So sayeth the good Rev. Martez Warren Sr. who recently relaxed the dress code at his church to welcome sports uniforms at service. Reports the FLINT JOURNAL (via THE BIG LEAD): This was Jersey Sunday, an effort to relax the normal routine, lure young people to church and address the violence hitting the congregation’s northwest Flint neighborhood.

I’m not sure of his views on religion, but when Rip Hamilton uniforms show up at a church service, here’s guessing he approves.

There’s a relevant debate to be had about whether this is proper worship, but you can’t argue with a “healthy increase over typical attendance” once the Jersey Sunday plan was announced. People often claim sports aren’t important, and that’s true for the most part. But sports can be a window into more important matters, and as seen by this church, they can be leveraged to hopefully connect people to the important things.