Together4Bristol : Ready to Play

Ready to Play - Can you help?

Dear Friends

Firstly, thank you for your continued support of WSM - it is invaluable and has been even more so after a summer like no other for all of us.

We have had the opportunity to reach many people through online video clips that we produced throughout March and April, as well as to partner on a summer play scheme with 5 other organisations to engage with and bless children and families that have been facing significant challenges due to lockdown. One of the project organisers said:

"Sport is something that I know is important, but I have never really thought about it that much in relation to our work. I think I often experienced and have seen organised sport as something that can be triggering for children and not at all nurturing. However, you have really challenged me in my thinking. I loved your approach, you were very nurturing and encouraging and gentle with the children. I was particularly moved by how you supported Millie and Thomas to join in and feel able to try new things. As we know both of those children are significantly overweight, possibly obese, for most children like that they would not dare to try sports, but you made it safe, you helped them to feel loved and wanted and to believe they could do it. That was very moving to see and experience.”

Reaching young people in these ways has been wonderful, although like many ministries and business across the globe, we have been massively affected by the global pandemic as more than 70% of our income comes from services we deliver as a part of our mission - in schools and through camps - and throughout lockdown we weren’t able to stage any.

We have, however, continued to support our international leaders and their outreaches that had less Covid-19 restrictions in place and some amazing things have happened including football projects leading to many people becoming Christians and some being baptised in Burundi! You can read more stories of changed lives on our website.

We now have some amazingly exciting opportunities to engage with people in real need after a time of significant isolation and a lack of physical activities have worsened many people’s mental health related issues.

Now is the time to engage and impact people for Jesus both here in the Bath and Bristol region as well as further afield in the UK and in many places overseas.

Below is a summary of those opportunities and the financial need we have to make them happen. Can I please ask you to pray and consider if you could stretch your giving further to help us at this time?

1. Impacting the Underserved - engaging and reaching those suffering financial hardship and / or emotional distress.

A) 4 areas - 400 people - 4 opportunities

This local focus targets young people enabling them to enjoy ’Sport at School,’ ‘Play in their Community,’ ‘Come to Sports Camp’ and ‘Join a Sports Club.’

We don’t want financial lack to prevent these children and teenagers from being given a ’sporting chance’ or to not hear about Jesus’ love through our work. Just £5 per week or £20 per month will enable us to reach one of these precious ones and mentor

those that require additional attention.

B) Balls & Bibles in Africa

Outreach continues through soccer to many people in our partnering African nations and they are in desperate need of footballs for their projects and Bibles for the many new people that are coming to Jesus. Currently, there are 6 active regular soccer

outreaches occurring monthly in Malawi, Uganda, the DRC and Burundi requiring 5 footballs and 20 Bibles each time. Each outreach costs £300 which results in impacting 240 new people for Jesus every month at a cost of just £7.50, /person, per

month.

2. Discipling Deeper - creating relevant spaces for people to grow in Jesus.

We are creating sports based ‘Huddles' for children and youth that have found Jesus or that want to know more, getting them linked to local churches. £16 /month, per person discipled enables us to start 11 local groups, impacting 132 young people.

Making disciples and not just converts is where it’s at!

3. Equip & Develop - giving it away to gain much more.

To scale the reach of the good news of Jesus through the powerful tool of sport, we must train and provide tools to others that we are empowering.

- Churches - equipping and mentoring 8 pilot churches and 64 sports leaders to begin and facilitate their own localised sports ministry leading to the reaching of 1,600 people. Cost: £44, /church per month.

- Schools - equipping and mentoring 6 pilot schools and 72 teachers to develop character through PE & sport, impacting 1,200 children. Cost £44, /school per month.

- Teams - equipping and mentoring 122 community sports ministry teams consisting of 976 leaders from 31 different countries, leading to the reaching of 60,000 people. Cost: £20, /team per month.

These opportunities are our priority focus between September and December 2020 and we would be so grateful if you were able to help us to:

Provide a sporting chance to those that haven’t had it.

Get footballs into the hands of missionaries and Bibles into the hands of new believers.

Create spaces for young people to be relevantly discipled in their new faith.

Train and resource empowered churches, teams, leaders and schools to impact many more people for good than we ever could on our own.

You can give a gift or set up regular giving via our website or use our bank details below.

For more information about any of the above, please feel free to contact me.

World Sport Ministries

40-09-19

22035804 (Please reference your transaction with your surname and initial as well as the word ‘Gift.’)

Thank you once again for your kind and generous support and prayerfully considering our need right now.

God Bless you.

Grant

Grant Sheppard

Director