Autumn 2016
back pages REPESENTING CHRIST ON SPORT’S GREATEST STAGE FEATURES Celebrating God’s work through the Academy Sports Plus: A parent’s perspective Building a new generation of sports ministry leaders
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The conference for sport-loving students who long to make Christ known
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WHAT’S INSIDE
Featured article page 6-9
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
The Olympics are seen by many as the greatest show on earth, and in terms of sport it doesn’t get much better. What a great opportunity the Games give us to praise God for His amazing creation! In this issue of Back Pages, we too want to praise our Heavenly Father for the work He is doing in the world of sport. Our main feature shows how two Olympians looked to honour God as they competed on sport’s greatest stage, while elsewhere you can read about the growth of sports mission in Europe and much more.
Ed Mezzetti Back Pages Editor City of York Athletic Club and St Thomas’ Church, York
NEWS 4 10 24 26
Director’s Message God’s work in the world of sport Churches embrace the Sports Mission Pack Editor’s Inbox
STORIES Representing Christ on sport’s greatest stage Building a new generation of sports ministry leaders
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Celebrating God’s work through the Academy
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Sports Plus: A parent's perspective A new chapter in sport and faith
Our Mission To reach the world of sport for Christ. Our Vision Christians everywhere living out their faith in sports clubs and teams. Churches everywhere engaging with their local sports communities. Sportspeople everywhere having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus. Key:
Youth
Student
Adult
Elite
Cover Image: marchello74 | Shutterstock.com Image above: A.RICARDO | Shutterstock.com
International
Church
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DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Combining vision with passion. Passion really matters in sport. Talent and an inspiring vision to make it to the top in sport are never enough to get you there. You need vision and passion if you are to succeed.
Photo: Martin Bateman
A great dream, when coupled with terrific passion, leads to the kind of sporting excellence we read of in this magazine. That’s why Olympians Adam Pengilly and Debbie Flood transformed foundational talents to reach the Olympic stage. It’s why Parys Edwards is competing at a world-class level. Christians in Sport has a great vision to reach the world of sport for Christ. That vision is harnessed to three passions which drive this vision and which we hope continue to turn the dream into reality. We have a passion that God Speaks; that the Bible is God’s word of truth for proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and for building up His followers. We use the Bible as the measure of all truth about God as we explain the Christian message in the world of sport. We want to let God’s word do God’s work. Whether it is in our work with elite 4
athletes or in our summer camps for young sportspeople, we have a passion to hear God speak to all through His word, the Bible. As we seek to reach the world of sport for Christ, we have a passion that the Church Leads; that the local church is the primary community for making disciples of Jesus and training them in godliness. Our priority is to see sportspeople maturing in Christ in their local church and being supported to pray, play, and say in their local sports clubs and teams. Christians in Sport is an organisation that has been created to serve the local church as it reaches its local world of sport for Christ. We work hard to focus on serving local churches to achieve this task. We work with a wide range of denominations and church movements, but work most closely with churches for whom our third value really matters, serving them in their
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vision for the world of sport. Euston Church in London, Hamilton Road Baptist Church in Belfast and Ebenezer Church in Machen, The good is are that which feature in thisnews magazine, justGod three examples of these. in athletics and his church
sport, we encourage them to share the gospel message with those they compete alongside.
We serve the world of sport best by strongly is building encouraging Christians to stay in their sports theclubs Christian and equipping them to follow Christ in This presence is because our in third passion that Sport an environment track and field, both in the where God has given them Matters, is that the ability to play sport is an and where so many people who are UK worldwide, isenjoyed arguablytalents stronger aspect of and God’s creation that can be not Christians spend their time. With young for His glory.in Weany encourage Christians to live than other comparable sport. from their teens to early 20s, we sportspeople
Photo: rmnoa357: Shutterstock.com
out their faith in sports clubs and to tell those they train, play or compete with the good news of Jesus. Worship is a matter for the whole of our lives not just Christian meetings. We understand this specifically from Romans 12 v 1-2 and the focus of the New Testament that there is no longer any distinction between sacred and secular. Since sport can be an act of worship, we encourage sportspeople to worship God in their sport, to play for an audience of one. Worship is an attitude to every action whether we’re scoring a brilliant three-pointer, coaching our team to victory or missing an open goal, we’re called to worship Him with every gift and ability that He has given us in sport and in every aspect of life. As sportspeople commit to honouring Christ in
work particularly hard on the principle that they are “born to play” in order to establish a life-long habit. Examples of this include the Academy, which we are celebrating in this issue, and the university groups featured in the God’s Work in the World of Sport section. Passion really matters. It turns a great vision into a profound reality. I hope this magazine harnesses your vision to reach the world of sport for Christ with the passions that God Speaks, Church Leads and Sport Matters.
Graham Daniels General Director Cambridge United FC and St Andrew the Great, Cambridge
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REPRESENTING CHRIST ON SPORT’S GREATEST STAGE The Rio Olympics have been the highlight so far of an amazing summer of sport that continues this month with the Paralympics. In this feature, we hear from Debbie Flood and Adam Pengilly, who have competed in five summer and Sinter Games between them. Debbie won silver medals as a rower at Athens and Beijing and also reached the final in London. Adam competed in the skeleton bobsleigh at Turin and Vancouver, winning a world silver medal in between. Here the pair share what it was like to be an athlete at the Olympics and how their Christian faith shaped their careers at the highest level of sport.
For me I’m not just there to represent my country, I’m there representing Christ and that’s got to come first and foremost.
Selection Debbie remembers vividly the moment she learned she and her quadruple scull crew had made the British team for Athens in 2004. She said: “It was just amazing really. We had an idea that we might be selected. We had been doing well that season, but until you are actually told, that reality doesn’t become reality. For us, the Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport. At that point in my life, I had spent seven years aiming towards that one selection.” Adam needed different routes to make the Winter Olympics in 2006 and 2010. He said: “Selection for me over the two games was really different. For the first one, there wasn’t as much internal competition within the British team, so I had to make sure I was 6
Photo: Antonio Scorza | Shutterstock.com
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ranked at a certain level to qualify. The first time when I qualified, there was just a real sense of relief. “The second time we had a really strong squad of athletes and I had not had an easy season. I had injuries and had to be sent home at one point. When I came back, I had to race off against another guy who was ranked higher than me because he had competed in more races. He was also a good friend.” Adam managed to beat him in each of the three races to earn his spot at Vancouver 2010, but it was a bittersweet experience. Had Adam been fit all season, both of them would have been going as Great Britain would have earned three spots at the Games.
