Fun and Games

FUN AND GAMES

CONNECT - for mid-week/Home League groups

Fellowship Session - Personal Journey

Have fun in the summer sun! You can link this session to any sporting event eg Olympic or Commonwealth Games.

Summary

Hold a Sports Day
Enjoy a fun sports quiz
Running the race, inspired by Eric Liddell

Arrange a ‘Sports Day’. Decorate the room with sporting decorations and bunting. Hold appropriate races and events, eg egg and spoon race; javelin throw with foam javelins or paper planes; balloon volleyball; beanbag toss (into a bucket) …
Gather resources to make medals: air-drying clay, marking tools, ribbons, a strong glue, paints (perhaps gold?) and brushes.
Create a sports quiz. There are lots of good questions (and answers!) available from quiz-questions.uk and funquizzes.uk.
Prepare to show a video clip from the film Chariots of Fire, of Eric Liddell winning the 440 yards (400 m) gold medal:
Plan a fundraising event for the Helping-Hand Appeal:
Do a sponsored sport-based event like a walk or a relay.
Hold a movie afternoon/evening showing the film Chariots of Fire.

Online groups

Ask members to have pen and paper ready – and maybe their handbags!
Email the link for members to print out and colour their own medal or ask members to have: tinfoil, a sharp pencil, scissors, something circular like a tumbler, card, glue (optional), sticky tape and a piece of ribbon. Tip: spare ribbon can often be found in the shoulders of women’s tops!

Ask your group to share their sporting experiences.

What sports did, or do, you enjoy doing?
Do you enjoy watching sports on TV or online? Which ones?
Who is your favourite sports person – and why

GAMES

Hold a fun ‘Sports Day’. Play games and races from school days like: egg and spoon race; throwing foam javelins or paper planes; balloon volleyball; beanbag toss …

ONLINE GROUPS

Hold a scavenger hunt to find everyday household objects. Depending on your group, this could be limited to items often found in a handbag.

Play a version of ‘Scattergories’. Members are each given the same ten categories (eg flower, name, food, country, sport etc), then a letter of the alphabet. They have two minutes to write down an answer for each category starting with that letter. A point is awarded for each answer not shared by any other player.

FUNDRAISE

Plan and do a sponsored event like a walk, a relay or another sport-themed event to raise funds for the Helping-Hand Appeal.

Or arrange a movie afternoon/evening to show the film Chariots of Fire. Ask attendees to make a donation to the Helping-Hand Appeal.

QUIZ

Enjoy a fun sports quiz together. Quiz-questions.uk and funquizzes.uk can help with the questions.

CRAFT

Make and decorate clay medals. Make a round flat shape, not too thin, from clay for the medal and ask members to mark it with the words ‘Run the Race’. Leave the medals to air-dry, then use paints to add colour and decoration. Members may prefer to paint the phrase on. Glue a ribbon on to the back.

ONLINE GROUPS

Ask members to make their own medal, either by colouring one in from a template or to make one. Draw a circle with a pencil on a piece of card by going round something round, like a tumbler. Cut out the circle shape. Cut out a piece of tinfoil larger than the circle. Attach the tinfoil to the circle using glue, if available, and folding the excess tinfoil over the edge. Try and keep the silver side of the circle flat and smooth. Use a sharp pencil to add the phrase ‘Run the Race’ and mark out some decoration. Tape some ribbon to the back.

Hebrews 12: 1-4

Show the video from Chariots of Fire of Eric Liddell winning the 400m race at the 1924 Olympics.

ONLINE GROUPS

Screenshare the video.

The film Chariots of Fire tells the story of Eric Liddell, who born in China in 1902 to Scottish missionary parents. Eric excelled at sports, especially at rugby in which he played at international level, and at athletics. He gave up rugby to focus on running at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. However, when Eric learned the 100m heats were to be held on a Sunday, he refused to run, putting his Christian faith before competing. Instead, he ran the 200m and came third, winning bronze. However, Eric also competed in the 400m, which, incredibly, he won, getting the gold!

‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.’

(Hebrews 12: 1-3 NLT)

In Hebrews 11, the previous chapter, we read of the Bible heroes and heroines who ‘by faith’ achieved great things for God. Chapter 12 starts with the word ‘Therefore’, shifting the attention to us ordinary folk. Why? Because we are also called to run the race, with perseverance, fixing our whole attention on Jesus.

For the Jewish readers and listeners of the day, this meant turning away from a legalistic understanding of faith. They were being called to look to Jesus and live out their faith in him.

The race we are called to will be different for each one of us. It is a course laid out to make the most of our unique spiritual giftedness, and it will require perseverance through difficulties and discouragement. At times we may well want to give up or turn back, but Scripture tells us we must fix our eyes on Jesus and push on towards the goal.

The incredible and inspirational story of Eric Liddell continues beyond the 1924 Olympics. He went on to serve as a missionary in China, teaching the good news of Jesus. Ultimately he was interred in a Japanese camp during the Second World War, where he died of a brain tumour.

A fellow internee, the theologian Langdon Gilkey, later wrote,

‘He was overflowing with good humour and love for life … It is rare indeed that a person has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he came as close to it as anyone I have ever known …’

Liddell was a sporting hero and a Christian who ran his race with his eyes fixed on Christ to the very end.

PRAYER

Dear Lord,

I thank you because you have a plan for my life. Thank you for the reminder in your word of those who have persevered through faith. As I run my race, help me set aside anything that is holding me back. Help me always to keep my eyes fully focused on you so that I may have endurance to follow your path for my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.