More churches signed up to Olympics outreach than ever before

With just over a year left before the Games come to the capital, churches are drawing up their plans for coordinated outreach and engagement during the Games.

David Willson, chief executive of More than Gold, the umbrella group for outreach during the Games, has coordinated church engagement in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and Vancouver.

He said there were more churches and agencies getting behind the London Olympics than with any other Games previously.

Chairman of More than Gold, Lord Brian Mawhinney, expressed his excitement at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Esher, Surrey this week.

“This reveals an important legacy that will come as a result of the Games, a legacy of greater levels of cooperation and mutual respect as they work together in our villages, towns and cities,” he said.

“It has even been suggested to me that More Than Gold could well turn out to be the largest venture of inter-church cooperation the United Kingdom has ever seen.”

He said next year’s Olympics presented churches in the UK with an opportunity to “enrich their communities and demonstrate an outstanding welcome to visitors from overseas”.

Lord Mawhinney said he expected the number of churches erecting big screens during the Games to equal or even exceed the estimated 500 put up in churches around the UK last year to screen the World Cup.

“As a result, we will be seeing thousands of churches expressing their faith through service to their neighbours in ways that break down community barriers, generate trust and enrich relationships,” he said.

He also outlined plans for churches to host the families of athletes, particularly those who would otherwise not be able to afford to attend the Games.

It has become a tradition for churches to reach out during the Olympics. At the Atlanta Games, churches gave out over three million cups of coldwater to visitors on the streets, while in Sydney, churches organised over 100 sports clinics for disadvantaged young people.

Lord Mawhinney said the baton had now been passed to UK churches to serve the 15,000 athletes and 500,000 spectators coming to the capital for the Games.

“I have no doubt that they will seize the moment and rise to the challenge,” he said.