Pick and Mix resources

What do the 2012 Games have to do with the UK's churches?

For churches in the UK, the 2012 Games are a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. And they are coming 'ready or not'.

The Games will impact the whole of the UK and not just London. Where ever churches are, their communities will experience 'Olympic fever' as the result of the media, schools, advertising and the live screen events taking place in over twenty centres. And the Torch Relay will come in easy reach of almost the whole of the UK.

The 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics present the UK with its greatest logistical challenge since the last war; 210 nations competing in 17 days of Olympic activity and 12 days of Paralympic activity. They also present churches in the UK with one of their greatest opportunities ever - to use acts of outreach, service and hospitality to engage with their communities.

No matter how big or how small your congregation, no matter how close or how far you are from an Olympic venue there is something that every church can do to make the most of this moment in our nation's history. This pick and mix menu (on the left) offers you a variety of activities for you to choose whichever one suits your personal situation best.

The Methodist Church is a global sponsor of More Than Gold and everything we do in response to the Games will be done under the banner of More Than Gold. The brand More Than Gold has been in existence since the 1996 Atlanta Games. Since that time this is what has been happening around the world for both Summer and Winter games, Commonwealth and Island Games. For example -

• In Atlanta, churches gave out over 3 million cups of cold water to visitors on the streets.
• In Sydney, churches ran over 100 sports clinics for disadvantaged young people
• In Beijing, over 30 teams of creative artists performed in pubs, clubs, malls, coffee houses and orphanages
• In Salt Lake, the churches provided the largest number of homes to host the families of athletes

Now the baton has been passed to the UK and we want to suggest to you some of the tried and tested ways of engaging with your community that More Than Gold have passed onto us.