Winter 2014
back pages THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CHRISTIANS IN SPORT
FEATURE The Sunday Sport Dilemma Through a mother’s eyes NEWS Romania Sports Plus Sports camp model arrives in Romania
INTERVIEW Linvoy Primus chats faith, football and his new role
KEEP CONNECTED IN 2014 Follow @CIS_UK Like ‘Christians in Sport’ Visit christiansinsport.org.uk
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WELCOME On 1st January 2014, I wonder if you made any New Year’s resolutions? More importantly, a month in, I wonder how many you’ve been able to keep?! My list included the usual two; less chocolate and more gym…she says, sitting on the sofa tucking into a box of Quality Street. Here at the Christians in Sport office, we are fully committed to serving you for the full 365 days of 2014. Each day, with your help, we hope to take a step closer towards a future where it’s commonplace for Christians and churches to be engaging in sport, and for sportspeople everywhere having the opportunity to hear the Christian message. May I ask that as you read through the many great stories shared in this magazine, you think about adding a late addition to your New Year’s resolutions list – to commit to pray regularly for Christians in Sport. 2014 looks to be an exciting year with lots of new
CONTENTS
opportunities to reach the world of sport for Christ, but we can’t do anything without God’s help and guidance, something we as an office team stop and pray for every day at 11am. If this is something you’re up for (of course it doesn’t have to be at 11am!), simply tick ‘Prayer Diary’ on the ‘Keep in Touch’ sheet and we will send you pointers to help focus your prayers. Thank you for making 2013 what it was and here’s to an exciting year ahead.
Wiz (Elizabeth Hunt) Communications Manager Reading HC, St Andrew’s Church, Oxford
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QUICK NEWS Your stories, photos and tweets
LINVOY PRIMUS Chats faith, football and his new role in sport
NEWS
CLUBHOUSE SEASON Your tweets, highlights and photos from Clubhouse 2013
INTERVIEW
10 - 13
MIND THE GAP The Sunday Sport dilemma through a mother’s eyes
NEWS
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NEWS
FEATURE
24 - 25
YOUNG PERFORMANCE ATHLETES New support network in place for young performance athletes
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EDITORIAL There’s a famous African proverb that says “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. We at Christians in Sport want to partner with individuals, families, churches, sports clubs and sports governing bodies to ‘go far’ in serving and reaching the world of sport for Christ. The Game Plan 3 document you’ll have received with this magazine helps explain how we intend, with your continued support, to do this better in the next five years and the features in this magazine will give you an insight into what is being achieved today. We continue to serve thousands of young people and adults who pray for their friends, play in a way that honours God and who say something of the Christian message in sports clubs and teams throughout the UK and we intend to keep raising the bar in the way we serve these sportspeople. If you read the ‘Clubhouse Season’ feature, the interview with Richard Kirtley, the ‘Quick Fire News’, the ‘Student Hub’ and the ‘Resources’ sections at the back of the magazine, you’ll see a snapshot of the significant and ongoing work of supporting all our Christians in sport. However, two aspects of our mission have started to require extra attention as demand has begun to outstrip our capacity to supply. Firstly, the task of supporting people at the elite level of sport needs more of our attention. We are aware of many young people who are recognised by sports governing bodies as having a particularly high level of ability and numerous parents are asking us to support them and their children as they navigate the joys and challenges this raises. These are outlined in the articles ‘Young Performance Athletes’ and ‘Mind the Gap’. At this high level of sport there is also an increasing number
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of management staff, coaches and players in elite and professional adult sport who are asking for our support and we need to add staff to continue to serve these sportspeople appropriately. The feature on our newest staff member Linvoy Primus is indicative of the steps we are taking to address this opportunity. Secondly, the last five years has seen an explosion in the demand from Christians involved in sport from across the world that we help them develop their indigenous work. The feature ‘Sports Plus’ is but one small example of the international reach of Christians in Sport. It is an honour and a joy to partner with leaders
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in well over 100 countries but it is certainly stretching our capacity as an organisation! “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. Thank you for reading this snapshot of the work. I hope you are encouraged and challenged by it. If you are already on this journey of reaching the world of sport with us, let’s keep going; if you are considering joining us, come on then, let’s go
together! Do read Game Plan 3 and see if you can help the work continue to progress as we ‘go far...together’.
Danno (Graham Daniels) General Director Cambridge United FC, St Andrew the Great Church, Cambridge
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INTERVIEW BACK PAGES CAUGHT UP WITH NEW SIGNING LINVOY PRIMUS
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Signing a professional football contract at the age of 18, playing in the premier league with the likes of Rooney and Gerrard and winning the FA Cup reads like a childhood’s dream. And so it was for Linvoy Primus, who’s dream fast became a reality when Charlton Athletic came knocking on his door with a key to fame and fortune. But by the age of 27, a year into his contract with Portsmouth FC, Primus realised something was missing from his life, a hole that even the love of the most avid Pompey supporter could not fill.
