Sporty-themed Shoeboxes

Sports-themed shoeboxes

The 2012 London Olympics is only just around the corner, so we’ve decided to get into the Olympic spirit as part of this year’s Operation Christmas Child campaign.

How? Through sports-themed shoeboxes, of course!

As well as giving you the chance to do something a bit different with your shoeboxes, this is also your chance to send a few sporty items out to needy children in our world – children who might otherwise not have the chance to experience the joy of sport for themselves.

Make your shoebox sports-themed
There are several ways you can give your shoebox an Olympic twist this year…

GIFTS: Along with gifts you would usually send, you might want to include a tennis ball, skipping rope, baseball hat, small football, inflatable beach ball, stop watch, sweat bands, toy medals or some other sports-related gift that would bring a smile to a child!

BOX: You could even decorate your shoebox with Olympic stickers, drawings or try and get hold of special Olympics wrapping paper (if indeed such a thing exists!)

MESSAGE: You might want to add a message to your child, stating that the shoebox has come from the home of the next Olympics and that you hope they enjoy the sports items you’ve included in your box for them to play with.

Make your shoebox event sports-themed!

We're teaming up with More Than Gold www.morethangold.org.uk to encourage churches to host sports-themed shoebox events in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.
You might want to arrange some fun, Olympic-themed activities for participants – like a shoebox relay race, a shoebox long jump, or even shoebox throwing! (OK, some of these ideas may require empty shoeboxes…just in case!). It might just mean giving your celebration a sporty feel!

Schools, workplaces and community groups can also give your shoebox events an Olympic feel. You might want to take a picture of your shoeboxes arranged as the Olympics logo; or arrange your shoeboxes to appear as if they are taking part in an Olympic event themselves. We would love to see your pictures!

These are just a few ideas – but you’ll probably have even more! If you do, email them to marketing@samaritans-purse.org.uk along with any photos of your sports-themed shoeboxes or events.

More Than Gold Games Pastors

Message from Adam May, Director of Development for Christian Nightlife Initiatives and More than Gold Games Pastor Regional Coordinator:

I am delighted to inform you that the application process for Games Pastors has now opened online via the More than Gold website. I would like to apologies on behalf of the Games Pastors Delivery Group for the delay as we know there are people keen to apply.

I have the pleasure of attaching the Games Pastor information sheet which will hopefully set out the vision and need for volunteers to be operating in London and across the country during the Olympics and Para-Olympics next year in these important roles.

As a member of the Delivery group for this initiative, I am exciting about the opportunities that Games Pastors presents for the church as a whole to pick up the call for 'servant ministry' rooted and ground in the example of Jesus himself. Recently, I said of Games Pastors on the More than Gold Facebook page, I want to see.... a bold, sensible, creative and necessary response to the 2012 Games by churches and organisations at every level. I want to see the church working as 'team' rather than on our own. I pray for a breaking down of the walls that traditionally beset us. May this not be a priority for 2012 but a legacy for Christ's people in the years to come... Join me in that prayer!

Games Pastors is both an initiative for those in existing Street Angels and Street Pastor projects so do pass the message on to those you already know who are doing this. Nevertheless, Games Pastors is open to those who have never been on the street operating in such roles. For those not already invovled, we promise to offer a safe but rewarding experience and we hope through experiencing this act of service, people might volunteer for their own local expression.

Whilst we appreciate that for some the commitment outlined might be demanding, we hope that it will be worth it.

We are also looking to appoint a leadership team of Regional and Area Coordinator to assist the Operations Manager lead this. There will be a session in November for those wishing to explore this, but this is specifically for those who already have leadership experience in existing projects. Attendance to either of these gatherings is by invitation only. Please contact me directly if you want to discuss this further as it is a specific and unique role that we would be inviting people to take up.

If you feel God is calling you to take on this exciting role, you can apply to be a Games Pastor online by visiting - http://www.morethangold.org.uk/service/games-pastors.html

Look forward to hearing from you soon,

With best wishes and prayers, Adam

Adam May
Director of Development, Christian Nightlife Initiatives and
More than Gold - Games Pastors Coordinator for outside of London

PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens

Join with thousands to pray in the New Year

COMING IN 2012 are some amazing opportunities relating to the Queens Diamond Jubilee, the Torch Relays and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. And they call for united prayer.

That's why MTG are launching A Time to Shine - a call to prayer for the Games and the nations, drawing the theme from Isaiah 60:1-5. And the first phase is to pray in the New Year.

Jon Burns, More Than Gold's UK Director says, 'We sense, like never before, that God is calling the whole church in the UK to welcome 2012 with prayer'.

That's why MTG are asking every church, including yours, to do something to start the next year with prayer. MTG suggest the focus should be during the week of Saturday 31st December to Sunday 8th January. With the theme 'Shine for Jesus', based on Isaiah 60:1-5.

MTG hope churches will simply do what works best for them - as groups of churches, in families, as home groups and so on. Perhaps holding a watch night service, or a day or week of special prayer.

There will be a set of resources on the MTG website from October.

But we can begin making our plans now - do keep us posted on anything you might be doing or ask if there is any help we might be able to give.

The 1st January is always a special time for me anyway - it was on the 1st January 1975 I made a New Years Resolution to become a Christian - so it is my 'spiritual birthday and I am more than happy to celebrate in praying that others'may taste and see that the Lord is good!'

www.morethangold.org.uk

When the church becomes a house of prayer the people will come running

Prior Roger of Taizé