UK churches plead for mission team help for the London 2012 Olympics

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

LONDON, UK (ANS) -- Churches in the United Kingdom are appealing for US churches to send mission teams to help them make the most of the London 2012 Olympics.

British Christians preparing for the 2012 London Olympics

Across the UK, churches are planning to use the Games next summer to reach out to international visitors and their own communities. This is under the banner of More Than Gold, an initiative that has the support of all the main denominations.

"The world is coming to London and the churches here are getting ready. But we need hundreds of mission teams from the US and elsewhere to help us make the most of this historic opportunity," explains More Than Gold's UK Director Jon Burns.

Over four million international visitors will be converging on London. One response from More Than Gold is a plan to hand out three million cups of cold water. There will also be outreach at main transport hubs and pedestrian corridors.

At the same time, over three thousand churches are expected to use the Games to reach out to their communities. This will include festivals with big screens showing the Olympics, plus music, food and activities for all the family.

Jon Burns

"The opportunity is too vast for the churches of the UK alone. Our plea to our fellow American believers is 'come on over and help us'. Many visitors will have no idea who Jesus really is and that is equally true of many who live here, says Jon Burns. "Let's join hands in unity to reach out with the Good News."

Jon adds, "Those coming on mission might find themselves serving at a hospitality center, sharing their testimony on the streets, or joining in games with children. There is something everyone can do."

By working through More Than Gold, mission teams will have accreditation, be able to be linked to host churches and have access to affordable accommodation. There is also an optional preparation conference in London for mission team leaders.

Churches interested in raising a mission team for London 2012 will find the details at www.morethangold.org.uk/missionteams.

The London Olympics run from July 27 through August 12 2012. The Paralympics follow from August 29 through September 9 2012.

For further information contact:

Peter Meadows, Director of Communication for More Than Gold
+44 (0)7711 201 268 peter.meadows@morethangold.org.uk

About More Than Gold

Logo

Since the 1996 Atlanta Games the Christian community's involvement with the world's major sporting events has been under the banner 'More Than Gold'. This provides a flag for united faith-based outreach, hospitality and service, and also an interface between the event's organizing committee and the churches.

To get ready for the London's 2012 Games, More Than Gold was established in the UK in 2008. It has the support of all main denominations and over sixty Christian organisations and mission agencies.

The banner "More Than Gold" has been used for the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, All-Africa Games, Indian Ocean Games and Summer and Winter Olympic Games and Paralympics.

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Dan Wooding, 70, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly "Front Page Radio" show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 200 countries. You can follow Dan on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel "Red Dagger" which is available this link.