It can’t become the be-all and endall, otherwise it breaks you. You see that all around you. I’m solid in being a child of God and in God’s eyes it doesn’t change anything whether I win medals or lose medals. “I didn’t know what to feel,” said Adam. “In one sense, I was really pleased, but in another sense I was disappointed and upset for him."
Missing out Debbie, who was on the other side of this divide after only being a reserve at the Sydney Olympics, said this pain was a difficult part of elite sport. “You train together day in, day out and spend one third of the year abroad sharing hotels and training through the ups and downs together,” she said. “You know how difficult it is to put yourself through that, pushing yourself to the limits. “There are always more people who train in the group than are going to make the team. There have been many times in my rowing career when it has been between one or two people or myself and someone else to get the last place in the boat. It’s difficult because you have got to have your head on when you are racing against them, but at the same time, they are your friends, they are your rowing family.”
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Faith For both athletes, faith in Jesus played a key part in their Olympic journeys. Adam said: “One of the challenges I found from a Christian perspective is that around the time of the Olympics, you are so cocooned in your sporting environment. For all of the staff, coaches and performance directors, this is the most important thing in the world. Now for me it wasn’t, but it was easy to get drawn into that way of thinking. “It was important. It was a dream to go to the Games and do well and had been since I was a kid. It was always right up there in terms of something I wanted to do, but it wasn’t the most important thing. I had to guard myself against getting drawn into that because when it is the most important thing, you lose perspective on the properly important things in life. That was something I always needed help on from my Christian mates.” Adam at the start of a skeleton run
For me, remembering the perspective of the Lord, that He had my back whatever, was key. He is always there for me. If the funding went, it would be tough, but regardless, He is there for me and will look after me. Although the Olympic motto of higher, faster, stronger has to play its part in athletes getting selected and winning medals, it can easily come to define who they are. Debbie said: “It can’t become the be-all and end-all, otherwise it breaks you. You see that all around you. I’m solid in being a child of God and in God’s eyes it doesn’t change anything whether I win medals or lose medals.”
Pressure For many athletes, their funding is based on how they perform at World Championships and particularly the Olympics. This can create a lot of pressure, but also a chance to trust God. Adam said: “For me, remembering the perspective of the Lord, that He had my back whatever, was key. He is always there for me. If the funding went, it would be tough, but 8
regardless, He is there for me and will look after me.” Debbie said: “Knowing that medal wasn’t going to define who I was in God’s eyes, knowing that as long as I could give my all and use the gifts and abilities I have been blessed with, that was enough.”
The Olympic Village Both rowing and skeleton traditionally take place during the first week of the Olympics, which meant Debbie and Adam had lots of time to enjoy the rest of the games afterwards. Debbie said: “Often in rowing, you stay in a different venue nearer to the lake. When you get to the village, it really means that you can enjoy the atmosphere and the free stuff that all athletes like!” Team GB athletes must wear their official kit at all times, which means they get huge amounts of it. Debbie said: “They have got to give you enough kit to last for the two weeks. You get 40kg of it. It’s like Christmas!” Adam added: “I always liked clothing trades. I had to get some Jamaican bobsleigh kit.”
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Assessing your performance However, this period can be tough if you are not happy with how you have done. Adam said: “I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I could have in Turin because I didn’t perform well. I was really close to a medal with one round to go and then made a mess of one corner. I was gutted, really gutted, probably for about three months. “I think at that stage, my perspective wasn’t in the right place because it took me so long to get over it. I struggled afterwards, but when someone helped me look at things in the right way, it was really helpful and helped me grow as a Christian. “My focus was too much on my own selfish ambition and desire rather than enjoying these amazing gifts that God had given me and doing a sport that I loved. Hurtling down a mountain at 90mph is just so much fun – as long as you don’t hit the wall too much. It is just a brilliant gift from God!” Adam did go on to win a world silver medal in 2009. He said: “In an eternal context, it just doesn’t matter. I realised that years later when I did achieve the sort of things I wanted in terms of medals at major championships. The emotions are incredible because you think a lifetime’s goal has been achieved. But you feel amazing for about an hour and a half, at least I did, then it’s just like ‘is that all it is?’. “God moulds us through great times and bad
times. For me, it was a real lesson about how our performance doesn’t make a difference in light of eternity.” Debbie added: “In light of eternity, my medals will not come with me when I pass away. Jesus is the most important thing that I need to know in my life.”
Partying Traditionally, the Olympic Village can be a place of real excess as athletes let their hair down after four years of hard training. Debbie said it was easy to get drawn into this, but as a follower of Jesus, she knew she was called to live differently. She said: “For me, when I got to a certain point in the party and the drink was flowing, I needed to know when to stop and step out. There were times when I got that wrong, when I went too much to the other side, but that’s not how God wants us to be." Whatever ever level of sport we compete at, followers of Christ are called to do it for His glory. We pray Adam and Debbie’s accounts will encourage you to do just that.
Jules Wilkinson, a member of Christians in Sport’s Performance Team, went to Rio 2016 as one of three international chaplains. She wrote a diary for us while she was there, which you can read at christiansinsport.org.uk/rio Further reading As you read this magazine the Paralympics are underway in Rio. Check out the same link to read more.
