In the summer of 2019, a group of young people representing 14 European nations met in Italy for Ready Set Go Multiply (RSGX). This is an annual summer programme to train future sports ministry leaders and is facilitated by the European Christian Sports Union, a network of churches, charities, and individuals seeking to make disciples in sport across Europe.
The delegates on RSGX spend two weeks in Bible and sports training ahead of a week running sports camps or community projects in another European country. This summer they served at a camp in Eastern Europe.
The aim is for the young people to apply this training to faith and sport initiatives in their home countries, thus contributing to sustainable mission to reach European sportspeople for Christ.
Samu, a rugby player from Seville, is passionate about using sport to reach the lost. ‘Before RSGX I started to feel something around sport and faith. In Spain, or at least where I live in the south, nobody works with sport and faith. I felt uncomfortable with myself because I knew that God was challenging me to do something with my club and with Christians who played sport but didn’t use it as a tool to reach others. [RSGX] changed the way I play with my teammates; now I see souls that need to be saved.’
New group in Seville
After the programme, Samu used his new skills and experience to start a group for Christian athletes at his university in Seville. With this initiative, the group became part of the first European wave of student ministry specifically reaching sportspeople.
‘Our group is a multi-sport group; we can focus on different sports so we can reach more people for God.’ These athletes encourage each other to play for Christ by using Bible studies for sportspeople translated into Spanish. At Christmas they also hosted their first event to share Jesus with student athletes who don’t yet know Him, and they are planning more in future terms.
In contrast to the UK there is virtually no work within European universities to encourage or evangelise student athletes. There are many wonderful, creative and robust sports ministries in existence, but so few of them work with university students directly.
In response to this, Christians in Sport are working closely with the European Christian Sports Union and IFES Europe and other student organisations to establish a Europe-wide university sports ministry. It is a big task, but an immensely exciting one.
Starting last Autumn, we are helping establish European university groups with a similar format to those in the UK, but inevitably with their own distinctive regional feel. The vision is to see some form of sustainable student group witness like that in Seville established in the top 100 European sporting universities. From France to Portugal, Croatia to Sweden, these top universities cover a big continent! But we have a great God with a heart for lost European student athletes.
Please pray with us for great gospel fruit in the universities of Europe!
