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By Dwayne Buhler
THE OFFICIAL 2010 Olympics countdown clock, located at the corner of Georgia and
Hornby Streets, marks just over a month until Vancouver and Whistler will host
the XXI Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
World class venues stand ready for competitions, and the Athlete’s Village is ready for guests. While some people remain on battle lines drawn
for or against the Games, everyone in the city is bracing for the influx of an
estimated 300,000 visitors.
But is the church ready?
Various metaphors can be used to describe the countdown clock. Some look at it
as a tourist attraction; a sentinel of promise and a launching pad of great
opportunities. Others see it as an alarm clock, drawing attention to unresolved
problems in the city. Both of these viewpoints reflect attitudes in local
churches and faith-based organizations in Vancouver.
Many leaders of the faith community see the Olympic Games as a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the church to come together, both for
witness and service.
More Than Gold (MTG) is a network of local churches, denominations, agencies and
individuals that are preparing for the Games. MTG’s mission is to organize the church to collaborate at this time, and to create
spaces to extend the radical hospitality of Christ.
There are 15 denominations and more than 30 organizations associated with the
network, to express Christian unity in witness and service projects. MTG also
is a voice and advocate for agencies which speak to the many social problems
that are anticipated to heighten during the Games.
More Than Gold has an ambitious agenda.
The official Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) asked MTG to give leadership
for the interfaith chaplaincy program, and to offer limited help in a number of
other areas – including sustainability issues, home stay for officials and transportation
logistics.
More Than Gold will coordinate hospitality needs for 3,000 individuals from
visiting mission teams. These people will join local volunteers involved in the
distribution of 28,000 visitor’s welcome kits; 500,000 hot drinks at warming stations located along Translink
lines; and an estimated 500,000 pieces of literature.
Conversations & culture
There will be 5,000 people trained to engage the public in spiritual
conversations and critical response counselling. Christian artists from the
creative arts community will present 400 hours of cultural performances on open
stages.
Bob Kraemer, director of operations for More Than Gold, coordinated programs and
activities which were held this past fall.
“The fall was a time for training for hospitality, evangelism and prayer. Plans
for venues for our creative and performing arts presentations are confirmed,
and we are coordinating a number of sports initiatives, and planning open air
festivals.”
Coastal Church, a congregation located in downtown Vancouver, is engaged with
the MTG vision. It will serve as an ‘open door church,’ promoting large screen events for the opening and closing ceremonies, and
providing a directory to local businesses.
They will offer free internet service and coffee to visitors, with concerts
featuring rising Christian artists. They want to serve as a spiritual sanctuary
for people needing a place to pray and reflect.
Networks & enthusiasm
Hope Vancouver is an interdenominational, pastor-driven network that is working
closely with MTG. It began as the result of an EFC (Evangelical Fellowship of
Canada) think tank on urban transformation that met in 2000.
Pastor David Carson, a member of the original group of leaders that formed Hope
Vancouver, echoed a positive outlook on the Games.
“The Olympics will bring people together, creating large networks, excitement and
enthusiasm. Our hope is that there will be a platform of faith, unity and
relationship that the Lord can use for the future of the church in Vancouver,
in a remarkable way.”
A three-fold vision describes the purposes of the movement. Leaders are
encouraged to press into God in an unprecedented way, through prayer and
fasting.
Churches are called to do greater good deeds than ever done before, serving both
the visitor coming to Vancouver and those in need.
Then, after the Games are finished, there are plans to gather the Christian
community for a time of unified celebration.
Canada Ablaze
More Than Gold and Hope Vancouver are partners in Canada Ablaze, a 106-day
prayer relay that will follow the Olympic torch as it crosses Canada.
The groups have posted a prayer guide that can be used by people to follow the
Olympic torch and pray for the Canadian cities as it passes through the nation.
The torch started its journey in Victoria October 30, and will visit hundreds of
communities across Canada until it ends back in Vancouver February 12.
The goal is to call Christians across the nation to pray for Vancouver, their
own community and the country. The prayer guide is available by following the
links to Canada Ablaze at morethangold.ca/group/prayer.