“My wife got invited to church and initially I went along to make up the numbers, but then I heard about Jesus, you know, that you could have a relationship with him. And it was probably after about 6 weeks of asking difficult questions that I finally realised that I’d filled my life with all these different things and by filling my life with everything I had really taken God out of the picture…I realised the one thing missing from my life was Jesus and I needed to start having a relationship with him. Weeks later I had an encounter with God where I was healed. I got hit by his power and at that moment I said ‘God whatever you want me to do I will do because I know you are real, I know this is it.’ And I really believe that it was this surrender that allowed him to do things through me that were way beyond what I could imagine.” Primus believes that it was no coincidence that this realisation marked a dramatic improvement in his performances on the pitch. Eyes opened to a deep understanding of how God saw him, Primus was freed from the burdening pressures of results and a desire to please ‘every single fan’.
“It was understanding who God said I was and changing my thinking to how God thought that brought real peace, real freedom and a new lease of life. I stopped
worrying about the results, I started to think that as long as I gave 110% for God, whatever result it was at the end of the game, at least I’d done my all for God, so it took a real pressure off.” But even Primus’ improved performances on the pitch, didn’t shelter him from changing room banter, known all too well by many Christian athletes in sports clubs across the UK.
“It was difficult at first, it really was. They didn’t understand where I was coming from. They had a perception of Christianity which was like all…Christians wear sandals and socks, Bible bashing, never playing on a Sunday and stuff like that. So I got a little bit of stick and it hurt, it really hurt.” Though through the daily taunts and jibes, Primus held strong to what he knew to be true and found comfort in God’s word.
“I held onto a couple of scriptures, one being, Matthew 5:11 - “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.’’ When I realised that when the guys were laughing at me, that I was being blessed, it took away the pain and I continually kept on saying it to myself and I thought ‘I’m being blessed!’ ‘I’m being blessed!’ In the end I didn’t care as much what they said, I thought that if loving Jesus was the only bad thing they had to say about me then that’s not a bad thing!” However, over the 10 years he played at Fratton Park, Primus noticed a gradual ‘softening to Christianity’ throughout the club culture and by the end of his career he saw five fellow players and staff members come to know Christ for themselves. .7
“After about a year, the lads’ attitude to me was different; they stopped ganging up on me and they started coming to me individually asking me for prayer. Harry (Redknapp) allowed us to start prayer meetings before games and gradually over the years guys just wanted to meet and pray together. It was great! We would have discussions around the dinner table too, and there were guys there who weren’t Christians but were asking questions. In the end we were able to get to a point where I was able to ask them about coming to an Alpha course – that we would hold in-house – and through that we saw five players and staff became Christians. And for me those were the blessings the Bible talked about, seeing what God was doing behind the scenes in these peoples’ hearts. A lot of these guys left Portsmouth and went onto other clubs and have started these prayer meetings before games too. It’s great, it’s so good.” Retiring in 2009, due to a knee injury, Primus stayed on at the club in an ambassadorial role whilst continuing his work with ‘Faith and Football’, a charity set up by Primus and teammate Darren Moore in 2002, which aims to make a difference in local communities through providing Christian role models. In 2013, Primus joined the Christians in Sport staff team part time, supporting professional footballers like himself.
“My role is to support Christian pros up and down the country and to work alongside the club chaplains on the ground, which has been great because they are there with these players in the club day in day out. I’m also meeting a lot of players who are wondering what life is all about and others who I used to play with who are now in coaching/ management, who are asking about life after football and I’m having good conversations with these guys too. So I’m meeting a good range of young Christians and those at the end of their careers saying ‘now what?” 8.
But in true Primus style, he is quick to divert any personal credit for these many open doors away from himself.
“Believe me I wasn’t a superstar – I was ‘Little Linvoy’ from Stratford East London – that’s it. If I was your A-list footballer who played at the biggest club or won everything and everyone knew me - I could understand why those doors open but I know it’s God, I truly know it’s God, because some of the relationships that I’ve had with past players, who are in positions of influence now allow me to just pick up the phone and speak to them. And I know that’s God. I know that’s not me. And that’s the nice thing about it, that, as much as I think I’m in control, I’m not at all. I’m on the edge and I’m more dependent on him than ever and I love it. I absolutely love it.”
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to face the same battles he had to during his career. In what is arguably an athlete’s most impressionable phase of their development, an undoubtedly proud father says he tries to guide Atlanta wherever possible.
“I have tried to advise her and give her moral values based on scripture…I never put any pressure on…I just know if she’s enjoying it, God’s enjoying it”. Linvoy admits that Atlanta, along with today’s other young elite athletes, are under increased pressure to conform to a certain way and believes that’s why Christian support networks, from club chaplains, church leaders and Christians in Sport are needed now more than ever.
“I think it’s harder nowadays for these young players to stand up for what they think is right. If we can guide them through in any way, that’s our responsibility as mentors and role models.”
Having spent 17 years in topflight football, Primus knows better than most the importance of a supportive church family to those competing at an elite level.
‘The support of a church congregation is huge, especially if that person falls, the people that have to catch them is their church family. One of the best things a church leader can do to support them is to make a real commitment to seek these people out and see how they are doing. Even if you don’t understand the sport, it’s not about the sport, it’s about the person. They’re a Christian in the sport not the other way around and they need support as a person.” His playing career has not only helped him to now support others on a professional level but also closer to home. His daughter, Atlanta, 16, is a junior football international and is having
One such area many seek guidance on is the ‘Sunday Sport v Church’ conflict, something Primus himself continues to battle today, as a parent rather than a player. But instead of seeing it as an either/or situation, Primus refreshingly sees the solution as a compromise.