Ed Mezzetti Back Pages Editor Debbie (second from the left) receiving her silver medal in Beijing in 2008
City of York Athletic Club and St Thomas’ Church, York
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GOD’S WORK IN THE WORLD OF SPORT MAY - AUGUST 2016
We are always encouraged to hear of sportspeople reaching out with the gospel across the UK. In this section, which will be a regular feature of Back Pages, we aim to highlight some of the many situations where this is happening. It is our prayer that you will be inspired by what you read and consider how, God willing, you might see something similar in the world of sport where He has placed you.
players, show jumpers, swimmers, kayakers, and basketballers. Some were Christians and others invited by friends. The day saw plenty of time to chill out as well as playing volleyball and tennis. Do pray that the friendships formed will help these young people reach their world of sport for Christ and that the get-together will have a long-term impact. Kirsten Ross, Scotland Co-ordinator
In July, a group of nine Young Performance Athletes (YPAs) gathered in Perth, Scotland to hear former Olympic rower Debbie Flood
Young Performance Athletes gathering in Perth
explain how she came to follow Jesus and the difference that made to her as an elite sportswoman. The young people were challenged to think about where their identity lies and what they are building their lives upon:Â sporting success or a relationship with Jesus? Those attending included hockey 10
Footballers listen to a gospel talk at the University of Ulster
Throughout the year, the University of Ulster Christian Union in Coleraine held weekly football on the university grounds. This was usually attended by around 25 students not involved with the CU and around 10 members of the CU. It was a great chance for Christians to build relationships with fellow students
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through the weekly football, and brought different opportunities for the gospel to be shared with many who do not yet know Jesus. As well as the weekly action, there was a five a-side football tournament held each semester as part of the university CU events week. Each tournament had a half-time break with an explicit gospel message. I spoke at the first one to around 55 people and Dave Hampton spoke at the second where around 45 students came and again heard the gospel proclaimed. Praise God that through these tournaments, sports playing students were able to hear the gospel. From this, two male students attended a Christianity Explored course held in the university during the second semester. Philip Small, University of Ulster University Group
Academy trip to Lanzarote
made up of cyclists, runners, triathletes, netball, rugby and hockey players, guys playing regular five-a-side football or doing other sport with colleagues at work, and also some students involved in university sports clubs. Laura Murdoch, Euston Church
After an evangelism training day, Rugby World Cup quiz and Christianity Explored course to follow up at the end of 2015, we had a Missions Sunday in May which was focused on personal evangelism. We welcomed Graham Daniels to train us in how to effectively share our faith with those in our spheres of influence. We are encouraged that many in our church are taking opportunities to ‘gossip the gospel’ - looking to share something of their faith with those they meet throughout the week. A group of 10-15 of us at Euston Church in central London have started to gather once every two months to pray for those we play and train with and, we hope, to encourage, support and spur one another on to be godly representatives of Christ in each of our different sporting contexts. We also believe that by meeting and praying together we’ll have greater courage to speak of Christ and invite our sports friends to look at the Bible with us or come along to a guest event/service. It’s been really encouraging to see how many more people are involved in regular sport in the church than we’d first realised. Our group is
We were delighted to see some of our church members signed up to serve in a variety of roles at Sports Plus in Belfast and were thrilled that some of our sporty young people could attend to be encouraged in their faith and equipped to share it with their teammates. Looking ahead, we plan on hosting Linvoy Primus at an evening event this autumn, which will be followed by an invitation to our Christianity Explored course. We give thanks to God for opportunities to share his transforming love with those in our community. Johnny McClaughlin, Pastor, Hamilton Road Baptist Church 11
Premiership Final rugby match
Tries came in thick and fast as England saw off the Combined Celts 57-41 in an entertaining rugby clash at Staines RFC. Despite some high quality displays, this was not an early British & Irish Lions trial match, but an annual contest that sees a network of Christian players and their teammates come together to mark a major final. The match, for which the coveted ‘Thimble’ is at stake, has traditionally been played on European Champions Cup or Heineken Cup final day, but this year’s clash marked the English Premiership Final. Sticking with tradition, however, 80 minutes of action was followed by a talk on the Christian faith over lunch before heading to the final at Twickenham and spending the evening together afterwards. With so many involved in the game that we love not yet trusting in Jesus’ death for us on the cross, there is plenty of work to be done as we get stuck into some of the greatest communities around - rugby clubs across the UK - and take the good news of Jesus with us. Mike Harris, Bicester Rugby Club
Bethany Baptist Church, Caldicot in Wales hosted a Sports Quiz this term for all the sports clubs in the town, as part of the wider 12
mission of the church to reach sportspeople with the gospel. They were encouraged to find people from the congregation regularly playing in football and rugby clubs, and by seeing their friends attend. Meanwhile, Ben Burns established himself in the Caerau Ely Football Club first team, with his side finishing fourth in the Welsh League. He has helped lead the University Group at Cardiff Met University, and also been active in sharing both faith and life with teammates and course mates. Tom Hocking, Wales Co-ordinator
It has been encouraging to see the youth work gather pace in Jersey this year. Since the inaugural Sports Plus camp in 2015, we have been running a monthly after school club called Sports Plus Xtra. We have had around 10-20 young people involved each time, with half of them coming from an unchurched background. We also ran a one-day Sports Plus camp on May 30, with 20 young people attending. Fifteen of these were from an unchurched background and 14 totally new to Sports Plus. This summer’s Sports Plus saw 42 young people attend and many supportive comments from parents. Nick Ferraby, Jersey Co-ordinator
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I received an email from Manu - a leader of sports ministry in Romania. Four years ago Manu attended Sports Plus in Brecon. For three years running we have sent a team from the UK to help her run a sports camp every summer for young sportspeople aged 12-16. For the first time this year Manu and her leaders are running a sports camp on their own. Manu said: “The 12th July was my birthday - sharing it with my Romanian friends on the Sports Camp Training Weekend was a dream come true.”
In June, the 10 students on the Academy spent a week in Lanzarote at the Club La Santa sports resort to enjoy a week of sport in the sun. However, the real thrill of the week was that six of their friends from the world of sport who aren’t Christians also came. As well as lots of meaningful conversations throughout the week, every evening we were able to meet together and get the Bible open. We continue to pray for these six friends to be transformed by the power of the gospel.
