Let the Games Begin!

Patty has recently returned from Sucre (the official capital of Bolivia), where she & a few colleagues were helping to plant a new ministry that uses sports ministry to evangelize & teach Kingdom principles. The idea of sports ministry is to mobilize the local church in using athletics as a bridge to reach out to children & youth who wouldn't accept an invitation to attend church but would participate in an athletic competition if invited. How many kids do you know that love sports?

Partnering with the local church, the competitive events are combined w/ biblical teachings and testimonies from Christian athletes. The ministry also helps teach the local church how to work as a team, have fun, get more involved in the community, be around unbelievers, think outside the box about evangelism & extend the Kingdom. There is actually a global coalition of sports ministries which uses sports around the world to evangelize & disciple. In Bolivia so far, we have held yearly events such as Kids Games, Teen Games & as of last year Family Games in Santa Cruz. For the 1st time now, in the city of Sucre, the Kids Games event was held this year & looks to continue inviting more churches to participate in the coming year! Pics above are from the event.

The Kids' Games event coincided with the South American championships, the Bolivarian Games, which this year was held in Sucre. The Sports ministry team took the chance to street evangelize near the stadium & hand out tracks to spectators.