{"id":4559,"date":"2022-09-08T14:05:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T13:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estatechurches.org\/?p=4559"},"modified":"2022-09-13T11:02:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T10:02:59","slug":"sports-ministry-at-st-andrews-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estatechurches.org\/2022\/09\/sports-ministry-at-st-andrews-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Ministry at St Andrew&#8217;s Church"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This week, to give you a taster before our workshop day, <a href=\"https:\/\/estatechurches.org\/2022\/09\/sport-and-estates-events\/\">Sport For All<\/a> on 20th October at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.standrewsleyland.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">St Andrew\u2019s Church<\/a> in Leyland, we spoke with some of the sports ministry team there to find out about the fantastic work their church is doing in the community and some tips from them to help grow a successful sports ministry. Many thanks to Calvin, Deborah and Keith for sharing with us about what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full has-custom-border\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"307\" height=\"94\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/St-As-Leyland.png?resize=307%2C94&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4577\" style=\"border-top-color:var(--wp--preset--color--background);border-top-width:2rem;border-right-style:none;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--background);border-bottom-width:2rem;border-left-style:none;border-left-width:0px\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/St-As-Leyland.png 307w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/St-As-Leyland-300x92.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>St Andrew\u2019s church has a thriving sports ministry, with running, badminton and football groups among the activities they offer as well as walking, rambling and table tennis for those who prefer a slower pace and a specialist over 55s programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The church sports groups provide lots of opportunities for people to invite friends and family to join them at events and activities, to build strong relationships with the community over time and to witness to people just by sharing life with them. Calvin told us about an especially popular event when Bill Bygroves (Liverpool FC club chaplain) came to speak at a football tournament which was a brilliant opportunity to invite many people to come and hear the good news of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Football tournament\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4560\" data-id=\"4560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football.jpeg?ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"Listening to the Gospel at football tournament\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4561\" data-id=\"4561\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football2.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football2.jpeg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football2-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" alt=\"Playing football\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4562\" data-id=\"4562\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football3.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football3.jpeg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football3-300x225.jpeg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football3-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football3-768x576.jpeg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Keith told us how the sports ministry at St Andrew&#8217;s began in 1985 through contact with Bishop Tony Porter and Christians in Sport. Over the years the church has partnered with Christians in Sport, Ambassadors Football, Sports Chaplaincy UK and Scripture Union who have supported the church in community mission. They have been involved with the Church of England Sports initiative &#8211; now the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofengland.org\/resources\/national-sport-and-wellbeing-project\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Sports and Wellbeing project<\/a>. Keith said, \u2019When it comes to leadership, encouragement, support to have members of the clergy who have an interest in sport and outreach, it makes a massive difference\u2019 and having had that support from their clergy the St Andrew&#8217;s sport ministry is still going strong after nearly forty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Calvin explained how the ministry has grown and developed, \u2018A really good thing that we did was we surveyed the church family and asked them what they were interested in, what would you invite friends to? We got a real sense of what people wanted and how people could help us.\u2019 The team was overwhelmed by the amount of support that was offered, even people who weren\u2019t particularly sporty offered to help with refreshments or first aid and really came together wanting to support the sports ministry. The survey helped the team find out what skills the church family had available to be able to put on different groups themselves and which sports might be popular but would need some specialist help from outside. A challenge moving forward is training up people to do other activities like exercise classes. Calvin advises <strong>\u2018Engage the church family to use people\u2019s skills and gifts, it starts there with consulting and figuring out what you can and can\u2019t do.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized is-style-rectangular\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_6281-2-1024x768.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Badminton in the church hall\" class=\"wp-image-4575\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_6281-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_6281-2-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_6281-2-768x576.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_6281-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_6281-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Deborah shared about how they had seen God at work in unexpected ways at the new badminton group, \u2018we were hoping 10 or 12 would turn up and bring a friend and we had almost 30 through the doors in the first few weeks.