History

In 1997, two eastern Pennsylvania high school basketball coaches, Billy Dunn and Pat Tannous, shared a vision: to leverage their passion for sports as an outreach tool to share the Gospel.

Scripture often refers to God as the “Rock” of our salvation, and Jesus Christ as the foundation upon which God builds His Church. Because a basketball is also commonly called “the rock,” the name Push The Rock was born, capturing both the language of sports and the unshakable foundation of faith.

What began as a single week of basketball camp has grown into a global, multi-sport ministry serving five countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Zambia, and the United States. Across cultures and languages, we have seen firsthand how sports quickly break down barriers, build relationships, and create a powerful platform to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ.

Over the past three decades, Push The Rock has partnered with local churches and like-minded Christian organizations to impact more than 250,000 people worldwide. The ministry has expanded beyond summer sports camps to include homeschool physical education classes, after-school programs, short-term mission trips, prison ministry, club level sports and a foam sword fighting ministry.  In 2015, Eagles Wings Disc Golf was launched to help disc golfers grow in their faith, find Christ-centered community, and become disciple-makers within this rapidly growing sport.

After years of collaborative leadership, in 2011 the board of directors appointed David Walton as President to support the growing organization.  In 2025, after thirteen years of faithful service, David stepped into a new role focusing on development and Scott Canterberry began serving as President.

Building on its strong legacy of ministry impact, Push The Rock has entered a season of significant expansion and new opportunities:

• 2023: Push The Rock purchased In The Zone Athletics in Bath, Pennsylvania — a 22,000-square-foot multi-sport training facility where hundreds of athletes train and compete each week.
  
• 2024: God provided the resources for Push The Rock Guatemala to purchase land and begin construction on a sports and education complex, expanding opportunities to share Christ’s love with more children and their families.
  
• 2025: The ministry expanded its U.S. presence by establishing full-time staff in Clarkston, Georgia, serving refugee families from around the world through sports programs and summer camps.  Additionally, Athletes for the Cross became part of the Push The Rock family, adding recreational leagues for soccer, basketball, and flag football in the Lehigh Valley.

We are deeply grateful for God’s faithfulness in allowing Push The Rock to create life-changing experiences through sports, introducing people to Jesus and equipping them to live and play for Him.

Sports is our language. Jesus is our message.