“If I could give any advice to a parent it would be to try and find a mid-week service, or try to go to a church where you can get to a service as much as you can as a family. If a child is playing every Sunday, maybe week one Mum watches, week two Dad watches, week three – the child goes solo and the rest of the family goes to church.” So there you have it. A man who was living every young footballers dream, but through offering to surrender it all, God went on to use him in a way far beyond what he could ever have imagined. Is your child or someone in your church competing in elite youth sport? If so, do read ‘Young Performance Athletes’ on page 24 to find out what support is available. .9
MIND THE GAP The Sunday Sport dilemma through a mother’s eyes As the Christian mother of four children who love the Lord and love sport, I find myself living through a very real dilemma. The structures of Church and the structures of Sport seem to be poles apart and pulling in opposite directions creating a gap! The dilemma I face is can the gap be bridged? Or does sport, which competes for time on a Sunday, need to be sacrificed? 10.
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these gifts are to be used to worship Him. So I take it that my children who love sport are to play to His glory. It matters how they play. It matters that they are a witness for the Lord in their various teams and clubs. So I assume that it is one of my roles as a mother to nurture those gifts and to help them to see all things as coming from Him and to be used for Him. The rubber hits the road when children reach a certain standard (which seems to be different in different sports). They play in a team, they may be a key part of that team and the team’s key match is on a Sunday. We let them play, reasoning that to miss church occasionally is okay and there is the team to consider. This in itself is not an easy decision, however it gets harder because the better they each get the more each sport demands of them and the more Sunday becomes an issue. *NB* I know many parents who have not let their children play because of the clash with church and I respect them for it. We must not become polarised into those who allow their children to play on a Sunday and those who don’t with each side “tut-tutting” at the other. On this issue we may decide differently what the wise course of action is but the Bible urges us to respect, pray for and support each other in such matters (Colossians 2:16, Romans 14:5-13). All Christian parents want the same outcome – children who know and love the Lord. If we are to bridge the gap between church and sport for our children, it will certainly not be straightforward and will, I am sure, demand much work on our part as parents.
I FIND MYSELF HOLDING AND TRYING TO RECONCILE TWO TRUTHS.
ONE As those saved by grace through faith in Christ, corporate meeting as His body is vitally important. In today’s society the most obvious time when that happens is on a Sunday.
TWO The Lord has created us all in His image with different gifts, our likes/dislikes etc. All
We are very fortunate at our church to have a 4.30pm service, so Sunday morning training is not an issue. Conveniently, my girls have ended up playing netball and my boys hockey. So at different times of the year different levels of commitment are required. However the higher up you get with a sport the more it becomes a year round commitment. I haven’t actually kept a record of how often each child misses church but it must be something like once every five weeks. At times a child might miss several in a row and then not miss any at all for a longer spell. However, I know that this does impact
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each child, their peers at church, their leaders and me! For each child we can ensure that they get appropriate Bible study. We can pray with them before training/matches. We can each be seeking to be witnesses for Christ, me on the touchline and them in their teams. We can help them to see God’s sovereignty in issues of selection and injury, to fight the battle for being godly in banter and gamesmanship. (I must train myself to be much better at praising them when I see godly behaviour on the pitch or court rather than just praising their skill or the result!) However, none of this gets around the problem of missing out on fellowship with the church family! It may mitigate it but it doesn’t get around it. I know it runs the risk that despite what I say I may be sending the signal (both to them and others) that sport is more important than the church family. I also know that the effect on me is probably even greater. Each child misses some services but we have four children so I miss many more. My husband is on the staff team of our church so together with much thought and prayer we decided that it was right to let our children play and for ‘a season’, and for me to take a step back from some (not all) of my church commitments. Two years on and I confess it is a big struggle. Being part of the church family is so much more than mere attendance on a Sunday. I often arrive slightly late and have to leave promptly in order to drop off, collect or get children home and fed, often coming straight from a match. You may be thinking, “well just call a stop to sport and commit to church!” The problem is that this solves some problems and creates others. It may be making a clear stance on the importance of church, but I am pulling them out of an area of gifting and passion. What does it say to them about seeing all aspects of their lives as worship to God? What about the opportunities they had to witness to their teammates and to grow in their faith on the sports pitch? There are no easy solutions. In trying to work through how we live in this gap I know that the responsibility lies with me
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as parent. I have often heard people say (and been tempted to think myself), “If only the church would do...” However our church is a large, well-resourced city centre church and yet I know from the inside that we often feel that we are all clinging on by our fingertips. We are fortunate enough to have a youth worker and a wonderful team of volunteer youth and children’s workers, yet they have more than enough to do with the children that are there each week without chasing after my kids. The responsibility for working this through primarily rests with my husband and I. As I said before, we do see living in this gap as being ‘for a season’. Our older daughter now plays adult netball, which is on a Saturday. It does seem that once children get to about 14 it becomes slightly easier; they may miss more church but it is easier to have other opportunities during the week to meet with other Christians. However the younger they are and the more talented they are, the harder it is and the greater the dilemma. As a family, as we seek to love and serve the Lord in every area of our lives, we continually need to “mind the gap!” (even if we haven’t yet found a perfect way to bridge it). Julia Wilkinson Mother of Barney, Ed, Ellie and Floss St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford
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FINDING PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS For the weekly tension between Sunday sport and Sunday church services There are no easy answers and no one ‘out of a box’ solution that every parent and youth worker can implement, but here are some suggestions to help you think this difficult area through.
