Love football? Looking forward to the Euro 24 event? Then you may well love this!
The European Missionary Fellowship (EMF) has produced a colourful ‘Pray as they Play’ wall chart for Christian football fans across Europe.
The free resource is designed to be used during the forthcoming UEFA Euro 24 international football championships, which take place in Germany from June 14 to July 14.
The wall chart allows Christians to fill in the result of each match as the tournament progresses. It also acts as a reminder to pray for the nations taking part, so key data about the spiritual situation of participant countries is included, highlighting the people of Europe’s urgent need to hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
EMF sees the Euro 2024 Championships as a terrific opportunity to raise awareness of the great spiritual need of a continent which in global terms is prosperous and typically proud of its progressive ethos. At the same time, however, the people of Europe are generally uninterested in, and at times hostile to, the Biblical message about Jesus Christ.
Evangelicals Now spoke exclusively to Martin Tatham of EMF about the Wall Chart initiative:
Why is EMF doing this?
MT: To encourage Christians to pray. Many UK Christians are unaware that we live in the midst of the most spiritually needy continent on earth, based on the percentage of evangelicals. Many European countries have fewer than 1% evangelicals, and Greece, Turkey, and Poland have fewer than 0.1%. it’s vital for us to pray to the Lord of the harvest.
To stimulate interest in the cause of the gospel in Europe: We want Christians to pray in an informed way. Every country in Europe has a different story of the way in which Lord has worked through history – and what events, people and philosophies have shaped this. And the last 50 years have seen some of the most remarkable changes. How is the Lord working today in each country in Europe?
What do you hope to achieve?
MT: Ultimately, to see the Lord sending more workers into the harvest field of Europe. Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw people who were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, and his reaction was to call his disciples to pray earnestly for workers to be sent out.
The people of Europe are very different to those Jesus’ time. But they still need the Great Shepherd’s salvation.
How can it be used by Christians who are not football fans?
MT: Our wallchart makes the competition simple, and interesting, even if you find 90 mins of kicking a football unbearably tedious! But we’ve included some fascinating insights into a few of the countries – why not investigate further?
How many people are you hoping to get involved?
MT: We’re hoping for several thousands of Christians in the UK and Europe to catch the vision. We are privileged to have a wide distribution network already, and each of our subscribers will receive a copy. But we hope that many other churches and schools will also get involved.
Are you linking up with Christians in Sport?
MT: Yes, we’ve been collaborating with Christians in Sport, and will be jointly encouraging our supporters to get involved and pray.
Jonny Reid of Christians in Sport said: 'This wall-chart is an excellent way to remind us to pray for Europe during the European Championships. Whilst less than 2.5% of the population of Europe are Bible-believing Christians, nearly 40% play sport, with even more watching. Sport continues to be an amazing way to build relationships and engage people with the gospel'.