Ian Lancaster, UK Co-ordinator
Nathan Elliott, Academy Leader One-day Sports Plus in Jersey
Romanian sports ministry leader Manu
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Get in touch We'd love to read your stories and see your photos so that we can share them in future issues. Send yours to ed.mezzetti@christiansinsport.org.uk
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BUILDING A NEW GENERATION OF SPORTS MINISTRY LEADERS ReadySetGO Plus has huge potential to transform sports mission across Europe. That was the overwhelming message from the young leaders who took part in the inaugural training programme full of fun, fellowship and gospel partnership this summer. Matias Xavier, a basketball and American football player from Portugal and one of the 23-strong team, summed up the scheme’s potential. He said: “It has been a really amazing experience. The highlight for me was to find 23 young people as hungry and passionate about sport and Christ as me. “That just motivated me to do more and better and to keep on chasing this vision. It is a very well-constructed programme with a lot of things to offer. “I really think the future for this vision in All of the team at Bobbio Pellice
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Europe passes through ReadySetGO.” Matias and his fellow leaders from France, Finland, Germany, Serbia, Albania and the United Kingdom spent July learning and applying how they can reach the world of sport for Christ. The programme began with two weeks of training in Bobbio Pellice in the Italian Alps before the leaders headed off in two teams to Macedonia and Portugal. Those in Macedonia helped run the country’s first ever sports camp. The local leaders had been hoping to do this for a while but never had enough people or resources until ReadySetGO Plus started. The team coached basketball and shared the gospel in the small groups and main meetings. Young people at the camp included some from Roma gypsy communities, which the local leaders have worked with for years and the Academy has been out to support.
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Jersey. It can be different in Finland, but I think that kind of sports ministry can work in every place.”
Playing volleyball in Italy
Sini added: “It has been great to serve young people and serve each other and see how God works in the field of sport. It’s so amazing to see and I really hope that we can use these ideas to serve people in Finland.”
The biggest highlight for me is how we can bring together non-Christian and Christian sportspeople. It’s amazing how it works. KidsGames in Portugal
In Portugal, the team led ‘KidsGames’ with young people from orphanages, institutions and local families in the cities of Lisbon and Sintra. This was similar to running sports days rather than specific coaching. It is a government-funded project, so opportunities to share the gospel publically were limited. But the team spent time with young people in small groups, showing the basics of Christ’s love to many who have not had fatherly love or compassion shown to them. Following that, the group headed en masse to Jersey where they helped run the second Sports Plus camp for young people. The group were part of coaching and second sport teams and highlights included an uptempo Zumba class led by Finnish couple Mikko and Sini Jokinen. The team also shared their testimonies during the water breaks.
ReadySetGO is a global initiative designed to equip and multiply sports mission across the world. The free resource was created to help explain how any church, agency or individual can serve the gospel through sport and play. Ready is the process of gathering and envisioning people to make disciples for Christ in sport and play. Set prepares everyone to be a disciple-maker. GO gives the strategies in which to make disciples in the world of sport and play. Since its global launch in November 2015, it has been rolled out across the different continents with the aim of seeing leaders pass on the training and multiplying the work. In the last eight months, more people have been trained using ReadySetGO than in five years with the previous sports leadership material. Following its European launch in May, came this ReadySetGO Plus programme for those aged 18-25, which we have been supporting.
Mikko said: “In Finland, we don’t have sports ministry at all, so it’s great to see how it works. I think it can also work in Finland very well.
After such a great start this year, plans are already under way for the second ReadySetGO Plus programme next summer.
“It has been great to see how different those camps can be in places like Portugal and
Email caroline@christiansinsport.org.uk to register your interest.
Watch Videos of this summer’s ReadySetGO Plus team at christiansinsport.org.uk/readysetgoplus
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CELEBRATING GOD’S WORK THROUGH THE ACADEMY After 11 years, the Academy is coming to an end. Join us as we celebrate what God has done and hear from some of those impacted over the years.
There is so much to celebrate and be grateful to God for after 11 years of the Academy. In that time 127 teenagers have come through our doors in Bicester. Now that we are rethinking how we train people in the 18 to 25-yearold age group, we wanted to share some of the many highlights we have seen on the scheme. In this article, we hear from former Academy members about how being part of the gap-year programme encouraged them in their faith and sport.
Holly Phipps 2016 What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? Living with nine like-minded Christians and just enjoying life with them was such a highlight for me. Praying, worshipping and keeping accountable with each other was really encouraging because I saw God working not only in my own life but in the lives of my friends on the Academy. 16
What was the biggest lesson you learnt? Prayer is so powerful. Before the Academy I was far too reliant on the advice and opinions of others. I relied on my own and their strength to guide me whereas in every situation I now see how important it is to pray. Especially with my sport, I was so reliant on myself and encouragement from other runners that I wasn’t leaving time to pray before races and praise God for giving me the strength to run. How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? The nature of the training was that we were always prepared to be sent out and ‘go’ into the world of sport. I never felt like it was just theory and we were given loads of great opportunities in schools, universities and with friends to put our training into practice.
Sophie Maunder 2015 What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? There were so many highlights I could choose from however one which really stuck out for me was the prayer night on our international mission trip to Bobbio Pellice, Italy. Walking through the little Italian village streets talking to our God with the breathtaking French Alps as a backdrop, how could my heart not be full of thankfulness for what Jesus Christ has done for me?
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K
What was the biggest lesson you learnt? Considering I wasn’t planning on taking a gap year and hadn’t heard of Christians in Sport until a month before I signed up for the Academy, I think the biggest lesson I learnt was simply to trust in God’s plan for me. Another lesson I learnt was that washing cars can actually be rather fun!
solid friendships. The third was our week on international mission in Macedonia. Meeting people in a completely new culture yet having two of the same passions - Jesus and sport - was class. In the years since I’ve still kept in touch with one of the Macedonian leaders where we Skype call each other to encourage and pray together.
How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? Getting this opportunity to be stuck in God’s word, specifically looking at sporting issues and how to live my sporting life for Christ every day for six months was incredible. It really did help set me up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ by teaching me that everything is done for the glory of God. Whether in the changing room with teammates, on the hockey pitch or in a club for a social, it’s all done for the glory of God.
What was the biggest lesson you learnt? Having completely unashamed confidence in Jesus and realising the call upon my life to share the gospel with as many people as possible.
