When the Rev. Wade Pond accepted a call as pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Sweet Hollow on Long Island, New York, he determined the transition was the perfect time to re-commit to the sport of pickleball. He had no idea, however, that his personal goal would turn out to be the perfect solution for his new congregation’s financial struggles, too.
Now, throughout Long Island, Pond is known as the “pickleball pastor” and his congregation rents out the social hall — transformed into a fully functioning indoor pickleball court— for up to 30 hours a week. The revenue from this creative re-purposing is keeping the church alive.
Pickleball, in which players use paddles to hit a hollow, perforated plastic ball over a net on a small court, was developed in Washington state in 1965.
The sport has been steadily expanding since its invention but has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years. According to a 2025 report, an estimated 19.8 million people play pickleball in the U.S., a 311% growth in participation since 2021.
Pond first became familiar with pickleball around 2014 while serving a church in Ohio. He enjoyed the game and played about once a month. There is a park in Sweet Hollow just down the street from the Presbyterian church that has several outdoor pickleball courts. Pond played there several times a week and got to know the vibrant local pickleball community. He quickly learned that the available spaces to play were limited.
The outdoor courts aren’t usable during the region’s long cold months or inclement weather. There are private clubs that offer indoor courts, but they require a monthly membership fee alongside steep hourly rental rates. Pond said the desire for an affordable indoor space to play kept coming up in conversation.
Meanwhile, Pond had been hired with the particular goal of revitalizing the church. Like many congregations, Sweet Hollow was a small, older congregation facing decline and an increasingly limited budget.
Pond’s conversations with the pickleball community gave him an idea. He went the church’s session and pitched the idea of transforming the social hall — already designed as a multi-purpose room — into a pickleball court they could rent out to the community at an affordable hourly rate. One member of the session shared Pond’s enthusiasm for pickleball and encouraged the idea.
While the social hall was used occasionally by a nested Hispanic congregation and for the town's senior meetings, the room spent most of each week empty and unused, and its design made it surprisingly ideal for pickleball.
The session agreed to a three-month trial run from October to December 2022, and Pond invited fellow players to rent out the space on occasion. The church raised more than $3,000 from renting out the court during that time. The experiment was deemed a success, and they developed a regular schedule. They charge $30 per hour, which is far less than local clubs. The church also doesn't require a membership fee from pickleball players.
Three years later, the social-hall-turned-pickleball-court has provided $100,000 in steady income to the church. Pond says he advertised the space a couple of times on Facebook, but the schedule has remained full primarily through word of mouth.
Pond says the revenue has provided crucial financial stability to the church. “If it wasn’t for that income stream, the doors of this church would be closed right now," Pond said.
The social hall is still used by the church’s nested congregation and for Huntington Town Community Senior meetings, but it turns into a pickleball court for up to 30 hours per week. The church administrator handles the court’s scheduling and rental payments. Most of the renters are regulars who have a set day and time each week, which provides some stability. Pond says rearranging the space as needed is easy.
The church plans to continue renting out its social hall to pickleball players as long as it provides income and meets a community need. Meanwhile, other congregations have begun to ask Pond for advice on how to do something similar in their space. Pond happily offers them his insights and expertise, free of charge.
Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)
Let us join in prayer for:
Melaina Smith, Design Content Specialist, The Presbyterian Foundation
Natalie Smith, Product Manager, General Reader Books, Electronic Resources & Strategic Business Development, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Let us pray:
Father, open our eyes to people you love who seem beyond our awareness. Give us compassion to include them in our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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