Precious few athletic teams enjoy the storied tradition of the Boston Celtics. Every New Englander knows about the sixteen championship banners suspended from the rafters of the  Boston Garden. Hanging alongside these championship banners are the jersey numbers of so many Celtic legends (22 to be exact) that very few numbers remain for the current team to choose. Larry Bird (#33), John Havlicek (#17), Bob Cousy (#14), Bill Russell (#6), and on and on. Over the last 30 years, our Team has honored some of our own, and celebrated the retirement of some numbers too ... thirty-two of them, to be precise. As a founding member, I've assumed this responsibility, and view this symbolic act as a special "thank you" to some really awesome friends who were given the grace to make an outstanding commitment to reaching people with the gospel through Christian drama. Now that The Team is back, people may once again ask, "So what great feat must a person perform to have his or her jersey number retired by The Team?" Consideration begins with at minimum four full years in the ministry and 100 shows. Some have surpassed that two or three times over. It's a big commitment, as it's in addition to countless hundreds of rehearsals, dozens of appearances on Sunday mornings to do sketches, and thousands of travel miles. But doing a lot of shows is not the sole criterion. Beyond longevity, believers honored by having their Team jerseys retired have made an impact both within the ministry and beyond. These are the people everyone talks about for years after their time with The Team. They're known for going the extra mile - counseling, discipling, serving. And they're known for occasionally dropping by with a hug, an encouraging word ... and even popping in to do a show or two for old time's sake. We retired three jerseys at The Team's 1999 reunion, and 11 more at our 2004 reunion. The standards set in 1984 when the first two numbers were retired still stand. I'm excited that with the rebirth of the ministry, perhaps I'll get to say "thank you" again, a minor foreshadowing of the time when we will all hear "Well done, good and faithful servant." Director Vin (#11) and Robin retiring Danielle's #1 jersey at the 2004 Team Reunion.