Danny Driver 2013 What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? The first one was the weekly Bible overview studies that we did when we were in the office. This has helped me immensely in the years since as I’ve been able to fit parts of the Bible into the larger picture the Bible paints for us. The second highlight was living in the house with five other lads as we were able to develop
How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? I have started work as the youth academy chaplain for Cambridge United a few hours a week. What has become clear through doing this is that, sports chaplaincy along with playing regular sport alongside people who aren’t Christians are ways that I can continue to reach the world of sport for Christ. In July 2017 I will be ordained into the Church of England where sport will play a huge part of my ministry.
Jenna Holmes
2012
What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? Our final weekend is still a time I like to think back to. One of the last things we did together as a group was take time individually to go 17
off and pray together for each other and our future ahead. For me this was a chance to thank those on the Academy and tell them what they meant to me after six months together, as well as encourage them before they went off to wherever they were heading in the future. What was the biggest lesson you learnt? The biggest lesson I learnt was through our accountability sessions and how I act towards and speak about other people. I really wrestled with that concept of being honest with someone rather than venting to someone else. It’s something that has stuck with me through university and living with the hockey girls when gossip is so commonplace about other players or the coach. How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? The thing I thank the Academy most for is how much it prepared me for university. We had the university mission that gave me real insight into the life of a Christian student at university. We had sessions in the ‘Bicester Bunker’ with scenarios that we would come up against at university within our sports teams and we worked through our answers and reasoning with each other and our leaders.
Naomi Jones 2011 What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? The school and university missions helped me realise how open people were to discussing the gospel and especially at university, where they were starting to question faith as many were 18
making a new identity for themselves. I also enjoyed the teaching as it was very practical and relevant to where I was at in my life and the world today and how to reach it. What was the biggest lesson you learnt? That being a Christian should have an impact on all of my life and not just parts of it. I felt that before the Academy, I was quite reserved about talking about my faith and what I was up to on a Sunday and therefore segregated it. How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? It helped me realise that sport could be a form of worship and the way in which I played could be a big witness. In response to this, I had many questions from the football team at university and hockey team at home in regards to my faith - both what I believed and why I believed what I did.
Simon Poole 2010 What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? My highlight was being able to play in a local sports club at the same time as having the space to think through what the issues, challenges and opportunities are of living as a Christian in a sports club. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to pause before embarking on adult sport with its very specific challenges and learn together in a safe environment, but also see it modelled by other staff members and Interns.
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What was the biggest lesson you learnt? The biggest lesson I learnt was how badly disciplined I was, it was a real shock, but a vital one to have before starting university. How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? The Academy gave me the passion to want to share Christ with my teammates and the world of sport through the biblical training. It also gave me the foundation to begin to do so with the practical training on things like building relationships and apologetics.
Rosalie Brokenshire 2007 What were your highlights of your time on the Academy? Taking two friends who don’t know Jesus to Lanzarote for an incredible holiday full of great sport, good fun and treasured times reading the Bible together. What was the biggest lesson you learnt? The necessity and centrality of the Bible in understanding who Jesus is, who we are and how to be saved. How did it help set you up for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ? The Academy helped me see how sport is a great way to connect with people, create genuine friendships and share Jesus with them when there are God-given opportunities.
A KEY TIME TO INVEST IN PEOPLE The aim of providing wider sports mission training for more people has led to us ending the Academy and rethinking our training package for the 18-25 age group. Ian Lancaster, our UK Co-ordinator, said: “It is such an important time to invest in people for the future. The 18-25 age group is still a key target group that we want to help train. We want to provide a training scheme with wider scope that is easier to access for more of this age group. "ReadySetGO Plus [featured on pages 14 and 15] gives two weeks in the classroom learning the theory of ‘reaching the world of sport for Christ’ and two weeks on mission helping to deliver sports camps in different European countries. “This gives our 18-25 year-olds a chance to access our core training scheme during this key period of their lives.”
Ian Lancaster UK Co-ordinator Alchester Running Club and Magdalen Road Church Oxford
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SPORTS PLUS: A PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE With another amazing summer of Sports Plus still fresh in our minds, we are looking at the camps from the parents’ perspective. It goes without saying that we could not run Sports Plus without parents’ support and we are so grateful to them for that. While we hope that the hundreds of young people who come on the camps each year have an amazing time, many parents tell us how much it helps their children grow in faith in Jesus.
in 1992. Three of his and Hayley’s sons, Kieran, Jordan and Curtis, who are all athletes, have now come to Sports Plus.
It started with the summer camps four or five years ago. They were all quite reluctant to go, especially as they are quite shy, homebird kind of characters. One of them unpacked his bags on the morning he was due to go for the first time! “We really felt it was important for them to have their own place to explore their faith, which was not connected to dad’s work as a church minister.” Hayley added that the camps played a crucial role in “underpinning” the boys’ faith.
from left: Jordan, Stuart, Corban, Hayley, Curtis, Kieran
In this article, we speak to parents from across the UK about how Sports Plus can lay the foundations for a life of reaching the world of sport for Christ.
Hayley and Stuart, Cambridge Stuart first got involved with Christians in Sport when leading a mission with Graham Daniels 20
She explained: “We don’t have many young people in our church, but there they met many Christian young people. I think they found it quite overwhelming in a good way. It was a huge thing for them. “Often as a teenager, you feel like you are on your own, so it was a great encouragement to realise that there are other Christians out there. They still talk about the things they learnt from their first couple of camps.” Kieran, who has just finished his first year at Cardiff Metropolitan University, has taken on the leadership of the University Group for next year.
christiansinsport.org.uk
Hayley said: “This is huge for Kieran who has always been shy and avoided public speaking. This, we believe, is born out of the stability that Christians in Sport has given him over the last few years.” Stuart added: “All the boys wear their Audience of One bands at all times and it has become very much our strapline as a family when they are competing. “When Kieran won the national track championships two years ago, he insisted on wearing his Christians in Sport t-shirt on the podium as he wanted to make a statement.”
Philip and Fiona, Belfast Philip and Fiona have been involved with Sports Plus for the last five years, with their three daughters Amy, Ellen and Holly all attending. A highlight for the girls has been the friendships they have formed. Fiona said: “They have gained a lot in terms of confidence in their sport and their faith. They have been able to stand up for their faith in different situations and that’s all come through the teaching programme. “I think it is rewarding to see your children growing in their own faith. It has been great to stand back and watch. It has been lovely to see that in their lives.” Fiona would love to see her children keep building links between sport and faith in Jesus as they become adults.
