Christian Olympians honoured
13 Aug 2012As the London Olympics came to a close, two Christian athletes were being honoured for acting out their faith in the world of sport. British rower Debbie Flood and decathlete Bryan Clay have been given the Eric Liddell Award. The award, which is named after the man made famous through the film Chariots of Fire, is to celebrate character and influence in the world of sports. The Team GB star was given the award after founding Creativity in Sport - an initiative aiming to give troubled youths a start in life. While the US former champion is recognised for his work starting up the Bryan Clay Foundation to help young people reach their potential. Bryan said ‘it's not easy to stay true to your faith in athletics.’ The awards were given out during the Legacy Breakfast which is an event put on by More than Gold, the group co-ordinating the Church's response to the Games.
Pray: for both athletes and their work outside sport; may it be an inspiration to others. (Matt.5:16)
More: http://www.premier.org.uk/news/current/Christian%20Olympians%20honoured.aspx
With Oscar Pistorius’ unexpected defeat in the men’s T44 200 metre race on Sunday night came an upsurge of interest in the technical side of the Paralympics, namely - do longer blades give the runner an advantage? Although Pistorius has always insisted that changing blades will not affect an athlete’s performance, what is evident is that the Paralympics - more so than the Olympics - are technology driven; the athletes rely on state of the art equipment to enable them to perform to the best of their ability. With this in mind, it is perhaps predictable but disappoining to hear that many Paralympians do not have access to the essential equipment that they need, or the funds to buy it. Through the Roof (www.throughtheroof.org), a Christian organization which donates wheelchairs and equipment to disabled people all around the world, has based itself in St John’s Church - right next to the Olympic park - to give away wheelchairs to Paralympians who need them.
Pray: for the work of Through the Roof and for the many people who have benefited from their gifts. (2Cor.4:15)
Christian athletes
26 Jul 2012Josh Davis is a swimmer who won three gold medals at Atlanta in 1996 and two more medals at the 2000 games. He is now a full-time motivational speaker, addressing secular and church audiences at least 70 times a year and has edited ‘The Goal and the Glory’. He was the only man at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games to win three gold medals. He travelsall over America telling people how great God is and reminds himself that even as his hard-earned Olympic medals are now dented and scratched from handling, God's Word is eternal. See http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-olympic-gold-medalist-josh-davis-on-christian-athletes-the-games-and-michael-phelps-78742/#8WQwtMMH3q4iTBpw.99 Being a Christian in a secular club or team can be challenging and in the UK ‘Christians In Sport Network’ gives Christians the opportunity to find and link in with other Christians actively involved in their sport. There are currently 15 different men’s and women’s sports providing sport specific resources, training and events to help believers live and share their faith in their team or club.
Pray: for Christian sport initiatives and Christian athletes to shine during and after the Olympic season. (Heb.12:1,2)
More: http://www.christiansinsport.org.uk/networks.asp?section=25§ionTitle=Sport+Networks
Child sex trafficking threat
03 Aug 2012Major sporting events such as World Cups and Olympic Games are often preceded by warnings about a rise in prostitution and sex trafficking as a result of the impending influx of spectators. The children’s charity Barnardo’s has warned hoteliers and bar staff near to the Olympic Park in Stratford to be on the lookout for any vulnerable youngsters during the Games, and has produced a leaflet to help those in the travel and hospitality industry to spot the signs of sexual exploitation. Barnardo’s has also called for better data collection of the crime to prevent children being abused during the next few weeks. Chief executive Anne Marie Carrie said, ‘With a huge influx of visitors to the capital everyone needs to play their part in spotting the signs that sexual exploitation is taking place. We must pull together to ensure that protection of vulnerable children is gold standard during the Olympics.’
Pray: for effective communications between the many agencies working to eliminate sex trafficking in our towns and cities. (Ps.17:13)
More: http://www.london24.com/news/crimeolympic_child_sex_trafficking_a_threat_says_charity_1_1453812
Bishop hails Olympics ‘goodwill legacy’
17 Aug 2012After the spectacular closing ceremony, the Bishop of Chelmsford praised the Olympic Games for the positive impact they are having on community life. The Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell welcomed the way in which the Olympics and the Paralympics, due to start in a few weeks, had regenerated a deprived area of East London, saying, ‘The vast and impressive buildings of the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village will indeed bring much needed regeneration. But I am beginning to wonder whether the Olympic legacy may bring a further change as well - a legacy of good will. ‘Last week I met a 17 year old who is on duty at Stansted airport every other morning. There is nothing very glamorous about this. But she wanted to be part of something bigger than herself. She is spending her summer welcoming strangers.’ Bishop Cottrell also said that many people had rediscovered a desire to celebrate with their neighbours through the Games.
Pray: for the volunteers who have learnt new skills and flair through serving the Olympics that they grow as they discover new ways to use and develop talents and gifts. (1Cor.12:4-6)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bishop.hails.olympics.goodwill.legacy/30461.htm
Athletes in action - Olympians of faith
11 Aug 2012The following is an excerpt from Athletes in Action report on the prayer effort during the Olympic Games: 'Now that the Olympic Games are under way, we hope all of you are enjoying being able to pray for the 10,500 competing athletes BY NAME on a regular basis. We have heard so many great comments from many of you about how you are using this as a learning experience for your children, praying as a family or using the names with Sunday school classes. We're so blessed not only to have you help us cover these athletes with prayer but also that you are so EXCITED about doing it! It makes all the work worth it! You might want to check out some of our stories on Olympians of Faith and pass these along to friends. Gives you someone to cheer for who loves God and is competing for His glory alone! You'll find those stories on this list with live links'.
Pray: that the testimonies of Olympians of faith will bless all those that they come into contact with. (1Cor.2:1)
An annual festival of disability sport is to be staged at the Olympic Park as part of a £2m package of future Paralympic plans at the east London venue. It is to be linked to a programme of training at sporting clubs in surrounding boroughs, said the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). The site will reopen from July 2013. Sport England figures show east London has a lower uptake in disabled sports than the rest of London. The park - to be renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - will reopen in phases after £292m of investment. The LLDC said tens of thousands of people will benefit from its Paralympic Legacy Programme. The programme will help to create new homes, public spaces and sporting venues that are accessible, it said. The LLDC plans to introduce a range of sports for disabled people including wheelchair rugby, boccia, wheelchair basketball and Goalball in the Copper Box.
Pray: that this development will bring a lasting legacy that will benefit the many thousands of paraplegics. (2Cor.4:15)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19480661
Faith leaders and community groups in London are promoting 'One Hundred Days of Peace', an initiative to develop a ‘peace legacy’ for the London Olympic Games in 2012. Churches, schools and colleges, together with a coalition called London Citizens that includes more than 300 faith and community groups, are organising ecumenical programmes of prayer and a range of activities linked to the Olympics to promote peace. These include a campaign called City Safe, which aims to build a network between shops and businesses across London to fight crime. The tradition of an Olympics truce was established in 9th century BC to enable competitors and spectators to travel safely to and from the games through ancient Greece's warring city-states. The International Olympic Committee decided to revive the ancient concept of the Olympic truce with the view to protecting the interests of the athletes and sport in general, and to encourage the search for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to conflicts around the world.
Pray: for One Hundred days of peace and that the initiative will have an enduring legacy. (Ps.34:14)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16299