
‘Champs’ meet Christ at Croatian camp
ZAGREB, Croatia — For nine years, members of Churches of…
This is about as close as one can get to London’s Olympic Park without a ticket for the games. (Photo by Erik Tryggestad)
Blogging live from London
Did you happen to catch Usain Bolt’s record-breaking win in the 100-meter race on Sunday evening?
I saw it live, as it happened — on the BBC, in the living room of a flat some kilometers from the venue.
That’s right, I speak British now. And I’ve learned that you can only get so close to the Olympic Park area of this European capital without actually having a ticket.
But that didn’t stop me and members of the Tuscumbia Church of Christ in Alabama from having a brilliant time as we walked through the neighborhood near the venues for the 2012 Olympics. The streets are filled with sports fans bearing the flags of the U.S., Great Britain and dozens of other countries. (Needless to say, Bolt’s home nation of Jamaica is well-represented here.)
Sports fans bearing British flags walk toward Olympic Village. (Photo by Erik Tryggestad)
There was an equally diverse mix of nationalities at Sunday worship, hosted by the New Cross Church of Christ. The service included members of the Stratford Church of Christ and the Tuscumbia group, which just arrived after conducting a camp in Ukraine. (See our previous blog post about that.) The Alabama church has supported the New Cross church’s minister, Stephen Eusell, for 14 years.
In all, 151 people gathered on the campus of Bacon’s College for worship. I met church members from the Caribbean locales — including Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago — African nations including Ghana and Nigeria and even a few native Brits.
“Truly, this is the United Nations Church of Christ,” said Jeff Abrams, minister for the Tuscumbia church, during his Sunday morning sermon.
“There are many champions among us,” he said, referencing the number of athletes who have gathered in London, “The most important champions are in this room.” He talked about being “champions for Christ,” referencing Hebrews 12:1-2 (my favorite biblical sports analogy, right after “David served in Saul’s court”).
The Tuscumbia group is conducting a Vacation Bible School Aug. 6-9 at St. Martin’s Community Centre in London. If you’re in town for the games, do pop in and say hi.
Sunday worship at Bacon’s College in London. (Photo by Erik Tryggestad)
London’s signature double-decker buses transport passengers to and from Olympic venues. (Photo by Erik Tryggestad)
Members of the New Cross and Stratford churches enjoy a fellowship meal after Sunday worship. (Photo by Erik Tryggestad)
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