ONE COMMUNICATE. Parents have a great opportunity to teach their children about the various priorities as they work this through, so talk it through with your children - pray about it with them. Similarly talk to your church about it. Help them understand your thinking and see how they can support you as a family.
TWO CHECK YOUR HEART. Parents may well be wanting to bask in the reflected glory of their child’s county trial. Children may well want to please their parents by getting selected. Ministry staff may well be governed by a concern not to lose a ‘key family’ from their ministry. Pray for Godly motivations and be honest with yourself about your real motives (often dressed up in pseudo-Godly way!)
THREE DON’T FORCE A CHOICE
BETWEEN THE TWO IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO. If there is a workable solution then go for it, but as you do so be realistic about its implications both practically but also spiritually. So parents if you will drive two hours to watch your child play squash against another club, will you be similarly devoted to getting them to and from youth group on Friday evening?
FOUR REALISE THE PRIMARY ROLE THAT PARENTS HAVE FOR THE SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF THEIR CHILDREN. It is primarily the parent’s job, not the church’s, to bring up their children in the grace and truth of the gospel. This does not mean you are responsible for whether they trust in Christ - that is God’s area, but beware the thinking that “as long as I get my child to youth group then I’ve done my bit”. Youth leaders are there to help but it’s your child and ultimately under God he or she is your responsibility. So take an active lead in trying to resolve the church sport tension yourself. There was a great example of a father who would drive his young lad to rugby on Sunday mornings but every week they would pull over for half an hour on the way there and do a Bible study together that he had prepared. It turned out to be the most precious time of the week between him and his son!
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QUICK FIRE NEWS Your tweets, highlights and stories from across the world as together we reach the world of sport for Christ. 8,000 CHRISTIANS IN SPORT HAVE BEEN REPRESENTING GOD IN THEIR TEAMS AND CLUBS. @CIS_UK @ian_duke The referee told me to take my @CIS_UK Audience of One band off this afternoon, still aiming to play in a way that honours God band or no band!
YOUNG SPORTSPEOPLE WERE TRAINED AT NORTHERN IRELAND AND ENGLAND SPORTS PLUS XTRA.
THE FIRST EVER IRISH PRAY PLAY SAY GROUP WAS SET UP AT UCD. 14.
52 churches, universities, schools and clubs have hosted sports events where the Christian Message has been shared in the last few months.
@CIS_UK @glasgowunicu Having to rejig the tournament ‘cos TOO MANY people want to play Dodgeball! Pray for Dave speaking! @UCCF @CIS_UK
370 leaders from over 90 countries gathered in November to help facilitate global sports mission.
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60 sports mission leaders from across 19 European countries gathered in Italy to share, encourage and learn. For some, this gathering that takes place every two years, is the only place these leaders get to meet others who share their faith and passion for sport.
Club La Santa, Lanzarote, welcomed 65 Christians in sport and friends in the summer. A chance for them to play sport and explore Christianity together.
Churches in Scotland are getting ready to welcome the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.
A NEW VIDEO BLOG FOR YOUNG SPORTSPEOPLE WAS LAUNCHED. @samstephenson22 Loving #sportsplusonline. The fun continues all year round! @CIS_UK
1,000 STUDENTS KEEN TO EXPLORE CHRISTIANITY CAME TO GUEST EVENTS RUN BY CHRISTIANS IN SPORT THIS FIRST ACADEMIC TERM. Plans for helping the Church engage with the 2015 Rugby World Cup are well underway. @Engage2015 Presented our mission and plans for the rugby World Cup in 2015 for church to engage with this massive event on our doorstep.
Organisations passionate about sport and the Church gathered in Westminster to think through how they can collaborate to help engage the two going forward. @SportMinistries Great day learning & networking with others on engaging & serving the UK church in & through sport. .15
CLUBHOUSE SEASON SEES HUNDREDS TRAINED TO REACH THE WORLD OF SPORT FOR CHRIST.
Autumn 2013 saw over 400 Christians in sport gather in 21 cities across the UK and Ireland, bringing together people from different backgrounds, ages and sports, united by their passion to reach their sports clubs for Christ. SPOTLIGHT: CLUBHOUSE CAMBRIDGE Over a bowl of chilli which was not for the faint-hearted, we met to encourage one another with the good news of the gospel and think about how to represent Christ within our teams. Danno (Graham Daniels, Christians in Sport’s General Director) took us through some verses in 2 Corinthians, reminding us that though we are but jars of clay, we have a wonderful God-given treasure to share. We saw the importance of not only speaking the truth plainly but living in accord with that truth – whilst remembering that it is God who shines His light into the hearts of our teammates. Done with the theory and onto the pitch for some drills – we practiced reading ‘Uncover’ together, a study version of Luke’s Gospel specifically designed by UCCF for seeking friends. The reason why I liked it so much was its tone – not patronising nor forceful – its strapline is ‘See For Yourself’ – and it very much sits back and lets Jesus do the work from the pages of the gospel. It’s also dead easy-to-use – the questions and passages are all there for you – so not much advance preparation is required! We closed in prayer and left with enthusiasm to keep on praying, playing and saying!
