Christians from all denominations will come together for a major conference in July to see how they can maximise the presence of the church during the 2012 Olympics in London.

The conference is being hosted by More than Gold, a church charity that has been coordinating outreach at the Olympics since the 1996 Games in Atlanta, when local churches distributed more than three million cups of water across the different Olympic venues.

More Than Gold, chaired by Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of the Football League, is hoping that the conference will pave the way for similar outreach during London 2012. The charity is looking to inspire community festivals, prayer, performing arts initiatives, sports mission, chaplaincy and the mobilisation of thousands of volunteers in the run-up to and during the Games.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster have already giving their backing to the initiative, as has Olympics minister Tessa Jowell.

Dave Willson, CEO of More Than Gold, commented: “The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for the UK Church.

“Whilst 80 per cent of the events will take place in East London, the whole of the country will be sport focused. Churches in every neighbourhood will have an opportunity to take the lead, and to participate in, community sports festivals.

“This conference will help to envision, enthuse and kick start the necessary preparations for the many exciting events that will unfold across this country in 2012.”

In Sydney in 2000, churches provided more than half of the accommodation needed to house the families of competing athletes, and in Athens, churches joined up with the city authorities to stage the first and largest outdoor Christian concert ever held in Greece.


On the web: www.morethangold.org.uk