Can sport bring you closer to God? The dark side of sport - drugs, hooliganism, football (only joking). How we use and appreciate our bodies.
Lots of youth workers are into sport as a means of evangelism. Lots of Christian kids have to choose between sport and church because so much sport happens on a Sunday. Jen's Dad was a great runner - his Brethren Mum used to just quote him the verse 'the Lord delighteth not in the legs of a man.' This all seems very dualistic. It would be good to say that sport can be a spiritual thing in its own right.
6pm start for setup
problem of seating - everyone bring rugs, picnic blankets etc.
mark - please can you sort some videos of match of the day, sporting events?
[we haven't got stations, but what about people bringing sports clothing/equipment to make some kind of display/scene-setting - even if we can't get a rowing machine. eg a pair of nike trainers for the altar ;)
possibles:
- bicycle
- wetsuit
- shoes
- sports bra
- football shirt
- skateboard
- snowboard
- tennis racket
- hockey stick
- shin pads
- cycling jersey
- cricket bat/whites
[that's just me thinking of what people here have got]
intro:
not sport as evangelism but the spirituality of sport [jen]
word association game
think of the positive and negative aspects of sport - write on cards
mark a line from positive to negative on display boards
stick cards up on display boards with velcro [velcro roll from greenbelt] at positions of plus/minus along line
group feedback - all gather round to contest card positions and move them
[who's doing this bit?]
prayer
[jen?]
discuss:
[mike]
make a question sheet for small group discussion
selection of questions covering things we've discussed in the planning group, eg
- what makes an activity sport? can any activity become a sport eg ballroom dancing? if not why not?
- is sport spiritual?
- is sport a substitute for god in contemporary life?
- does god intervene in sport to determine outcomes? is it right to pray to win?
- is the extreme focus on self and sport needed to succeed at the highest level compatible with christian life/values?
- are women's sports given a lower value?
- is competition right? what about non-competitive sport?
centre of service:
three people present stuff - their personal view of spirituality and sport
- steve on the spirituality of snowboarding
- jen on triathlon
- mike - spirituality of extreme exercise - state like fasting - focus on person, cutting out of distractions
meditation on body - vigorous
[mike?]
still meditation
[anna]
'this is my body'
track to listen to [words on screen?]
end:
[steve]
how can anything human *not* be spiritual
our problem is that we think some parts of being human are spiritual and not others
in the kingdom there is no distinction etc
football match showing afterwards
cafe - everyone bring drinks - jackie will do vaguely turkish food plus pizza
Photos
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Sports equipment piled up on the old nave altar. |
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Watching an important football match after the service. |