row, third from left) with members from his running community at this year’s Unlabelled Run. This was the first time that FCA Singapore collaborated with The New Charis Mission to form a team of Pacers-in-Christ.

Sharing that FCA Singapore combined two areas that he was passionate about – health and family – he said: “Wow, I was so excited!”

Could full-time ministry be what God was calling him to do – not start a business?

Then came a mind-blowing encounter.

“I almost fell off my chair”

After volunteering for a few weeks, Daryl had the chance to catch up with Reon.

“I had not told him what God had downloaded to me about (Solid R.O.C.K.). But I felt I should tell him and ask if this was something I could start doing.”

A jaw-dropping moment ensued.

“We were sitting in the office, then he opened up a PowerPoint and told me that it had been about two to three years since he wanted to roll out a parent-and-child programme.

“He had done up all the planning, but felt that he was not the person to do it, so God told him to wait.”

A screenshot from the presentation that was shared with him.

“When I saw those three words … I almost fell off my chair,” said Daryl, still amazed at the memory.

“When he turned over his PowerPoint slide to me, it was the same name that God gave me!”

There was only a tiny variation: Daryl intended to call his programme Solid R.O.C.K. Play because the concept of play seemed to be more relevant for the preschool age group.

But at the core, it was also a parent-child programme for discipleship through active learning.

“That was a big affirmation – there were a couple of others – but that kind of sealed it. And it just kept getting clearer and clearer.”

Daryl with his ministry’s National Director, Reon, at FCA’s South-east Asia conference. FCA Singapore was recently renamed to Sports Net Singapore.

Making plans to fulfil what he had heard God tell him to do, Daryl went ahead to wrap up his teaching season in June. 

That month, he also travelled to Malaysia for FCA’s South-east Asia conference, even though he was still a volunteer.

“That conference was very impactful,” recounted Daryl. It was unlike any other church meeting he had been to.

Attended by coaches and sports directors, the conference attracted missions-minded Christians from different countries in the region who all worshipped with one heart.

“I was moved, and I caught the heart of sports missions … We can do sports, but we can still do church.”

It was also at that conference when God showed Daryl his mission for this season.

“God was refining my heart to understand what He was bringing me into.

“I want to impact and influence families through local and global sports ministry. The heart of it is actually to reach the families for Jesus through sports.”

Casting a vision

But even though Daryl had set his heart on joining FCA Singapore, there were still a number of things that he had to sort out.

One of which was to understand the concept of raising support for his salary if he were to be employed as full-time staff.

One night, while studying the Bible and the life of Apostle Paul, God showed Daryl a flashback.

At Cedar Primary, Daryl had championed a school-wide exercise programme called Go for H3 (Hope, Health and House) to encourage pupils to earn points for their house by engaging in healthy lifestyles, while also doing it for a cause.

During his 12 years of teaching, Daryl remembered how he had spent a lot of time on fundraising.

“Every year, there would be a beneficiary we would raise funds for … so actually I was very familiar with fundraising.”

“God asked me, ‘What did you think I was teaching you to do all these years?’”

It was then it all clicked.

Each time he tried to rally people for a cause, he was casting a vision.

Even when COVID put a stop to his efforts in school, Daryl continued with fundraising, but through his own charity runs. He regularly raises funds for beneficiaries such as Focus on the Family Singapore.

“The whole idea is to mobilise people to catch your vision and run with you,” said Daryl.

That was when he sensed the Lord speaking: “Now you’re not vision-casting for a cause. You’re vision-casting for a call.

“You’re mobilising people to be more Kingdom-minded, and to sow and journey with your family for the ministry and mission that I have given to you.

“God said, ‘It’s just another audience. You’ve been doing it all along. To do the same thing is not hard. You’ve been equipped.’”

So while others might struggle to make the transition into full-time ministry, Daryl was grateful for how he “stepped into this realm very naturally”.

Using sports to disciple families

After volunteering for a year, Daryl officially joined FCA Singapore as staff in May 2023.

Around three months later, Solid R.O.C.K. Play was also launched. These are the three ways the framework is being executed.

1. Solid R.O.C.K. Play: Explore involves the teaching of children by a coach.
2. Solid R.O.C.K. Play: Connect is a parent-child programme where parents are discipling their own children.
3. Solid R.O.C.K. Play: Multiply is where parents or other family champions who have been trained take on the role of facilitators to start this discipleship model in their own church, community or country.

Daryl facilitating a Solid R.O.C.K. Play: Explore session.