\u2019 The group was attend the first week by a large number of refugees who had been placed in a local hotel. The refugees were pleased to find the church so welcoming and have kept coming back. As relationships grew, the sports ministry team identified other interests and needs and were able to support this group in other ways &#8211; a young lad has been invited to practice drums with the church band and the church has responded to the need to put on English classes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Another aspect of the sport ministry at St Andrew\u2019s is the seniors sports programme \u2018Sports Life\u2019 which has expanded to include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pingpongparkinson.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">table tennis therapy<\/a> for people with Parkinson\u2019s disease or dementia, providing valuable specialist support for the people who attend. Keith told us that people often join the groups initially for company and friendship and how social prescribing teams can now refer people suffering through isolation or depression to the church\u2019s groups. St Andrew\u2019s provides the activities that improve people\u2019s wellbeing and works in partnership with the community health centres to make sure those who are vulnerable are able to access these activities to improve their wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1023\" height=\"412\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4569\" data-id=\"4569\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tabletennis-1.jpeg?resize=1023%2C412&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tabletennis-1.jpeg 1023w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tabletennis-1-300x121.jpeg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tabletennis-1-768x309.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4570\" data-id=\"4570\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tabletennis2-1-1024x683.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tabletennis2-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tabletennis2-1-300x200.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tabletennis2-1-768x512.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tabletennis2-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tabletennis2-1.jpg 1776w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"663\" height=\"960\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4571\" data-id=\"4571\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estatechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/sportslife-1.jpeg?resize=663%2C960&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/sportslife-1.jpeg 663w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/sportslife-1-207x300.jpeg 207w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As we chatted there was a definite focus in the conversation on the time the team and the rest of their volunteers put into growing relationships with people, coming alongside them to demonstrate faith in action and meet people\u2019s needs. Keith gave the example of a lady who attend the seniors programme, who over time had got to know people through the table tennis group, had later visited the church and given her life to Christ and now volunteers helping the groups whilst being a wonderful witness herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a practical note the team say there is a lot you can do with very little equipment or cost but recommend applying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportengland.org\/funds-and-campaigns\/our-funds\/queens-platinum-jubilee-activity-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sport England<\/a> who have funding to support projects tackling inequalities and bringing the community together with a priority to support projects working with people in disadvantaged communities. They say grants from local organisations might also be available for specialist projects for example to support seniors with dementia or Parkinson\u2019s disease.<br><br>We asked the team for their advice to other churches thinking about how they can use sport to share Christ. Here\u2019s what they said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong>Start with prayer<\/strong>, call people to prayer. At St Andrew\u2019s public prayers underpin the sport and wellbeing ministry.<\/p>\n<cite>Keith<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong>Just have a go,<\/strong> get a group of people that fancy a game of football that maybe starts in the park and they invite their mates, because you don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going to lead to. Find a group of people at church who are likeminded, wanting to pursue it and just put something on and see how it develops.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<cite>Deborah<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong>If you love Jesus and you love sport it\u2019s a great way to serve<\/strong>, it\u2019s a joy and a privilege.<\/p>\n<cite>Calvin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find more details about our upcoming conference where we will be learning how to use sport to share Jesus and build relationships within our communities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-national-estate-churches-network wp-block-embed-national-estate-churches-network\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"uJPxZ3QaDD\"><a href=\"https:\/\/estatechurches.org\/2022\/09\/sport-and-estates-events\/\">Sport and Estates Event &#8211; 20th October 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Sport and Estates Event &#8211; 20th October 2022&#8221; &#8212; National Estate Churches Network\" src=\"https:\/\/estatechurches.org\/2022\/09\/sport-and-estates-events\/embed\/#?secret=FA3AkKpQoP#?secret=uJPxZ3QaDD\" data-secret=\"uJPxZ3QaDD\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> St Andrew\u2019s church has a thriving sports ministry. We asked the team there for their advice to others who want to use sport to share Christ. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,11],"tags":[73],"featured_image_src":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/football-e1662642357760.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Support Officer","author_link":"https:\/\/estatechurches.org\/author\/support-officer\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.13 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sports Ministry at St Andrew&#039;s Church - National Estate Churches Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"St Andrew\u2019s church has a thriving sports ministry. 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