Gospel ‘Popular
Beyond Expectation’
at Sydney Olympics
SYDNEY,
Australia — The Bible Society in Australia
(BSA) has asked for prayer that the Word of God will continue to work in
the lives of the many people who were on the receiving end of its Scripture
distribution during the Sydney Olympics.
Over the fortnight of the Games, the BSA gave away more than 15,000 copies of the Games Edition of Mark’s Gospel, Towards the Goal at distribution points in both Olympic Park and Sydney city centre. Geoff Warren of the BSA (NSW) described the popularity of the Gospel as “beyond expectations”.
Wonderful response
Speaking as the Games drew to a close, he said, “The response at Olympic Park has been wonderful. People are taking the Gospels home because they contain the testimonies of Olympic athletes like Betty Cuthbert, David Beard and David Robinson. Nothing is being left behind. We need to pray that the Word of God will continue to work in their lives.” The Games Edition was an appropriate format, he added, for “sports-mad Australians”.
During the Games, the Bible Society co-hosted a tent at Olympic Park with Quest Australia, the organisation responsible for co-ordinating Christian involvement in the Games. The tent served as a contact point for many of the athletes taking part. Around 100 added their signatures to a large Bible Society montage which hung there, and at peak times some 300 people passed through the tent every hour.
Altogether the BSA printed 570,000 New Testaments and Gospels for distribution at the Olympics and the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (which were due to take place from October 18 - 29). Those volunteering to distribute them included mission groups, churches and Quest Australia. (WR 355/7 - 11.00)
Local
Church Offers Children
Gospels on the Sports Field
SYDNEY, Australia — Baseball sessions run by Christian coaches were just one of several sports clinics run by Sydney’s Menai Baptist Church as part of their outreach during the Sydney Olympic Games in September. Two American visitors, David Preston and Jim Coddington, held the clinics, which gave them the chance to explain the finer points of the largely North American sport.
“The response from the young people has been great,” reported Mr Preston, who is currently studying to be a baseball coach at the University of Arkansas.
500 children
More than 100 similar sports clinics were held across Australia during the Olympic Games, led by organisations such as Athletes in Action and Quest More Than Gold. Some 500 children and young people are reported to have made a personal commitment to Christ as a result.
Other sports clinics on offer at Menai Baptist Church included gymnastics, basketball, and boxing, and more than 100 children took part. In return they were given CDs and copies of the Games Edition of Mark’s Gospel, Towards the Goal.
“The testimonies of the coaches had a big impact on the kids,” said the church’s minister, the Rev Vivian Grice. “The children were talking about the testimonies long after the clinics.”
At a nearby shopping mall, the church operated a More Than Gold stand where computers enabled people to access information about both the Olympics and the Christian faith. It was also a Scripture distribution point, with hundreds of copies of the Games edition of Mark’s Gospel, Towards the Goal being handed out to shoppers. (WR 355/8 - 11.00)
‘God Helps
You Deal With Victory and Defeat’
– Olympic Volleyball Player’s Testimony
SYDNEY,
Australia — The members of the Kenyan Women’s Olympic Volleyball
Team were unusual if not unique among the athletes competing at the Sydney
Olympics – not because they went home with gold medals but because
they are all Christians.
On the court they have been African Champions since 1992 and off it they
read the Scriptures together and pray before and after training and matches.
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Rebellious teenager
Although she was born into a Christian family, she was a rebellious teenager. “My mother tried to give me advice but I could take it or leave it,” she says. “Often I just left it.” Nonetheless she went to church occasionally and attended a youth group. It was at a youth rally where she felt the Bible speak to her.“The preacher said God’s Word was ‘sharper than any two-edged sword’,” she says. “It was as if the Lord cut straight through my heart. The preacher also quoted a verse that said I could enjoy my youth but that one day I would face God’s judgement.
“I started reading the Scriptures daily and the Word just touched me,” she says. “It really changed me and I came to an acceptance of Christ. As my priorities began to change I started to lose my non-Christian friends. A change was happening in my life and my family and friends were noticing it.”
She began attending church regularly, met with other young people for Bible study and became leader of her church choir. In 1993 she left school and began playing volleyball with one of the country’s leading clubs.
“I was amazed when I was picked to play for Kenya in 1998,” she says. “I was even more astounded that the rest of the team were Christians just like me!”
Inspiration
She draws much of her inspiration from the Book of Psalms, particularly Psalm 23. “It reminds me that the Lord will not leave or forsake me,” she says. “It gives me back my courage when I need it. There are times when you sense you are going to be beaten but I always pray that God will give me strength. I encourage others to do the same. If our opponents are better than us then you must accept this fact. You can only do your best with the skills God has given you. Accepting your worth in the eyes of God helps you deal with both victory and defeat.” (WR 355/9 - 11.00)