Sarah Gales University of Cambridge Rowing and Orienteering Club, St Andrew the Great Church, Cambridge
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What you’ve been saying about #Clubhouse on twitter… @rimmymendrix Great evening at @CIS_UK Clubhouse event in Nottingham, enjoy your sport this weekend and remember who you are doing it for #AudienceofOne @SheffieldCIS Great evening at #Clubhouse! ‘For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord’ #2Corinthians4v5 #prayplaysay #uncover @CIS_UK @LizPamps Crazily long week not sure anything but catching up with old friends and meeting new ones with @CIS_UK could get me out #clubhouse @LucyStuchfield Class night at @CIS_UK #Clubhouse with the guys from @OxfordCiS and lots of new faces - well equipped #prayplaysay #uncover @MHarris_1 Good times at @CIS_UK Bristol Clubhouse. Great to see 22 Christian sportspeople from Bristol, Bath and Gloucester meeting together to train! @Gallaher93 Great night at the Newcastle Clubhouse!! @CIS_UK @ian_duke Excited for @CIS_UK Clubhouse tonight, meeting other sports guys and praying for teammates! What better way to spend a Friday evening! @MTGScotland Excited for @CIS_UK #clubhouse coming to Scotland this weekend. Over 90 Christians in sport gathering to train, pray and chat.
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BACK PAGES CAUGHT UP WITH
RICHARD KIRTLEY
One of many Christians in sport putting Clubhouse training into practice and using ‘Uncover’ to read the Bible with their teammates. Name: Richard Kirtley Club: Sheffield University Hockey Club Church: Christ Church Fulwood
BP: Why did you decide to invite your teammate Adam to read the Bible with you? RK: I felt compelled to. I grew up in a family keen to repress the Bible from all areas of life. But once I gained my new found freedom at university, I began to understand that we are compelled to share the gospel with our friends and teammates because of what Jesus has done for us in taking our sins away on the cross. How could I live a life where I didn’t tell my friends this wonderful news? I decided as soon as I knew this that I should start inviting my friends to read the Bible with me. BP: Was it a nerve racking ask? RK: I invited my friend Adam on the way back from a social one night. We’d just left the club and were walking back to the student accommodation when he asked why I was still sober. I explained that I didn’t feel it was right to drink in excess because I’m a Christian and feel that I should glorify God with everything I do. He was struck by this and wanted to learn a bit more about Christianity. It just so happens that ‘Uncover’ was launched in CU a couple of weeks earlier and I had a couple of copies of the book. I mentioned ‘Uncover’ to him and when we met to play hockey together the next day, I handed him one of the pocket Luke’s gospel. I actually didn’t follow this up afterwards, but a week later, Adam came up to me and said he’d read the book! I was amazed 18.00. 2011 www.christiansinsport.org.
at just how good God was, that Adam was compelled to read the gospel, even without my prompting. Well I asked him then if he wanted to meet up and start the studies and he was happy to do so. So we started to meet up, over coffee, over a pint, wherever we fancied really and we started to get really stuck into the word. I was nervous to start with but after the first couple of studies, when Adam knew what to expect, it was really, really easy. BP: So what did Adam make of it all? RK: Adam isn’t a Christian (yet!!) but ‘Uncover’ was excellent in informing him of the word. Before this, he had little knowledge of God, yet now having studied the gospel he is so much more informed. It means that now Christianity is something that is always on his mind, always something to be considered which is really great. It means we always have discussions about it and although it hasn’t brought him to Christ yet, I feel that we are at least a little bit of the way there.
Christians in Sport 2014
BP: How was Clubhouse Sheffield? RK: Clubhouse was excellent. The teaching we got was sound as ever and the fellowship was great! But what is more, we looked at how to use ‘Uncover.’ It may seem a bit silly, but just going over the study as a group of Christians together is the best way to prepare for ‘Uncover’. You can get to grips with the study and with what you might expect to trouble your friend so you are 100% prepared for when you do start an ‘Uncover’ study. BP: If you had to give one bit of advice to someone thinking about reading the Bible with their friends, what would it be? RK: Right at the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus issues instructions to his disciples. He tells them to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). The disciples are told to go out into the world and spread the word of Jesus, to bring people to Him. These instructions weren’t just meant for the disciples though. They were meant for us. We should be compelled to share the gospel with our teammates, to bring them to Jesus. For while we do this, Jesus will be with us, He will guide us. Make the most of ‘Uncover’, for it really is a great tool for bringing your friends and teammates closer to Christ. .19
AGED11-17AND WANT SOME
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ABOUT SPORT?
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QUALITY COACHING AN ACTION - PACKED TIME THIS SUMMER?
