Churches across the U.S. are embracing pickleball as a way to build community.

Social gatherings are being created around America's fastest-growing sport at churches and fostering fellowship among participants in the process.

Pickleball has even become a primary tool for religious outreach and evangelism.

Emmanuel Church in Huntingtown, MD is a prime example of this phenomenon.

The house of worship has three pickleball indoor courts on-site that are open to members and non-members alike.

"We have a lot of regulars," said Bill Holston, a member and organizer at Emmanuel, for a July 15 story on Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) by journalist Jenna Browder.

Courts are open Monday evenings to members, who can bring two guests, as well as on the third Saturday of each month.

Holston begins each pickleball session with a prayer before play begins.

"I used to be a person always in a shell, like kind of nervous about doing things, but this kind of really opened me up to other things," player Lisa Gratch told Browder. "Being able to fellowship with other Christians and having a mutual fun time together."

There's no denying the popularity of pickleball in these circles.

"Evangelical churches, Catholic churches, Methodist churches, non-denominational churches do pickleball, which is kind of fun. They use it as outreach, community building, and are having a good time with it," said Bob Smietana, a reporter at Religion News Service (RNS), who covered the subject in May. "It is a game that anyone can play, so that's what folks told me, the first time you show up you can go from having never played to playing and having a good time fairly early."

The pickleball program at Emmanuel Church is working wonders.

People are eager to hit the 20x44.

"We've got 80-year-olds playing, all the way down to 10-year-olds and we can play together," said Christine King, another player and organizer. "[Some participants] haven't been to church in 20 years and then they come, and some have been maybe in a different religion. I thought it was pretty cool."

Holston feels exactly the same way about it.

"When I first became a believer years ago back in the mid 70's, there was a concept of 'Friendship Evangelism' and this is what it is," he said. "Reach out to your neighbors, reach out to your friends, reach out to your coworkers, and give them something cool to do with you guys."

An interesting case study that goes one step further is Dayton Metro Pickleball (DMP) in Ohio.

It was created by the new owners of a former Vandalia church, who actually repurposed the entire facility.

"Dayton Metro Pickleball is your year-round destination for indoor pickleball in Dayton, Ohio — featuring leagues, Open Play, training, and court rentals at our Miller Lane facility," the official DMP website explained. "Outdoor pickleball courts are coming soon as part of our continued expansion."

Dayton Metro Pickleball opened in May.