Pictured are several Radical Hostesses, who worked with MTG in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. They are seen here on an excursion to Mount Seymour before the Olympics. They posed with medals, affirming their courage in tough circumstances. Adam Loewen Photography

IT TOOK more than one church, more than one denomination or parachurch agency.  

The breadth of efforts mobilized by the Christian community during the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics required the diversity of the one church in Metro Vancouver.

We pursued what we could only accomplish together. These outcomes are a result of choosing to seriously and graciously link arms to work together in harmony.

What a taste of heaven!

Radical hospitality

The radical hospitality of Christ – extended to locals and to global guests – was More Than Gold’s focus.  

This took on a wide variety of expressions, from simple hospitality offered in public spaces, providing refreshments and friendly conversations, to thoughtful social justice initiatives that invited engagement around sex trafficking and homelessness.  

The collective witness of the Christian community serving generously and caring for the marginalized was profound.  

To the army of amazing volunteers, who worked so very hard and graciously, generously serving the good of our city, I want to express my deepest gratitude.  

It was inspiring to witness the commitment of so many to give so much and the willingness to do the hard work of serving collectively, ‘bending in love’ to those with different perspectives, when needed.  

Thank you for your significant contribution, for caring and sparking a shared vision of radical hospitality. Let’s keep the movement going!  

To the many leaders who stewarded this historical moment for kingdom purposes, my appreciation is widely shared.  

For those who want the statistics, overall, More Than Gold exceeded the established objectives. The network represented 15 denominations and 37 partnering agencies, mobilizing approximately 4,000 volunteers.  

In addition to this, MTG connected or resourced churches across Metro Vancouver and the Torch relay route, which launched hundreds of additional initiatives in their communities (many churches hosted their local community by provided hospitality around key events – like the Gold Medal hockey game – shown on their large screens).  

The beverage service offered in 25 public spaces (mostly TransLink stations) was a huge hit, with more than 600,000 cups of hot chocolate and coffee served. That was 200,000 more than originally planned!  

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MTG’s online system managed the 55,000 volunteer hours needed to provide this service. Four to six hour shifts went from 3 am through midnight.

This generous hospitality opened the door to engaging people one-on-one in conversations that count, and enhanced the general feeling of well-being in the city.  

Positive atmosphere

The City of Vancouver, TransLink, the RCMP, the Vancouver City Police, the City of Richmond, Premier Gordon Campbell – all have given commendations for ‘taking an edge’ off the crowds and contributing positively to the atmosphere.  

This is a huge win in our collective witness to a culture generally cynical to the institutional church.

Mike Davies, Director of YWAM Vancouver, who contributed 200 missionaries to the outreach efforts, said that the first five days of the Olympics saw “more fruit than [we] have seen in the last five years in the city.”  

Some 50 gifted Christian artists from across North America that performed on 24 public stages or venues.

A sports DVD with personal faith stories of current athletes (four of the six featured won medals this year) was developed and distributed to 700 churches and 400 to the athlete villages.    

Some 130 chaplains – in the village and on the street – provided spiritual care, intensified after the tragic death on the first day of the Games; 28,000 hospitality bags were given away, along with over 440,000 pieces of literature (pocket guides, Prequel, Bibles etc); and 13 Radical Hostesses in the Downtown Eastside served as ambassadors for their community, and modeled a new kind of positive outlook.  

A partnering Homestay program raised monies that went to charities working with homelessness in the DTES.

 John Furlong, CEO of VANOC, said at the closing ceremonies that it was like there was a ‘magical dust sprinkled over the city.”  

We believe it was the massive prayer coverage that was activated (24/7 prayer at Keats Camp, YWAM prayer teams on the streets, The Burn, The Cry, OneVoice, etc).  

The real stories are the thousands of individual divine appointments that God set up as his church mobilized into the public square to serve his purposes together, in our beautify diversity, with harmony and joy. Lives changed forever.

May God alone be glorified!

Karen Reed is executive director of More Than Gold.

April 2010