|TOP|Christians in Italy have banded together for a special Winter Olympics outreach initiative to bring hospitality to visitors and Olympians in Turin, the home of one of this year’s first major sporting events.

The “More than Gold” campaign, an initiative of the “Committee 2006”, will see hundreds of free copies of the Gospel of Mark given out to anyone visiting a church in Turin as well to anyone in the areas surrounding the Games, reports Ecumenical News International.

"The Gospel according to Mark is one of the books of the Bible which tells the story of the life, work and teachings of Jesus Christ," said Pastor Luciano Deodato, president of the "Committee 2006" of the Waldensian Church, one of the churches involved in the outreach. "As a concrete sign of warm welcome to our visitors, we've decided to make a gift of that which is precious to us as churches and church people."

The initiative brings together the Waldensian Church, the Holy Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, and the Roman Catholic bishops of Turin, Pinerolo and Susa.

|AD|The motto, “Faith in Christ is worth more than gold” is based on the Bible verse 1 Peter 1:7 and is well-supported by local churches.

“The Association has designed and created a wide-reaching programme of hospitality, presence and witness in Turin and the Province of Turin for the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games," notes Pastor Giuseppe Platone, president of "More than Gold".

Those involved in the outreach will also focus on providing hospitality for the many Protestant chaplains who are in Turin to provide care and support for visitors stopping by at the Religious Centre housed in the Olympic Villages in Turin and Sestriere, as well as the 14 ministers from seven different countries in the vicinity.

"The chaplaincy service is a service offered to the athletes and their families. Our organization is working in cooperation with the interfaith committee of TOROC, the organizing committee of the Games, in offering these services in specially designated areas," Platone explained.

"Within these religious centres, the chaplains, almost all of them former Olympic athletes, will be offering services, on a totally volunteer basis, thus guaranteeing availability of chaplaincy services every day," he said.