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World Sport Ministries

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Who are We?

We are a Christian Sports Organisation with a vision to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ through sport. We would love to come to partner and encourage local Barbadian churches during CWC and to continue with what we perhaps start < Read more >

Where are We?

World Sport Ministries international HQ is based in Bath, England and since January 1999, has developed teams of people to use sports events such as schools coaching programmes, holiday clinics, sports dinners and national / international sports events in England, South Africa, and Kenya.

We have began activities in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Pakistan, with projects in India and Nigeria due to begin in 2006.

To date, God has been busy sending and using sports coaches that we have visiting schools in the west of England; daily seeking opportunities to share the great news of Jesus Christ. Added to this we have set up and established sports 'huddles' linked with churches, where reached children are taught God's Word in a sporty environment.

Each local area team, made up by church reps, established by God, will pray, agree on and stage a combination of regular and special outreaching events to impact their area with the gospel.

Our Mission
To reach and help other's reach the lost world through sport with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To educate, encourage and partner with outreaching churches, ministries and individuals in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ using sport and leisure evangelism.
To assemble, co-ordinate, train and activate local area interdenominational teams to evangelise through sport in the countries that God calls us to.
To support and encourage specific sport ministries in fulfilling their calling in the Kingdom of God.
To form relationships with, help disciple and prepare for sports ministry, sport's men and women who serve Jesus Christ.
To reach and assist schools and sport's clubs, providing sporting resources and quality coaching.
To help unite the body of Christ through team work and outreaches.
To teach sport's participants God's plan for them in the sporting arena.

Our Plan
The Lord has given World Sport Ministries a hands on, activating approach through launching and developing a local area interdenominational sports team in an area of each country where He opens doors, which can then be duplicated in other areas of that country using the series of World Sport Ministries presentation and training videos. Each team will be led by a suitably qualified co-ordinator, and will be developed with the help of current World Sport Ministries leadership. Each team then uses sport as a tool to impact their area using the many different types of outreach and discipleship available.

What we Believe
We believe that there is only one God. Forever existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, His miracles, His atoning death through His shed blood as our substitute, His bodily resurrection and His ascension to the right hand of the Father and His forthcoming return. (Matt 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Tim 1:15; 2 Corinth 5:21)
We believe in the presence and the availability of the Holy Spirit who is God, the third person of the Holy Trinity and our wonderful counsellor enabling us to experience and live a godly life. (John 14:16-17)
We believe that the Bible (both the Old and New Testament) to be inspired by God and is the infallible authoritative Word of God and revelation of God to man. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
We believe in the second coming of Christ, when all mean that believe and have accepted Jesus as Lord will receive eternal life and those that have rejected Him will pay the eternal death penalty for sin into damnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers and churches United in mind and thought through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinth 1:10; Ps 133:1-2)
We believe that all believers are called to be Christ's witnesses, preaching the Gospel and making disciples using whatever gifts they have received to serve. (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Matt 28:19; 1 Peter 4:10)
How World Sport Ministries Began
From an early age I realised that sport was my thing. I didn't understand that it was from God until I was much older, but sport was why I lived as a child through to my early twenties. You could say that sport was my God!

It was clear at school that the only future career I desired was in sport. I was either going to play professionally or coach others to. Well, I tried to make it as a pro cricketer and nearly cracked it, but it wasn't to be having played semi professionally, so coaching it was.

I started coaching at the age of 16 and pursued it as a career when I left college at 18. I worked secularly as a schools coach and cricket development officer in communities as well as directing the coaching at my local club. My big break however, was when I was asked to coach on a development programme in the Free State of South Africa. Off I went, in excitement in September 2004; what I didn't realise was how my life was about to change.

Three days into my stay I met a lady who is now my wife. That whole story is a testimony in itself; but she felt sorry for me as a stranger in a strange place, and compassionately reached out to me in friendship, demonstrating the love of God. As I got to know her, it was clear that she had something I didn't, and having told me of her late brother's death where he was hit by a drunk driver on the side of the road; she said that he was ready to go as he knew Jesus, and that he's in heaven and not hell. I knew of God but didn't know Him, so I prayed to receive Christ by faith. I thank God for getting me on the plane to S.A, as I gained a wife and eternal life!

Eighteen months later, whilst driving back from a schools coaching session in England, I was worshipping God when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "I want you to work for me like you work for your cricket union." I didn't know what that meant as I had never heard of sports ministry and I had only been saved just over a year. My wife and I prayed and fasted, but further information was temporarily withheld; I therefore assumed that God wanted me to tell the people I coached about Jesus. I started to do this without any real plan, but I now know that God wanted to see if I would be faithful with the little, prior to more responsibility.

Three years later, in July 1998 I was at home in South Africa reading some spirit building literature when the Holy Spirit came upon me out of the blue. For the next 45 minutes the Lord reminded me about the sports ministry calling and proceeded to give me an amazing outline of what He now wanted me to do; He even gave me the name World Sport Ministries. There afterwards, God supernaturally put me together with key people who could advise, train and mentor me. I now knew the real reason why I was alive.

God's vision for WSM is to begin community sports ministry teams with people from different churches using their talents and evangelical desire to plan events and strategies that will reach people that churches struggle to reach through the powerful and relevant tool of sport. I have learned that the people of the world love sport and that the creator of sport and the world loves people. So much so that He wants them to know Him so that He may rescue them from a place called hell.

It's still early days, but we have planted teams and trained leaders in 5 different countries with many more to follow. thousands of people have come to know Christ, and sporty minded Christians are now realising that they can and should use their talents to serve God. I sincerely believe that sport enables us to take church to the people as it enables the body of Christ to relationally reach the largest number of people in the shortest space of time.

In partnership with others, and led only by the Spirit of God, the continents of the world need prepare themselves for what God is about to do through sport.

Grant Sheppard, WSM Director Email grant@worldsportministries.com