‘More Than Gold’
unites Christians in outreach
at Utah winter games

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, USA — Churches, mission team volunteers and Christian agencies all united under the banner of ‘More Than Gold’ to reach out to athletes, visitors and local people during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, from February 8 - 24.

More than 100 churches and some 1,800 mission team volunteers took part. Christian organisations involved included the American Bible Society (ABS), the Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Global Outreach 2002, Youth With a Mission, Action Ministries, Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Unique

The different agencies, each normally distinguished by its own unique approach to mission, were grouped under various ‘More Than Gold’ programs. The significant part played by the ABS included a prayer ministry led by staff from its offices in New York City.

ABS also distributed 14,000 copies of a special edition of the Bible, available in both CEV and GNT texts, entitled The Supreme Goal. The most popular ABS Scripture product, however, proved to be a specially-produced interactive CD-ROM. Called A Time To Hope, it featured 32 video clips of Christian musicians and athletes describing the importance the Bible holds for them personally. It also included the complete New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.

Approval

All the outreach resources were produced according to ‘More Than Gold’ guidelines. They included 70,000 ‘More Than Gold’ collectable lapel pins, 150,000 evangelistic Olympic pocket guides, 5,000 New Testaments and copies of the Sports Spectrum magazine. All were distributed not only in Salt Lake City but in the other Olympic venues in Utah.

The initiatives winning the approval of the local ‘More Than Gold’ organising committee were:

  • KidsGames: in June 2001, a week-long KidsGames program, drawing churches together from across the state, kicked off the Olympics ministry partnership. ABS provided the Bible-based resources and a medal for each of the 800 or so children taking part.

  • Prayer Ministry: in partnership with Christian music publisher GIA Publications, ABS sponsored special times of prayer during the Games, which followed the Taizé style of meditation, music and Scripture reading. ABS staff from New York took part in each morning and evening service, and Bibles and CDs were given out.

  • A chaplaincy program in the Olympic village: more than 30 chaplains representing many faiths served the athletes, and ABS had permission to place Bibles in the Olympic chapel and make them available to the chaplains.

  • Christian Internet café: a short walk from the Salt Lake Olympic Committee headquarters, a Christian Internet café on one of the main streets drew in thousands to rest their weary feet, watch the games on television, sip drinks, listen to Christian music and have their faces painted. At each table, the ABS CD-ROM, A Time to Hope, was available and staff in the café said they could not keep enough CDs in stock.

  • Samsung Athlete Family Homestay program: this was an official program of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and many Christian families took the opportunity of offering hospitality to the families of the athletes.

  • Creative arts: Christian art teams were on hand to provide entertainment through face-painting, balloon-sculpturing, mime, dance, music, drama, mascots and magicians.

  • Festivals: festivals organised by local churches drew more than 1,500 people. The churches were also encouraged to put on live television coverage of the Olympics on a big screen and games, food, and entertainment gave opportunities for contact with local unchurched people.

(WR 368/28 - 6.02)