Summer sports camps

With the end of school and the beginning of summer, begins summer sports camps in the OM world. In Ukraine, already a football camp has been completed, along with several children and youth camps (where the sports team added team-building games and "exotic" sports like Ultimate and baseball), and another football camp is currently in progress. The summer season is usually the busiest season for the sports ministry team, because of the many sport camps run in different regions of the country.

Please pray for God to work in the hearts of the children who attend, and their families, most of whom are reluctant to send their children to a camp run by a "sect" (non-Orthodox). Pray for the seeds which are planted and watered to grow in good soil and to bring lasting fruit!

Futsal Tournaments in Moldova

This winter and spring OM Moldova's sports ministry focus was on soccer teams. During the summer months, churches around Moldova coach soccer teams in their local villages and share with them the Good News. It is a great opportunity to reach out to Moldovan youth.

So, instead of ending the work with the teams during the cold winter months, we organized a few futsal tournaments (a type of indoor mini-football) and the kids were so excited to be part of them! At every tournament we had a person share the Gospel.

Please pray that the Message that they heard will bear fruit in their hearts. Also, please pray for the coaches to be godly examples for the kids as they continue to work with their teams this year.

~ Eugen Ciumac

Adventure sports blesses churches

At the end of the summer, OM Ukraine's sports team was asked to help with a church youth camp in the Vinnitsa region.

Saron (serving with OM) and Anton, a volunteer from a local church, were requested to teach a daily class in ropes and rappelling (abseiling). After traveling many hours by train with several heavy bags full of ropes and equipment from another camp they were helping with, the team arrived in Vinnitsa and traveled by bus and on foot to the camp site, several kilometers away from the main roads.

On the first day, only a few timid people came for the class. However, after that the word spread quickly through the camp and each day more and more campers came to try their hand at rappelling. "God really answered prayers and blessed us with strength and safety during this class each day," said Saron, who was weak from an illness and was relying on God to provide for her needs. The class lasted anywhere from 4-6 hours each day, and it was interesting to see how people learned to overcome their fears and trust the ropes and God to keep them safe on the cliff.

Quite a few of those who were boastful at the foot of the cliff were suddenly scared and reluctant at the top. But, those with humility and a willingness to learn something new were able to enjoy the experience of sliding down the cliff face. The class was a blessing to the camp and added an element which challenged people to face their fears and overcome them with God's help. In these situations, one's faith becomes more real because one's life is literally on the line!

OM Ukraine plans to continue to provide this kind of experience for local churches in the future. If you're interested in helping with this kind of work, please contact the SportsLink office at office@sportslink.om.org.

CESC & Outreaches in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine!

The 2nd Central European SportsLink Conference (CESC) and outreaches happened in July in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Participants from various countries, including Canada, Moldova, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, and USA participated in the 1-week pre-outreach training in Brasov, Romania at the OM Romania headquarters. Following the training, three teams did outreaches in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, using KidsGames and football to reach out to local villages. Read more about the individual outreaches on our site at: http://www.go2sportslink.org/news/. SportsLink plans a 3rd CESC for July 2009, to be hosted in Ukraine. Email info@sportslink.om.org for more information.

Sport Ministry Training in Moldova

This past weekend, FCA and SportsLink presented a trial run of Level 1 sports ministry training, in Moldova. Sports people and trainers from Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, UK, and the US attended the training.

The full version of this training will be presented at the CESC (Central European SportsLink Challenge) in Romania next month to train sports people before summer sport camps in Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.

Extreme Leadership Training camp creates unity

At the end of May, SportsLink team members and volunteers from a Rivne youth organization led a 3-day intensive leadership training camp in the forest in the Vinnitsya oblast. The training uses team-building games and challenge courses to teach leadership and teamwork to participants.

Fifteen young people from Vinnitsya and Rivne attended this Extreme Leadership Training camp and were challenged to grow personally as well as to learn to work well together as a team. At the beginning of the camp, it was chaos, but by the end of the camp, the entire group was working very well together, encouraging and listening to each other throughout each of the games.

One participant said, "I learned to not look at the obstacles, as a team we can do it and it's not necessary to worry, because what you see at first glance isn't how it really is." Another said, "God showed me what it means to be a team and that in a team there isn't anything that is impossible, and that a leader really needs the support of the entire team, their strength and knowledge in order to be victorious." A leader participating in the camp wrote, "This camp was helpful for my life and leadership because I realized that unity brings victory."

The SportsLink team realized the value of this kind of training for strengthening and equipping churches all over Ukraine, and plans to host 2 more of these trainings in the fall. If you're interested in participating or helping - let us know!!

Ultimate Frisbee, Floorball, and Team-Building Games in Ukraine

This past weekend, OM SportsLink Ukraine presented sports ministry, particularly team-building games, floorball, and Ultimate (frisbee) to over 100 Baptist churches at a pre-camp training seminar. The seminar attendees viewed a short presentation and lecture about sports ministry and then were able to participate in the games and get to know them "hands-on." The following day, the team presented floorball and Ultimate frisbee to a local church in a nearby city. Already, one church has asked the OM team to help lead such games in their upcoming summer camp.

Pray that more churches will see the value of adding sports ministry to their church's outreaches, to reach the new generation in Ukraine. And pray that God will strengthen and give wisdom to the team in Ukraine as they seek to equip and encourage the local Church in sports ministry.