SPORTSPLUS
Specialist sports coaching, games and team competitions, plus a great opportunity for young people to find out about Jesus and what it means to live for Him.
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SPORTS PLUS CAMP MODEL ARRIVES IN ROMANIA A highlight of the Sports Plus 2013 season was sending a team from the UK to help support and deliver the Christian Sports Camp in Romania. It all started a couple of years ago. Our contact was ‘Manu’ a current PE teacher in a school in Cluj and an international handball player, flying the flag for Christianity in Romania with a passion for sport. After a Pray Play Say training event in Romania, Manu was keen to attempt a crack at delivering a sports camp for sporty young people in her region.
STEP 1: ‘Come and See’ We simply invited Manu to come and experience and engage in a UK Sports Plus Camp in 2012. The idea behind this was to give Manu an insight to what we consider to be the non-negotiable principles of running a Sports Camp. 1. Plain gospel is taught from the Bible 2. Leaders lives display Christlikeness 3. The value of sport is kept as high as possible Of course we knew that contextually and culturally things would be very different in Romania but principally very similar. A valuable time!
STEP 2: ‘Together we’ll do’ In June 2013 a small team from the UK headed out to Cluj to help deliver a Sports Camp. We were able to part fund this Sports Camp with the money raised from the Sports Plus 2012 bleep test - without this the camp would not have been possible. Training of leaders started on the Friday evening through to Sunday lunchtime after which the young people arrived and stayed until Thursday. The timetable of the day looked very similar to a UK Sports 22.
Plus camp and yet the feel, the coaching, the team challenge, the meetings all took on a ‘Romanian feel’. 40 young people attended - all decent sports players including two national level girl’s teams in Basketball and Handball. Many came with little understanding of the heart of the gospel. High level sport coaching and competition and the good news of Jesus taught applicably into the lives of Romanian sporty young people proved to be a really great week.
Step 3: ‘Go and do and multiply’ Plans are in place for a small UK team to head back to Romania this summer to help deliver another camp. A specific focus will be on the training of Romanian leaders to handle the Bible both in Bible studies and talk delivery. The aim is for the Romanian Sports Camp to grow in depth, to grow numerically and multiply incrementally. Hopefully this is the gospel model of discipleship as he builds His kingdom - these
Above: Manu
things can’t be rushed. We’d love to see Sports Camps of this nature springing up all over the place in European countries as we identify and partner with leaders who are gospel centred and passionate about the world of sport. Lancs (Ian Lancaster) Youth Team Leader Alchester Running Club, Magdalen Road Church, Oxford
“The Sports Plus camp in Romania for serious players from sports clubs from my city was a dream come true. I’ve heard so many times the phrase “Dream big and start small!” I think, in a way, that happened with our first Sport Plus camp in Romania. The dream is big, we started with 40 young sportspeople and it was a blessed camp! I am looking forward to see what God is going to do in 2014 because He is greater than our dreams!” Manu
Watch this space for a future fundraising event to help support the running of INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CAMPS. .23
YOUNG PERFORMANCE ATHLETES Is your child or someone in your church competing in elite youth sport? If so, help is at hand. We want to encourage and support ANYONE who is playing sport at ANY level to be representing Christ in their team or club. However, playing at a high level brings its own unique challenges (e.g. time commitments, pressures to perform, family sacrifices, identity issues) that we feel means these young people, their parents and their church leaders could do with an extra bit of support. WHAT SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE FOR ‘JUNIOR’ YOUNG PERFORMANCE ATHLETES (YPAs) UNDER THE AGE OF 16?
Sports Plus Online: A monthly video blog for young sportspeople. Resources for YPAs, parents and youth leaders: Bible studies, videos and articles designed to help you tackle tough issues together such as Sunday sport, nerves and coping with injuries. Support for parents and youth leaders: This may take the form of regular contact with one of our staff team, prayer support or linking you with other Christian parents of YPAs in your area.
Repton Sports Plus: A six-day residential sports camp between 10th – 15th August 2014 at Repton School in Derbyshire. All Sports Plus camps are open to all young sportspeople however we are encouraging YPAs to attend Repton. This gives them a chance to meet others competing at the same level as them. They will be coached in their sport by highly qualified Christian coaches and will have the opportunity to explore what it means to represent God in their sport.
ON TOP OF THE EVENTS AND RESOURCES LISTED ABOVE, WHAT OTHER SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE FOR ‘SENIOR’ YOUNG PERFORMANCE ATHLETES (YPAs) AGED 16-18?
Repton Sports Plus
Resources for YPAs, parents and youth leaders
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Sports Plus Online
Our support for YPAs over 16 is tailored depending on the support the senior YPA requires. This support may take the form of regular contact with one of our staff team, prayer support or linking them with other Christians competing at their level.
Support for parents and youth leaders
Frequently asked Questions WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JUNIOR YPA AND A SENIOR YPA? To help manage the transition of support as an athlete gets older, we have distinguished two categories of YPAs - Junior and Senior. A Junior YPA is someone who is under 16 and is on a performance pathway as laid down by the governing body of their sport. A Senior YPA is someone who is over 16 and high up on a performance pathway as laid down by the governing body of their sport and are on a trajectory towards becoming professional or, where the sport is not professional the governing body recognise them as an elite performer. I’M STILL NOT SURE IF I’M A JUNIOR YPA OR SENIOR YPA OR NEITHER?! It is a little confusing because every sport is different, some with more established pathways than others. If in doubt go to the website of your governing body, ask your coach about performance pathways or give the Christians in Sport office a ring on 01869 255 630.
