The ALKOB is an ancient annual Lutheran kickball game we accidentally inherited last fall. The game is happening on Sunday, August 27th, after church at a field nearby you. We’d love for you to join us. Here’s what you need to do:
- Get your name on the roster
- Bring a picnic and a chair or blanket on which to sit
- Opening ceremony at 6:30, 3 games of 3 innings each will be done by 8 or 8:30.
The Teams
EAST TEAM
They say that those in the East team rise early. This is because they love to see the world stir awake in the cool morning, to see the bright green stalk of a plant, to return to their homes with dirt under their fingernails. The East team is one of noble fertility and humble labor—which is why their patron saint is Ruth, the one gathering wheat in the field.
Saint: Ruth Animal: Crow Time of Day: Sunrise Season: Spring
SOUTH TEAM
The South team loves the hot sun on their faces, the bustle and heat of a celebration, the roar of a crowd. They are a team of transformation—fierce, passionate, even dangerous, some say. Some
ay that they have looked death in the eyes and looked past it with nonchalance—which is why their patron saint is Mary Magdalene, the one who witnessed two resurrections.
Saint: Mary Magdalene Animal: Opossum Time of Day: Day Season: Summer
WEST TEAM
If you watch a sunset explode across the sky and find yourself contemplating the coming darkness, you may be a member of the West team. The West are a liminal people—restless, brooding, dark. Many report that they dream of beams of sunlight filtering down through water, dark shapes moving beneath them—just like their patron saint, Jonah, the one tossed overboard in a storm.
Saint: Jonah Animal: Whale Time of Day: Sunset Season: Fall
NORTH TEAM
When you think of the North team, picture a lone wolf standing atop a snowy cliff face, head upturned to howl at a bright moon. They are those that take on the solemn charge: silence over noise, darkness over light, the open wild over the bustle of a city—which is why their patron saint is John the Baptist, the one calling from the wilderness.
Saint: John the Baptist Animal: Gray Wolf Time of Day: Night Season: Winter