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By Peter Biggs
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| Tom Cooper of City in Focus |
IN 2010, thousands of athletes and teams, along with
millions of visitors, will descend upon Vancouver and Whistler for the
Winter Olympics. The proportions of this event are staggering.
Since late 2004, Christian leaders headed by Tom
Cooper, president of City in Focus, have been strategically planning roles
the church might play in serving this inevitable influx of visitors, and
providing a Christian witness.
More than 200 leaders – the vast majority pastors
and heads of ministry organizations have consulted in various
combinations.
“Ministry leaders asked us to get the ball
rolling,” Cooper told BCCN. “It was started with vision casting and dialogue,
with our authority coming from ministry leaders. Now we are going to go
back to major church and ministry organizations.”
The Vancouver Whistler Games Network (VWGN) has emerged
with a comprehensive vision. Throughout this process, VWGN has been very
careful to liaise with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). One goal of VWGN, according to
its mission statement, is to “connect, coordinate and create the
Christian community’s volunteer involvement for the 2010
Olympics.”
This fall, VWGN will facilitate what Cooper describes
as “a large kick-off event.” He anticipates drawing together an
unprecedented range of Christians representing major congregations,
denominations (including Roman Catholics), ethnic streams of churches,
Christian colleges, ministry organizations and municipal pastors’
groupings.
Business involvement
Christian business leaders have also been active in
encouraging formation of the VWGN. Notables include:
• Jim Pattison: president, chair and CEO, The Jim
Pattison Group;
• Angus Reid, CEO, Angus Reid Strategies;
• David Bentall, president, Next Step Advisors;
• Benjamin Li, President of Lico Realty;
• Tom Skidmore, co-executive chair and president, TCG
International Inc; and chair of the advisory board of The Salvation Army,
Greater Vancouver Region.
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Working groups
• VANOC areas of interest (where VWGN will have independent
working groups) include: home stay ministry, religious services
(chaplaincy), and groups dealing with sustainability (includes homelessness
and temporary shelters), hospitality, parking and transportation.
• Hospitality: ‘Ask
Me’ hospitality centres; water and food distribution.
• Christian witness: creative
and performing arts, evangelism, ministry teams, literature outreach.
• Communications: media;
resource distribution centre.
• Volunteers: volunteer
training, guidelines, coordination.
• Prayer: coordination
of areas to focus upon.
• Finance: development,
management.
• Sports: events, kids
games.
• Administration: office,
technology and websites.
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| PAOC's David Wells |
One of VWGN’s leaders, David Wells – who
is district superintendent for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada –
told BCCN:
“Historically, Olympic committees have sought to
provide spiritual resources such as chaplaincy.”
Wells served in the Winter Games at Torino as a
chaplain, and has been involved in previous Olympic games.
He sees VWGN as “not merely about 16 days in
2010, but something that will benefit our witness before and after
2010.”
Indeed, VWGN has potential to catalyze unprecedented
Christian cooperation, networking and unity in the Greater Vancouver
Regional District.
Church support
Affirmations of the work and vision of VWGN by church
officials are wide-ranging and growing. They already include:
• Raymond Roussin, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Vancouver;
• Edwin Kong, CEO of Chinese Christian Mission
Canada;
• Ken Shigematsu, senior pastor of Tenth Avenue
Alliance, Vancouver;
• David Short, rector of St. John’s Shaughnessy
Anglican Church;
• Cam Roxburgh, senior pastor at Southside Community
Church;
• Bill Blackman, a major of the Salvation
Army;
• Kevin Cavanaugh, senior pastor of Surrey’s
Cedar Grove Baptist Church; and
• David Koop, senior pastor, Coastal Church,
Vancouver.
An international Christian organization, Global Events Group –
which has helped Christian communities involve themselves in major sports
events in the past – has been involved in the last five Olympics.
They were able to facilitate
sanctioned activities, including literature distribution, athlete
homestay, creative arts and cultural performances, and coffee houses.
They have written VANOC in support of VWGN’s
role.
May 2007
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