YOU SAY YPAs SHOULD HEAD TO REPTON SPORTS PLUS – DOES THIS MEAN THAT REPTON IS ONLY FOR YPAs? Not at all. All Sports Plus camps are open to all young sporty people. However, we are encouraging those on performance pathways to attend Repton. We recognise that the best support for YPAs is probably meeting other Christians who play their sport at the same level. We don’t know of masses of YPAs so practically it just makes sense to try and get as many of them as possible to one camp, Repton just happens to be the largest site and fairly central geographically! IF I THINK I AM A YPA, PARENT OF A YPA OR I KNOW OF SOMEONE IN MY CHURCH OR SCHOOL WHO IS, WHAT SHOULD I DO? We would love to hear from you. Get in touch with Julia Wilkinson on 01869 255 630 or at Julia@christiansinsport.co.uk.
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STUDENT HUB Hundreds of students from the top 50 sporting universities have been meeting weekly across the UK and Ireland. They meet to pray for their friends and to encourage each other as they represent Christ in their sports clubs. Here’s just a few of their many, many highlights from last term.
SCOTLAND Active Groups: Glasgow Universities, University of Dundee, The University of Edinburgh, HeriotWatt University, University of St Andrews, University of Stirling HIGHLIGHTS FROM TERM 1
• University of Glasgow Pray Play Say Group joined with their CU to run a dodgeball tournament, where the gospel was shared with over 200 people, over 100 of whom were guests.
ended up eating pies all night. There was a 4th year Christian in sport also in the team who supported him during the night. Together they stood tall for Christ. A PRAYER FOR TERM 2 Pray for the University of Dundee mission week in February, where the Pray Play Say group will be serving the CU there to help run the mission. Pray for Christians in sport to be bold in inviting friends to guest events put on and that many sportspeople would get the chance to hear the gospel over the week.
• A 3rd year Christian basketball player brought her teammates along to the dodgeball tournament and off the back of it one of her teammates has started going along to church with her.
• Loads of students from Pray Play Say groups across Scotland attended Clubhouse Glasgow and Edinburgh. Many of them came away really enthusiastic to read the Bible 1-1 with their friends.
• A 2nd year at the University of Stirling returned to the men’s rugby team after a year out from injury. He attended the initiation and told the captain he wasn’t going to drink so he 26.
SOUTH ENGLAND Active Groups: University of St Mark and St John Plymouth, St Mary’s University College, Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Kent, Central London Universities, University of Exeter, University of Bath, University of Bristol, University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, University of Southampton, University of Cambridge, Brunel University HIGHLIGHTS FROM TERM 1 • New Pray Play Say groups were set up at
christiansinsport.org.uk
find more Christian sports players at their universities and also for the University of Exeter Pray Play Say group as they serve alongside their CU during this term’s mission week.
NORTH ENGLAND Active Groups: Durham University, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Loughborough University, The University of Nottingham, The University of Manchester, University of Leeds, Nottingham Trent University, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, Lancaster University, University of Leicester, University of Bradford, University of Birmingham, University of Gloucestershire and The University of Warwick HIGHLIGHTS FROM TERM 1
• There are now three Christians in The
University of St Mark and St John Plymouth, St Mary’s University College and Canterbury Christ Church University (joint with University of Kent) and for the first time ever a group for all Central London universities was formed.
• A rugby player at St Mary’s University College fresher nailed his colours to the mast early on this term at initiation. As a fresher he had to sing a solo on stage so he decides to sing the first verse of Amazing Grace.
• A rugby player professed faith in June through the witness of one of his teammates. Now he has started up a Pray Play Say group for Canterbury Christ Church University students, which has now extended to University of Kent as well. 12 Christians in sport are meeting up weekly together to be equipped to stand for Christ in their clubs.
• Over 3,500 people turned up to the University of Exeter CU Carol Service including members of the University of Exeter Pray Play Say group and their teammates where the real meaning of Christmas was unwrapped by Graham Daniels. A PRAYER FOR TERM 2 Pray for the newer groups as they try and
University of Nottingham FC, almost a Christian in each team! They have been boldly representing Christ in the club throughout the term and in November 30 out of the 50 football club members came along to a sports quiz the guys put on at the club with a talk on Christianity.
• Newcastle and Northumbria University Pray Play Say Groups partnered with Jesmond Parish Church to host a sports quiz at St. James’ Park. 220 attended, half of whom were guests.
• After chatting to another Christian in sport at Forum (UCCF’s annual training conference), a Christian sportsman returned to his University in Liverpool, found 7 other Christians in sport and they are now meeting every Wednesday morning to pray for each other and their teammates. This is a real joy as we have never had a university group at Liverpool.
