The Big Question

“Irvine Active Connections is a missional community launched by the Presbytery of Irvine and Kilmarnock in 2021.

“We aim to use sport and physical activity as tools to engage with, nurture and support the people of Irvine.

“For some, our activities were their first real social contact post-Covid, others have found support for bereavement, and many have had conversations about faith that they would have found difficult to have in any other context.

“We have found that sharing experiences, going on adventures (sometimes getting lost on a bike ride) and being shoulder to shoulder stimulates conversation in a unique way.

“People are also much more comfortable inviting a friend to take part in a sports activity with Christians than to a more traditional Church event.

“This has given us opportunities to engage with people who may otherwise never set foot in a Church (the offer of a post-run cup of tea and biscuit really helps).

“In addition to the direct relationships, we are exploring ways to use sport for community outreach such as providing sports equipment for school children to keep them playing over the summer, free PE kits for children who regularly attend school without and a bike recycling service.

“God is at the centre of everything we do as a missional community, the joy of sport is a gift from Him that we want to share with our town.”

“Being a probationer minister has given me many opportunities, like using sport to connect with people. In summer 2021, at Elgin St Giles and St Columba’s South, we began a group called ‘Sweaty Church’ where youths came to play games, have fun, and learn a little about Jesus.

“The format was simple; lots of games!

We asked the youngsters to choose the games, and at water breaks, we asked simple questions on things like Teamwork, Fairness, Listening, Friendship, Failure/Success – things Jesus spoke about.

“The important thing though was to just listen and encourage participation.

We found this often made space for God to come in and do His thing.

“In a very sceptical world, sport is a soft approach to getting to know someone. Our families knew we were from the church but honestly the games were the bridge and the relationships with the young people and their parents flourished which was awesome. We hope to do it again this year.

“I’m also a Sports Chaplaincy Scotland chaplain to Highland League Club, Forres Mechanics FC. I’ve found just being around the club, especially on match days, has opened doors to some surprisingly positive faith conversations. Once again sport is the way to begin a conversation which can often go deeper.

“I really believe that authentic and honest relationships are the way to reach people with the Good News – that and listening ears – so sport will always play a vital role in my ministry going forward.”

“Sport is important to many in our church and to our mission strategy.

“We’ve bowlers, walkers, hikers, swimmers, boarders, curlers, skaters, footballers, rugby players, park runners, triathletes and even an Iron Man. I’m a ‘rubber rev’ in comparison, but love cycling and five-a-side fitba’. We encourage everyone to exercise, play their sport(s) as best they can, learn to love their neighbour (including opponents), be positive influencers, and share faith, hope, and love with friends and fellow athletes/activists.

“We employed a sports development worker to help us encourage sports and fitness (body, mind, and spirit) in church and community. Thus, we have positive partnerships with local sports clubs and agencies. We helped start Walking Football, diversionary sport for teenagers and special needs school programmes, and run kids’

Champions Sports playschemes. We have a team in a churches football league.

“Pioneer mission project, ‘Active Connections’, uses activities like cycling, walking, and running to encourage church and pre-church friends, family, colleagues, etc to grow faith, fun, friendship, and fitness together. We are establishing a team of sports chaplains to work with local sports clubs.

“Sport gives great opportunity to evangelise and grow one another up in Christ. ‘Competition’ originally meant ‘strive together’; so we “strive (compete) together’ as one for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27b).”

“From an early age, I chased dreams of professional football. I had brief spells with Hamilton Accies, and Svendborg in Denmark. At 19, the Christian faith took me in a different direction.

“So, in later life, when I was invited by Stranraer FC to be their chaplain, I was delighted; and five years later, their manager moved to Dumbarton FC, and took me with him. Now, I’m chaplain with Rossvale FC, the local junior team.

My football experience is useful as I can identify with the highs and lows that young lads face when chasing their dream.

“Sir Alex Ferguson said: ‘Chaplains can be of help to all sorts of people involved with sport, when crisis, need, or difficulty comes. I commend the idea of sports chaplaincy.’

“That in a nutshell is what we do, we are a positive support and influence around a club for all the players, management or directors who need a listening ear.

Every professional club in Scotland has a Christian chaplain and chaplaincy has expanded into many different sports.

“We are not there to preach, just to offer Christian love and grace. I have had some really special moments of praying with players before important games, not praying for a win, but that they would give of their best and know God`s peace.

“Sport and faith can go hand in hand; Eric Liddell, the Olympic gold medallist and missionary is one of our greatest examples.”

“Sport plays a big role in the life of our congregation.

“When we were developing our church centre (the Madoch Centre) we researched local interests and discovered that sport was important to the people who lived in our area. A Go for It research grant let us look further into how we could use sport as outreach.

“We now run an inclusive sport and fitness programme for all ages and abilities and employ a full-time sports outreach worker.

“Sport allows us to:

• make connections and build relationships with people who would otherwise not come into a church.

• serve our community by giving opportunities for physical activity for vulnerable groups.

• serve our community through increasing physical activity across all age groups.

• ensuring that we provide an active programme as we grow in our faith together. “In our church we now know many more people in our area, we are fitter and healthier, and we look for opportunities to engage in faith discussions in different contexts.”

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