Jules Wilkinson supports elite athletes as part of Christians in Sport’s Performance Team, which takes her to various locations around the UK and further afield.
In April, she and General Director Graham Daniels (Danno) will be chaplains at the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast. Jules, who was also a chaplain at the Rio 2016 Olympics, explains how her time Down Under will be an extension of her day job:
It’s a great privilege to be part of a team of ten international Christian chaplains at the Commonwealth Games. We will be there to support all the teams – although as a passionate Welshman, Danno may need to be kept away from spending too much time with his compatriots!
Throughout the year, much of my work is in supporting female track and field athletes, which I love. I am in touch with the girls face to face or by Skype and WhatsApp. I’m like an older sister in Christ who walks alongside them for that time in their life when their sport means they can’t be such a regular part of church.
One-to-ones
I have been in touch with all the athletes I know who are competing at the Games beforehand, just to say I am available to them. I will be having lots of one-to-one Bible studies, coffees, chats and praying with the athletes, reminding them to look first to Christ. My wisdom is limited, but it’s wonderful to have God’s wisdom in the Bible and, as we look at that, to remind ourselves of his enormous love for us and our status and standing before him.
What I do week in, week out is exactly what I will continue doing in the Athletes Village – albeit the Gold Coast weather may be a touch warmer! However, the great thing about the Games is that Christians from different sports can meet and encourage each other when they would not normally have that chance due to competing at separate events. What a privilege it is to be part of this work. The great joy personally is that a lot of the people I support are all together in the same place, so rather than endless car journeys, I will just have a short walk to see them.
At the majority of events, it’s up to the local organising committee what provision they make for chaplaincy. Most will look to have representation from the five majority world religions. We will be based in the Multi-faith Centre in the middle of the Athletes Village. There’s a chapel that everyone can come into and the chaplains are there on a rota system. Some people just want a quiet space, while others may want a chat. The chaplains are also there if the teams want support or help. They are available to anybody.
Home from home
The reason major events have chaplaincy is that they want to provide whatever the athletes have at home to help them train and compete. If you’re a Christian used to going to church, they want to have that provision in the village for you. The Games are just before Easter, so there will be services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but also every Sunday, and daily if there’s demand.
I’m not expecting to see any of the sport myself, but I will keep up to date with what’s happening, so I can best support the athletes. I am not a psychologist and I’m not there in that capacity: the teams have their own sports psychologists, who do a great job. What I’m doing is what Christian friends do with each other day in, day out. Good Christian friends will take your eyes off yourself and fix them on Jesus.
