Preaching the tennis gospel

Press, 17 August 1978, Page 20

Preaching the tennis gospel

One of the first things packed by the new Opawa Baptist minister, Rev. Roland Browning, when he was preparing to shift from Invercargill to Christchurch was his tennis racket.

For more than 20 years, Mr Browning has combined his duties as a minister of the church with those of a tennis administrator, and in the 1976-77 season he was the president of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association. His involvement with the sport began before he joined the church in Auckland about 20 years ago, but his playing days were numbered when he became a minister. It was a natural progression from the courts to the Clubhouse, and In his nine years in

Auckland, Mr Browning held a number of administrative positions. Mr Browning then took his love of tennis to Southland, and he quickly became involved with the sport’s administration in Invercargill. He served as the delegate to the N.Z.L.T.A. for Southland, Otago and South Otago for several seasons, and in 1976 became the president of the national association. When the Browning family was called to the Opawa church, Mr Browning brought his tennis racket with him, and he is planning to join a club in Christchurch. The administrative side of the sport is of great interest to him. he confessed, because he does not have the time to play as much as he would like.