Kevin Cavanaugh, pastor of Cedar Grove Church in Surrey, and until recently
leader of Hope Vancouver, prays for a spiritual legacy to begin during the
Games.
“Our hope is that, after all the dust is settled, we will have raised the
spiritual temperature across the entire region, and even the country, a degree
or two or more.”
Perhaps this optimism is best summed up by Giulio Gabeli, pastor of Westwood
Community Church in Coquitlam and a leader of Hope Vancouver, who says: “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.”
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Ticking Alarm Clock
But not everything about the 2010 Olympics is sprinkled with golden glitter.
Vancouver, like other Olympic host cities, will face tremendous social
upheaval. This will all occur while under the scrutiny and spotlight of the
world media.
Social activists, and those who work closest with the residents of the Downtown
Eastside, have mostly been opposed to the 2010 Games.
They argue that past local organizing committees glossed over social ills, while
millions of dollars were spent on venues and celebrations. They fear that ‘unwanted people’ – the poor, addicted, and mentally ill – are being moved out of the city.
They can document other world-scale events that became magnets for the drug and
sex trades, leading to increased human trafficking and crime.
They predict that suffocating traffic, an outbreak of illegal activities and
mounds of garbage will be the mark left upon Vancouver. Local churches and
agencies working with the poor are caught in the middle of this tension.
Prophetic trajectory
Streams of Justice (SOJ) is a Vancouver-based movement that actively pursues
equitable, inclusive and compassionate expressions of society.
SOJ head Dave Diewert describes the position of the group towards the Games as “a thoughtful and informed analysis of the Olympics, placed against the biblical
prophetic trajectory of critique, dissent and non-compliance.”
Diewert adds: “I think that when we consider carefully the movement of Jesus and the Olympic
Movement, we become increasingly aware of their fundamental incompatibility.” (See streamsofjustice.org).
David Bornman, pastor of West Coast Christian Fellowship on Vancouver’s east side, echoes a similar caution when he states: “Churches need to discern the difference between the leading of the Holy Spirit
and event hype.
“Remember that the god of sports and fame has another agenda, which does not
carry the same importance for a congregation’s time, energy and dedication.”
Mixed reviews
Tim Dickau is the pastor of Grandview Calvary Baptist, a church located on the
fringe of the Downtown Eastside.
He is a member of the EFC Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness, and spent 20
years leading his congregation through a journey from being disconnected with
the surrounding community, to being engaged and connected to it. He has heard
mixed reviews about the Olympics.
“The world-class spectacle may lead to displacement of the poor, and draw
attention away from the struggles and suffering in our city. Some ask why there
are so many people willing to open their homes to strangers, when they resist
and push away the people that are on the street.”
The Salvation Army is an example of a group that grapples with the social
problems of hosting the Olympics, while also considering the Games as an
opportunity. Sharon Tidd, 2010 Outreach Coordinator, encourages local churches
to engage in both witness and service.
“Our services to the community, especially to those struggling with homelessness,
addiction and abuse, will continue through the Games period. This is our
priority. But we also see the Games as a unique opportunity to serve and care
for visitors as they come to our city.”
Tidd is coordinating large screen events, warming stations, sports camps and
community festivals. Mission teams from the international Salvation Army
community will come to serve hot drinks at their mobile canteens, both to
visitors and the homeless. They support the campaign against sex trafficking,
and will continue to work with the marginalized after the Games.
Embrace & critique
“Like Christ,” Tidd says, “we are called to both embrace and critique culture – and sport is a huge part of North American culture. The Olympics represent an
amazing opportunity to touch our world with God’s love and forgiveness. We can’t sit on the sidelines.”
Each day the countdown clock ticks closer to February 12. The Olympic Games have
brought churches, agencies and individuals to the same table – as they coordinate events, prepare to meet needs, and discuss the issues that
affect the city.
The Games have brought people and groups together that would otherwise be
isolated and working alone.
Prayer for the city is growing, and people are working toward common goals – getting out of their church buildings and into the community.
Dwayne Buhler is director of Missions Fest Vancouver, and a member of the More
Than Gold Prayer Working Group.
This is a modified version of an article originally published in Faith Today.
Contact: faithtoday.ca
January 2010
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