At Sports Plus, they are taught to share their faith from a young age and to see it as very natural. It is a normal thing and they do it with their teammates and school friends. “Hopefully, sport will be something that they are involved in all their lives. I just think it is so fundamental.” From left: Amy, Fiona, Holly, Philip and Ellen
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From left: Ally and Struan
From left: Kate and Sam
Ally and Colin, Glasgow
Tony and Claire, Aberdare
Ally and Colin first came across Christians in Sport ten years ago when their older children attended a Sports Plus camp at Loretto School. Now their son Struan, a Scotland under 16 hockey player, is getting stuck in.
Tony and Claire were involved in the very first Sports Plus camp in Brecon 15 years ago. Claire provided physiotherapy support and Tony gave talks on sports nutrition.
Ally said: “When it was time for Struan, aged 13, to head off to camp, he picked Repton and when I went to collect him last summer he was simply fizzing with enthusiasm. The leaders were amazing, he had so many new friends and he learnt so much new stuff in the Bible. “Repton friends came up from the south of England to visit and there was lots of postcamp snap chatting. But it seemed a long time till the next Repton camp. “Then Kirsten Ross (Christians in Sport Scotland Co-ordinator) stepped in with the Young Performance Athlete (YPA) programme. Every three months she organises a gathering of young people involved in performance sport and they chill, play a bit of sport and look at the Bible together. Seeing my teenager excited by the prospect of getting together with other young Christians is pretty amazing. “His faith is growing and he’s not afraid to tell his friends he goes to church and is a Christian. He also learned to bounce up for breakfast and to sing with enthusiasm.” Ally added: “We have gained enormously as we feel hugely supported by Christians in Sport, other parents and resources. It is so wonderful to know that the Christians in Sport team pray for us as well as for the young people. It’s not easy being a parent of teenagers and it’s so good to have Christians in Sport on side.”
Now, their children Kate and Sam, who are both international judo fighters, are Sports Plus regulars themselves, with Kate being a trainee leader this year. “Clare and I are very sports oriented and committed Christians as are Kate and Sam,” said Tony. “As parents we feel strongly that Christians in Sport has a lot to offer and our experience of Sports Plus has been extremely positive. “The atmosphere is warm, friendly and safe with great coaching, great Bible teaching and great fun. “For Kate and Sam, Sports Plus is vital to recharge their spiritual batteries and in many ways it keeps them going as they compete as elite athletes.
Because there are no other teenagers in their church, having Christians at Sports Plus they can identify with and who understand the demands of elite sport is crucial. “It is good to know that our children are getting solid Bible teaching and can worship and learn in an environment they can relate to. As a result, they are growing and maturing in their faith.”
Give To enable the work of Sports Plus camps to grow and develop, fill in the insert provided or go to christiansinsport.org.uk/give
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TOP TIPS AS YOU MOVE FROM UNIVERSITY TO WORK
Graduating from university and heading into the world of work can prove one of the biggest challenges life throws up. You may no longer be in a familiar place and you will probably find yourself with far more pressure on your time. The world of adult club sport is vast, yet many stop playing sport after university. How can we as Christians in sport continue to take the gospel to this sports-mad country after graduation? Here are five top tips to help you as you make that transition:
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Find a good church
Look out for a church where the Bible is taught faithfully. This will be somewhere you can be well supported and serve and a place you can bring friends to. Researching ahead and then cracking straight on with visiting churches is really helpful, and the best plan is to settle quickly rather than ‘shopping around’ for too long. No church is perfect! Get in contact with us as we can always help link with you up with people in churches we have contact with.
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Find a club
Get involved in a club quickly and get stuck in. With lots of potential time commitments in a new place, it’s really important to make sure you prioritise investing in those who don’t yet know Jesus.
3
Be bold
Speak of your faith naturally and normally straight away in your new place and club. Starting on the front foot is really helpful in living and speaking for Jesus in a new setting.
4
Team up
Look out for those in your church, and other local Christian sportspeople, who can help encourage you to pray, play, say in all of life, including your sport.
5
Pray
God will sustain and use us wherever we go. In Matthew 28 v 20, Jesus promises His disciples He will be with them always. This is true too for us, wherever we end up.
Information For more information email mike.harris@christiansinsport.org.uk or if you would like to be linked in with other Christian sportspeople where you live.
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CHURCHES EMBRACE THE SPORTS MISSION PACK
Four months after the launch of the Sports Mission Pack, it is exciting to hear how it is being used. The free downloadable pack, which was released in May, is full of resources to help you share the good news of Jesus with sportspeople in your local area in a variety of ways. It was great to hear of sportspeople using the pack during the Rio Olympics. In one example, an evangelistic table tennis group screened some men’s singles action from Rio and staged an outdoor fun challenge match to reach out to their community. We’ve heard of a chaplain using the Born to Play video to show to elite triathletes they are mentoring, while it has also helped youth group leaders connect with sporty young people. Teams at end of season award dinners have managed to make use of the resources within the pack as well as someone running a beach event. The resource also helped people involved in outreach at Euro 2016 share the gospel across France. Those who have already got stuck into the Sports Mission Pack include Ebenezer Church in Machen, South Wales, who recently used the Sports Quiz that is included in the pack. 24
Gaynor Penrose, a wife, mother and church member, said: “This was the second time we had used the quiz. This time we got a link to download it and that’s what I did.
I found it really good. It was easy to use. I made sure I had seen everything beforehand except the quiz itself as I was taking part! “There’s a guide showing what you need. I went through everything and made a list. It has answer sheets as well, so I could just print them off. “For the joker rounds, we bought some cowboy hats from Poundland, so we really pushed the boat out for that!” Gaynor and her team put on a two-course meal, serving the main course when people arrived and dessert at half time after a gospel talk and an interview with a church member. Gaynor said: “I would definitely encourage others to take part. Some non-Christians that came to the first one we held said ‘When are you going to do that sports quiz again? We really enjoyed it’.”
christiansinsport.org.uk
Michael Swanson, who works there as a sports minister as part of a partnership between Scripture Union and local charity, the 468 Project, is a big fan. He said: “I used the pack to do a quiz for churches in our area and also a Night of Champions multi-sports tournament. We also got a big screen up to show some Euro 2016 matches.