Out of the three types of programmes, Daryl’s greatest burden is for the second because of his conviction that a child’s first coach should be their father and mother.

“We talk so much about coaches and athletes in our sports ministry because that’s our vision. Through the influence of coaches and athletes, we help the people involved grow in their relationship with Christ.

“But if you look at these young kids, if they are my athletes, who is the coach? At this age, they don’t need an external coach. Their parents should be their coach.”

Designed for children aged three to seven, Solid R.O.C.K. Play: Connect has a two-month hybrid model where the first three weeks of every month are set aside for home-based learning before coming together on the fourth week.

With the help of a digital handbook that contains simple activities that can be easily executed with items at home as well as suggested questions, parents are encouraged to spend one-on-one time with their child.

Each activity is linked to the monthly theme, which comes with a memory verse that can be taught with hand signs.

Another unique aspect of this programme is that it is done in community.

Each round of the programme will see participants forming a WhatsApp group with a few families, where they can learn from one another, keep each other accountable and seek help from facilitators if needed.

Every family pays S$50 a month to join the programme, which helps to cover some of the costs of producing the resources and organising the meet-ups.

A screenshot from the digital handbook.

Sharing about how Solid R.O.C.K. Play: Connect has impacted his family, father of three Daniel Woon said: “The activities were fun and rooted our children to the Word, making complex concepts simple and relatable.

“The games have also helped us to grow closer as a family, allowing us to talk more about Jesus in our daily lives, drawing parallels and seeing associations all around us.”

Reflecting on how this also challenged him to prioritise God in his life, Daniel added: “This programme ‘forced’ us to be disciplined and to take time out to deliberately teach the Word to our children.

“We signed up for this to help teach our kids the Word, but it has helped me in my personal walk as well.”

Underscoring the value of community, Daniel said that participating in this with three other families from his church also helped.

“Sometimes, setting aside time to do these activities can be difficult with our busy schedule. But having positive ‘peer pressure’ helped us stay on course and complete our weekly tasks.”

Parents, children are your first disciples

Echoing Daniel’s point on the need to be intentional, Daryl laid down a challenge for parents.

“You want to do missions? Why not start at home? Win at home before you win in the field. Let your family be your first mission field.”

Pointing parents to the urgency of the mission, he said: “There’s a reason why it’s called the ‘foundational years’. In a child’s life, you don’t have a limitless foundation-laying time.”

“Discipline your child or chasten them while there is still hope … And don’t set your heart on their destruction,” he added, referencing Proverbs 19:18 (NKJV).

“That means if you don’t do it, you’re just setting the path for them to self-destruct. And you’ll be the one crying – not them – when they go into the later years.”

Firmly believing that parents should be their children’s first coach, Daryl’s heart is for fathers to play an active role in family discipleship.

Explaining how all of this ties back to what God showed him about the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, Daryl elaborated: “When you build a person or build your family, the mindset should be like building a house.

“We should lay the foundation first, then you build your house on the right foundation if you are wise. The foundation must be on the rock.”

Pleading with parents to disciple their children, he said: “Ultimately, I don’t want you to bring your kid to me. I want you to do the work. This is about equipping and empowering parents.

“You only have these foundational years. Please be involved in their lives.”

“God was building up my heart for families”

Reviewing his journey from a primary school to preschool educator, Daryl sees those 12 years of teaching as a season of preparation.

“Other than preparing me to first teach sports to kids, He was slowly building up my heart for the families.

“Mid-way I became a parent myself and was integrated into a very solid community. My heart for families grew a lot during those years.”

Daryl credits his Pastors from Perth for helping to connect him to Growing Families International in his early days as a parent. Daryl did his undergraduate studies in Australia, which is also where he came to know Christ and where he met his wife.

Drawing a parallel to the life of David (1 Samuel 16-17), Daryl reflected on how God used a young shepherd boy to defeat Goliath and eventually became king.

“At the right time and moment … David executed what God had prepared him to do.”

Looking back at how God was preparing him to do be involved in sports and family missions, Daryl concluded: “Now I can safely say that I should have never thought that I would need to find the next ‘right fit’.

“God assured me that If I’m walking and obeying Him, the ‘right fit’ followed. It’s almost like at the right appointed time, God transited me to the next season.”

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Singapore is now operating under the new name of Sports Net Singapore. While it is no longer formally affiliated with the US-based FCA organisation, its vision and mission remain unchanged. For more information on the ministry, visit sportsnet.world.

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