We have began activities in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Pakistan,
with projects in India and Nigeria.
To date, God has been busy sending and using sports coaches that
we have visiting schools in the west of England; daily seeking opportunities
to share the great news of Jesus Christ. Added to this we have set
up and established sports 'huddles' linked with churches, where
reached children are taught God's Word in a sporty environment.
Each local area team, made up by church reps, established by God,
will pray, agree on and stage a combination of regular and special
outreaching events to impact their area with the gospel.
What we Believe
We believe that there is only one God. Forever existent in three
persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We believe in His
virgin birth, sinless life, His miracles, His atoning death through
His shed blood as our substitute, His bodily resurrection and His
ascension to the right hand of the Father and His forthcoming return.
(Matt 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Tim 1:15; 2 Corinth 5:21)
We believe in the presence and the availability of the Holy Spirit
who is God, the third person of the Holy Trinity and our wonderful
counsellor enabling us to experience and live a godly life. (John
14:16-17)
We believe that the Bible (both the Old and New Testament) to be
inspired by God and is the infallible authoritative Word of God
and revelation of God to man. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
We believe in the second coming of Christ, when all mean that believe
and have accepted Jesus as Lord will receive eternal life and those
that have rejected Him will pay the eternal death penalty for sin
into damnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers and churches
United in mind and thought through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinth
1:10; Ps 133:1-2)
We believe that all believers are called to be Christ's witnesses,
preaching the Gospel and making disciples using whatever gifts they
have received to serve. (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Matt 28:19; 1 Peter
4:10)
How World Sport Ministries Began
From an early age I realised that sport was my thing. I didn't
understand that it was from God until I was much older, but sport
was why I lived as a child through to my early twenties. You could
say that sport was my God!
It was clear at school that the only future career I desired was
in sport. I was either going to play professionally or coach others
to. Well, I tried to make it as a pro cricketer and nearly cracked
it, but it wasn't to be having played semi professionally, so coaching
it was.
I started coaching at the age of 16 and pursued it as a career
when I left college at 18. I worked secularly as a schools coach
and cricket development officer in communities as well as directing
the coaching at my local club. My big break however, was when I
was asked to coach on a development programme in the Free State
of South Africa. Off I went, in excitement in September 2004; what
I didn't realise was how my life was about to change.
Three days into my stay I met a lady who is now my wife. That whole
story is a testimony in itself; but she felt sorry for me as a stranger
in a strange place, and compassionately reached out to me in friendship,
demonstrating the love of God. As I got to know her, it was clear
that she had something I didn't, and having told me of her late
brother's death where he was hit by a drunk driver on the side of
the road; she said that he was ready to go as he knew Jesus, and
that he's in heaven and not hell. I knew of God but didn't know
Him, so I prayed to receive Christ by faith. I thank God for getting
me on the plane to S.A, as I gained a wife and eternal life!
Eighteen months later, whilst driving back from a schools coaching
session in England, I was worshipping God when the Holy Spirit spoke
to me and said, "I want you to work for me like you work for
your cricket union." I didn't know what that meant as I had
never heard of sports ministry and I had only been saved just over
a year. My wife and I prayed and fasted, but further information
was temporarily withheld; I therefore assumed that God wanted me
to tell the people I coached about Jesus. I started to do this without
any real plan, but I now know that God wanted to see if I would
be faithful with the little, prior to more responsibility.
Three years later, in July 1998 I was at home in South Africa reading
some spirit building literature when the Holy Spirit came upon me
out of the blue. For the next 45 minutes the Lord reminded me about
the sports ministry calling and proceeded to give me an amazing
outline of what He now wanted me to do; He even gave me the name
World Sport Ministries. There afterwards, God supernaturally put
me together with key people who could advise, train and mentor me.
I now knew the real reason why I was alive.
God's vision for WSM is to begin community sports ministry teams
with people from different churches using their talents and evangelical
desire to plan events and strategies that will reach people that
churches struggle to reach through the powerful and relevant tool
of sport. I have learned that the people of the world love sport
and that the creator of sport and the world loves people. So much
so that He wants them to know Him so that He may rescue them from
a place called hell.
It's still early days, but we have planted teams and trained leaders
in 5 different countries with many more to follow. thousands of
people have come to know Christ, and sporty minded Christians are
now realising that they can and should use their talents to serve
God. I sincerely believe that sport enables us to take church to
the people as it enables the body of Christ to relationally reach
the largest number of people in the shortest space of time.
In partnership with others, and led only by the Spirit of God,
the continents of the world need prepare themselves for what God
is about to do through sport.