The Night of Champions was decent. Many local youth groups came from different churches. Michael urged other churches and Christian groups to make use of the Sports Mission Pack. He said: “It provides the ideas that you need. You just take it into your local community.” “It was a really positive time. We had nonChristians come along and hear the gospel in a really relaxed environment. We hope they will be able to come to other things in the future.” Another area making use of the Sports Mission Pack is Toxteth in Liverpool.
Download now Download the pack at sportsmissionpack.co.uk and look out for a new version with an updated quiz and resources in early 2017.
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EDITOR’S INBOX We love hearing about how you are reaching the world of sport for Christ. This term we’ve heard from you on various social networks about what you're up to – have a look and do get in touch yourself!
@CIS_UK
@CIS_UK Mark Blythe @markblythe8 Great first meeting of the #London #Sports #Ministry network today. Thanx #BishopofLondon @CIS_UK @AMBASSADORSgb
@CIS_UK Robert Sellar @bosert5 This is home for the next two weeks as I go through some teaching and training with @CIS_UK…
Cranleigh Chaplaincy @CranleighChap Some pics from 5-a-side yesterday 120 pupils competing! Thanks to @CIS_UK #AbsolutelyFabregas #NevilleWearsPrada
@CIS_UK
@CIS_UK
Keith McIntosh @RosemereGolfer Many thanks to Ian @LancsCiS for a great night the @StAndrewLeyland Annual Sports Quiz in partnership with @CIS_UK
Izzy Rayner @RaynerIzzy @Debbieflood6 X2 Silver Olympic medalistinspiration talk on faith+ sporting life journey @CIS_UK @TeddiesOxford
@CIS_UK Tim Cutting @tractorboymk You can’t keep a good man down! Flying high in the Jersey @CIS_UK Volleyball comp - and eventual winners! 26
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@Christians_in_Sport tashwroe Been the most incredible 6 months @christians_in_sport and so thankful to God for everything he has done and the people he has put in my life! Can’t wait to see what he has in store next in the mighty Leeds!! #academy2016 #team #Godisgood
@Christians_in_Sport cjwat21 Brilliant day for the Stirling triathlon today with these two! Completed in a time of 1h14mins! #montheclyde #stirlingtri #painistemporarygloryisforever #christiansinsport
@Christians_in_Sport bethany_close Amazing to be able to meet with other Christian athletes from unis around the country at BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships and pray for the event and our teams! What a blessing! @christians_in_sport #AO1 #CIS #BUCS2016 #athletics #prayplaysay
@Christians_in_Sport jgpolson Beaut day playing in an Scot/ Ire/Wales v Eng match prior to the prem final! #cheersjonny #christiansinsport #premiershiprugby #chiefs #EURFC
Get involved Follow @CIS_UK on Twitter Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ChristiansinSport Follow @Christians_in_Sport on Instagram Sign up on our website to hear more each month with Back Pages Online
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A NEW CHAPTER IN SPORT AND FAITH Turning professional at the age of 37 was the latest chapter in the life of talented sportswoman Parys Edwards. And more than 20 years on from her international debut, the hockey player turned triathlete can reflect on how her Christian faith has formed an increasingly significant part of her sporting life. Starting off as junior hockey international in her native Zimbabwe, she then represented South Africa at under 21 and student level. A move to England saw her win three national titles with Leicester before a new challenge dawned. Parys took up triathlon aged 30 after being prompted by a housemate in London and was soon winning global amateur titles. Then aged 37 in 2014, she turned professional to race in the half ironman discipline. Her Christian journey throughout this period has been far from plain sailing, but Parys has come to see how her sport can form part of her worship of God. Aged 12, Parys and twin sister Dallah were sent off to boarding school in Zimbabwe, despite their mother’s misgivings. Parys said: “My sister has always been a good influence. She took to the Christian message straight away and I think I just followed her. “I went along to the Bible studies because she was going. It was a good influence at the time, I needed it. I don’t think I fully appreciated it, but it was definitely a starting point of sorts.” Parys went on to represent Zimbabwe at 28
Photo: Leicester Mercury
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hockey at under 16 and under 18 level before studying at Rhodes University in South Africa. Here, she fully embraced what she saw as the opportunity of student life.
now on that decision. If I could change it, I would. I would have just gone to the Africa Cup and faced my supplementary exams and seen how they went.
She said: “We were brought up in a really strict household and boarding school was strict too. Suddenly I had every freedom. There was nothing I wasn’t allowed to do. I just went out and gave myself every freedom.
“That decision has eaten me up because I have never got those senior caps. You work so hard with all the squad, then you watch them walk out for the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games or just being senior-capped players, and you don’t get it. It can just eat you up inside. If you want it that badly and you put it in that place in your life, it controls you.
“I lived as students do. There was a drinking culture, relationships, explicit language.” At the same time, Parys was putting her all into her hockey and achieving real success. As well as playing at provincial junior and senior levels, she captained South Africa Students and was part of the under 21 and full national squads. Christian faith was still part of Parys’ life at this point, but she largely kept it separate from the other things she was doing. She said: “I almost compartmentalised my life at that stage. There were areas that were so disciplined. “On a Sunday I would go along to this church with a really short service, it was quite reflective. I just felt I could walk in and look at my life and say ‘this is not very good, I’m sorry God’, walk out and feel a little bit better for a few minutes and then completely forget what I had just said and get on with my week again.” Parys had always wanted to be a sports physio and went to study the subject at Johannesburg University after graduating from Rhodes with a degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology. It was here that a major turning point in her career occurred. She turned down the chance to make her full international debut for South Africa in the Africa Cup as she was worried about failing her physio exams. A new coach came in after the tournament and Parys was axed from the squad.
