A champion US jockey is sharing his big vision for reaching Australia's race tracks with the gospel.
Pat Day, the North American record holder for prize money won in horse racing and racing industry representative for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA), has spent the past week in Sydney meeting with racing industry bosses, chaplains and local Christian leaders such as the Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen (pictured on right with Pat Day).
Mr Day has been joined by RTCA president Edward Smith and Executive Director Dr Enrique Torres who have been working with Sydney-based racing Australian Racing Christian Chaplaincy (ARCC) representatives to help build local contacts.
"We have come to walk in partnership with ARCC and pass on any knowledge we can," Mr Smith says.
"We want ARCC to be part of the bigger global vision to reach the stable area of race tracks. For every horse you see on the track there are 10 or 11 people working on that horse " we want to reach these people."
The links between American and Australian racing chaplaincies were strengthened through a visit Dr Karin Sowada, Chair of the ARCC Executive Committee made to the RTCA national conference in Houston in March.
"ARCC had reached a plateau in its knowledge base," Dr Sowada says.
"RTCA's visit has given us ideas for taking the ministry forward. It's encouraged us a lot and opened doors for us."
RTCA and ARCC committee members including the Rev's Paul Bayliss and Jeremy Tonks met with the CEO of the Sydney Turf Club Michael Kenny and CEO of the Australian Jockey Club Tony King who responded positively to ARCC's vision.
Pat Day says the RTCA has widespread acceptance in the US racing industry.
"We are now accepted and invited to industry conventions and asked to give updates on our ministry," Mr Day says.
"Track owners are recognising the validity of having a chaplain. Areas with chaplains have reduced rates of crime, drug use, alcohol use, promiscuity, absenteeism and lateness.
"More importantly, we see hearts being won for the Lord and lives being changed " which is the bottom line for us."
Mr Tonks, who is rector of St Martin's, Kensington " located just minutes from Randwick Racecourse " says getting to the track on weekday mornings is essential for racing ministry to progress.
"Having Pat here has helped open the doors so I can walk in and meet people at the track," he says.
"These people are working in my parish, so they are part of my core business as parish minister and evangelist."
Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen as well as Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell also met with RTCA and ARCC committee members and expressed their support for ministry to the racing industry.
"We have let Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Jensen know that this ministry needs people, prayer and financial resources if we want to extend the good news of Jesus to Australian race tracks," Dr Torres says.
In the USA, RTCA has denominational agreements and alignments between Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic and Assemblies of God churches who all contribute chaplains to race tracks. However, this has not diluted the message of the gospel.
"We only preach the cross, the Bible and Jesus as risen Lord and saviour," Mr Smith says.
The RTCA has chaplains across 113 tracks throughout the USA, Canada and South America.
Dr Sowada says ARCC would not be where it is today if it wasn't for the groundwork of former Bishop of Western Sydney Brian King.
"Brian King has been too unwell to be part of this visit, but his contribution to ARCC as a uniting force and guiding us through the critical phase of forming our constitution has been immense," Dr Sowada says.