• After years of prayer, a group finally started at Northumbria University. Three Christians in sport currently meet each week and we are hoping more will come along. A PRAYER FOR TERM 2 Pray for all the students as they continue to share life and their faith in Jesus Christ with those they play sport with.
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IRELAND Active Groups: Queen’s University Belfast, University of Ulster Jordanstown (UUJ), University College Dublin (UCD) HIGHLIGHTS FROM TERM 1 • 21 Christians in sport gathered at a student training day in August for fellowship and to train how to share the gospel clearly with their teammates.
• Christians in Sport partnered with other student organisations on a 3-day mission at UCD, speaking to sports students about faith and sport, running sports events and a training evening for Christian sportspeople. Praise God for the 10 sports players that God raised up over the 3 days who love Jesus and are playing UCD sport – a Pray Play Say group has now been formed. This is the first ever Pray Play Say group in Ireland.
• Students joined other sportspeople from across Belfast at Clubhouse Belfast for an evening of training, prayer and food!
• Around 28 students came along to the Queen’s University Belfast CU dodgeball tournament run by Christians in Sport as part of their Freshers week to play and hear something of who Jesus is at the half way break. A PRAYER FOR TERM 2 Pray for the UUJ mission week in March which we are helping to run with the CU and
for Graham Daniels as he speaks at all the events throughout the week. Pray that the events would be a great catalyst to spark conversations with friends.
WALES Active Groups: Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff University and Bangor University HIGHLIGHTS FROM TERM 1 • Loads of new freshers have joined the Cardiff University Pray Play Say group which is a real answer to prayer as many of the group graduated at the end of last year.
• Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan Pray Play Say groups got involved in CONVINCED Mission which ran over 5 universities and 12 campuses.
• This year there is a great combination of freshers and finalists at Cardiff Metropolitan University. It’s been such an encouragement to see them uniting in Christ.
• New contacts have been made with students in Swansea who love Jesus and play sport. A PRAYER FOR TERM 2 Pray for God to raise up more Christians in sport across Wales especially in Swansea and Aberystwyth Universities where few are known.
Please keep in your prayers all our University Pray Play Say group leaders.
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Christians christiansinsport.org.uk in Sport 2014
RESOURCES ZONE PRAY PLAY SAY…THE YOUTH WAY…TRILOGY Bible studies series designed to help the young sports player think through how they might represent God in their sports clubs and teams.
PRAY PLAY SAY TRILOGY Bible studies designed to help sportspeople represent Christ in their sports clubs and teams and tackle the many issues they face as Christian athletes.
Available to buy at christiansinsport.org.uk/shop and to download for free on the Christians in Sport resources app.
SPORTS PLUS ONLINE A NEW MONTHLY VIDEO BLOG DESIGNED FOR YOUNG SPORTSPEOPLE. Be the first to hear when it’s out each month by ticking ‘Sports Plus Online’ on the ‘Keep in Touch’ flyer in this magazine or by visiting christiansinsport.org.uk/sportsplusonline.
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Should I play sport on a Sunday? I want to share my faith but what do I say? What does the Bible say about competitiveness?
DOWNLOAD THE CHRISTIANS IN SPORT RESOURCES APP TODAY AND START TACKLING THESE BIG QUESTIONS.
christiansinsport.org.uk
GUEST EVENTS Free resources available for churches, sports clubs, schools and universities to help you run events for sportspeople. NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS Multi-sports tournament for young people with a half time talk on the Christian faith. Download the free Night of Champions manual, which provides guidance on how to prepare for your event, run it on the night and follow up afterwards, from christiansinsport.org.uk/noc.
SPORTS QUIZ The new sports quiz, available from January 2014, is an easy-to-use DVD resource which comes with a complete six round sports quiz, a five minute talk on the Christian faith and helpful guidance on how to run your event. Request your sports quiz at christiansinsport.org.uk/sportsquiz.
Need a helping hand running your event? Request a member of the Christians in Sport staff to come and help run your event and deliver a half time talk relevant to the sports culture for free.
TRAINING SCHEMES Love your sport? Hungry to know the Bible better? Passionate about reaching the world of sport for Christ? Check out Christians in Sport’s internal training schemes, combining valuable Biblical training with a well-integrated programme of mission experience. Academy 2015
Internship 2014 - 2015
A six month training programme, designed for sportspeople aged 18 - 19 years who are serious about representing Christ and sharing the Good News of Jesus with their sporting friends.
A one year programme for graduate age applicants (although not necessarily having been through university), training future leaders to reach the world of sport for Christ. The Internship has trained 92 students to date, equipping them for the next stage of life and ministry.
Duration: January – July 2015 Deadline: February 2014 visit christiansinsport.org.uk/trainingschemes ToFor joinmore yourinformation Sport Network visit christiansinsport.org.uk/sportnet-
Duration: August 2014 – July 2015 Deadline: March 2014 .31
ARE YOU READY TO HELP REACH THE WORLD OF SPORT FOR CHRIST? Find out how you can play your part at christiansinsport.org.uk/areyouready
@CIS_UK Christians in Sport 01869 255 630 info@christiansinsport.org.uk Frampton House, Unit D1, Telford Road Industrial Estate, Bicester OX26 4LD Registered in England. Company number 4146081. Charity number 1086570.