That was a hard time for me. It felt like everything fell apart. I felt like I had lost my identity because I was a hockey player. I was going to be a national player and now I wasn’t in the squad. I didn’t know where to put myself. It was then that another key moment in her life occurred as Dallah visited Parys in Johannesburg. Dallah simply told her: “It’s time to go back.” Parys said: “It was just brilliant. She went with me to church. Walking in with someone just really helped. Something just broke inside me. I just gave it all to God.” Dallah helped Parys get involved in a Bible study where quite a few of her fellow physio students also attended. She said: “I don’t know if I would have made that step without her saying ‘let’s go’. She was absolutely key in helping me do that.”
“It was a really dark time for me,” she said. “I really struggled to keep the balance of hockey in my life. I wanted it so badly, it was the focus of everything. While studying physio, for four mornings a week, I would be getting up at 4.45am to train, then going to the hospitals to do my studies, and then training in the evening.
Having trained as a physio, Parys travelled to Leicester to work and play for the city hockey club with whom she won three English Premiership titles and two European runners-up medals. She had only intended to stay for one season and force her way back into the South Africa set-up after that. But a combination of injury and South Africa selecting their squad early for the 2004 Olympics meant that didn’t happen.
Photography: Credit Leicester Mercury “I made so many sacrifices for it. I look back
Parys then moved down to London aged 30 29
where her work included being a physio for the England under 19 women’s football team. Here, her new housemate was a member of a triathlon club and invited Parys to have a go. Parys’ competitive instinct and sporting talent kicked in straight away and after four races she was representing Great Britain at amateur level. However, before her first triathlon session, Parys prayed a prayer telling God ‘whatever happens you’re in charge’.
I was so determined not to be on that rollercoaster that I had had with hockey where if hockey was going bad, my life was bad and if hockey was good, my life was good. I said I’m making a fresh start here, I’m going to commit it to God. It’s going to have the right place in my life. Parys’ amateur triathlon career went from strength to strength and she won British, World and European titles over the Olympic and half ironman distances. She said. “I just absolutely love it. It just sucked me in. Each year I would just look at the next championship race and target that with a real zeal. It would get me out of bed at 5am for turbo sessions and to swim in cold lakes.” However, the combination of work and training for swimming, cycling and running left Parys shattered and prompted her to think about retiring from triathlon. She said: “I thought with the 2013 world championships coming up in London, you have a home race in front of all your clubmates, win that race, if you can, and end on a high.” Parys did win the London race and finished 45 seconds faster than any amateur female 30
across the different age groups. Instead of bowing out, this victory ultimately led to the surprise decision of her turning professional the following year after securing the sponsorship she needed. She said: “I was really quite nervous about it, but I thought I’m going to look back and wonder what could have been for the rest of my life. I quit my football job and went down to part-time at the clinic I was at. I accepted the sponsorship and just took the jump.” Some sportspeople fear they might lose their competitive edge if they become a Christian, but that is not Parys’ experience. “I think it’s the opposite,” she said. “I would never have imagined it like this, but I actually feel like it’s the other way round. “I almost feel guilty that I’m a Christian and have my faith on the start line because I have a completely different perspective on the race to my fellow competitors. I get to turn to God and know that the outcome of my race doesn’t change eternity for me. I don’t put my identity in my sport. A bad day, a bad race doesn’t make for a bad Parys.” Parys added: “The thing I have learnt is that you can trust God with your wildest dreams and hopes. I feel God made me this way and I want to honour him in my racing.” Ed Mezzetti Back Pages Editor City of York Athletic Club and St Thomas’ Church, York
Listen Listen to the latest podcasts from athletes who have competed at the highest level speaking about their sport and faith at christiansinsport.org.uk/podcast
CHRISTIANS AND SPORT SUMMED DAD UP REALLY WELL Cricket, church, football – how to sum up John Fry in three words. That was the message from John’s son Paul as he addressed friends and family at his father’s thanksgiving service. John, who died earlier this year aged 86, had been a prominent football referee, cricket umpire and long-serving Methodist preacher amongst many other roles in and around Barnstaple, Devon. When his family were looking for a cause to donate to in John’s memory, Christians in Sport seemed a very natural choice. Paul said: “We just felt that a smaller charity like yours could really benefit. Christians and sport summed Dad up really well.” John was a member of what became Christ Church, Barnstaple where his thanksgiving service took place. In his eulogy, Paul said: “We had a long discussion about what tie he should be wearing in the coffin. We chose Old Braunton CC and a Chelsea badge and I have worn three ties today. Morning cricket, lunchtime church, and this afternoon football. Cricket, church, football – how to sum up John Fry in three words (or ties).” John was a regular spectator at the FA Cup final until his early 70s and the Wembley anthem ‘Abide with me’ was one of his favourite hymns. “He was probably one of a few who sung it and knew all the words!” said Paul.
John Fry (left) with Test Match umpire David Shepherd. Photo was taken at North Devon’s cricket ground at Instow. They were friends for many years
John’s links between sport and faith saw him champion a move to host short mat bowls in his church building.
I remember hearing that the church was changing and the bowls mats were coming in and I said straight away ‘oh no they won’t when a certain person gets to hear about it!’ Little did I know that he was one of the main instigators behind it. “With all his traditional and sometimes old fashioned views - my Dad was actually very forward thinking and he knew that the church had to change and it was all about getting the community in and building that friendship.” The respect with which John was held within local football meant the North Devon League held a minute’s silence following his death. Having been renowned as a defensive batsman, John took up cricket umpiring and counted former Test Match official David Shepherd among his friends.
Give By leaving a gift to Christians in Sport in your will, you can help to make a future where the gospel thrives in the sporting world. Contact your solicitor or read more at christiansinsport.org.uk/give
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About Christians in Sport Formed in 1980, Christians in Sport has more than 35 years of experience supporting Christians in the world of sport and helping sportspeople explore the Christian message. For more information on who we are and how we can help you, please get in touch using the details below.
@CIS_UK
Christians in Sport
Christians_in_Sport
ChristiansinSportUK
01869 255 630 info@christiansinsport.org.uk christiansinsport.org.uk Frampton House, Unit D1, Telford Road Industrial Estate, Bicester, OX26 4LD Registered Charity number for England and Wales 1086570 Registered Charity number for Scotland SC045299 Company number 4146081