By MADELEINE COLLINS and JOSEPH SMITH
The opportunity to witness through sport should not be restricted to events like the World Cup and other high profile sporting fixtures. Sydney Anglicans are using their regular sporting commitments as an opportunity to witness to Christians locally and worldwide.
PADDLERS PREACH AT THE BEACH
A keen group of surfers from St Michael's Anglican Church in Newport are using the sport to enjoy each other's fellowship and witness to their mates in the surf.
"We strike up a conversation every time we go out," says parishioner and surfer David Banks.
"We're trying to evangelise in a non-threatening, friendly manner. You're just waiting for the opportunity" usually when the surf's not so good," he laughs.
The surfing group from the beachside parish began two winters ago when one or two friends from the church began catching waves together. Now there are about nine regulars who surf every Saturday and Sunday morning from dawn at idyllic North Avalon and Palm Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
"Cold-call evangelism is something many Christians really fear. [This] speaks to people who may find [that] threatening. It's a very slow form of witness but it's a lovely door opener," David says.
At the other end of Sydney, well known group Christian Surfers realised that many members of the Lebanese community no longer felt comfortable on Cronulla's beaches since the December riots. President and Mission Coordinator of the Cronulla branch of Christian Surfers, Daniel Zietsch had discussions with leaders of Sydney's Muslim community, which resulted in the Christian Surfers holding an event in March aimed at bridging this division between the cultures.
Over 20 Muslim Lebanese youth from the Bankstown area joined a dozen Christian surfers at Cronulla's Wanda beach for a day of surfing and bonding. Daniel says the day helped fulfill the group's mission of being a Christian witness not only to surfers but to the whole community.
"We want to show this community that we care and are peacemakers," says the member of St Luke's, Miranda.
"If no one put their hand up and asked these Lebanese guys to come to Cronulla they wouldn't have felt welcome here."
USING SOCCER TO SERVE
Andrew Oakley is the founder and former captain of the Vic Park Rovers, a football team of Christians with a unified aim to do world mission. The team has done tours to Thailand and Cambodia in 2004 and 2005, playing football games against local teams, spreading the gospel and supporting local churches.
The Vic Park Rovers formed in 2003 mainly from Anglican churches across Sydney including St Barnabas', Broadway, Christ Church, St Ives, St James', Croydon and St Andrew's, Summer Hill. The idea for the Vic Park Rovers started a few years ago through a number of conversations Andrew had with other footballers and Christians.
"In these conversations a couple of issues kept coming up. There were a number of talented players who at one time or another had to choose between continuing to play competitive football or be involved in ministry," he says.
"In many cases players had felt an active pressure from people at their church to not take their sport seriously. This has resulted in players giving up competitive sport or, even more disturbing, choosing to give up their Christian community."
Andrew also saw opportunities for football tours to bring Christians together and put them into confined situations where they could develop strong relationships and encourage and grow each other.
"The more I am involved in sports ministry, both in Australia and overseas, the more I grow convinced of God's ability to use what athletes do for His glory," Andrew says. "I also observed the way football broke down barriers and created opportunities to make friends with people that would otherwise be reticent to get involved in Christian activities."
