More children enjoying exercise thanks to Sportily

With National Sports Sunday having just passed, on 14 May, we at Sportily wanted to say a huge thank you to those of you that prayed for us and the young people we have in the Diocese of Gloucester.

If you weren’t aware, it’s not too late to pray for us – we do sports all year round!

We particularly like this prayer from Sports Chaplaincy UK by Andy Frost, Director of Share Jesus International.

Father,

We thank you for the gift of sport, for the opportunity to celebrate the endless possibilities of being part of a wonderful and diverse community.

And we thank you that ultimately sports people or clubs are not defined by victories or failings on the pitch, because you see each sportsperson beyond the outward appearance. You see beyond the football shirts and the boxing gloves and the rackets and the trainers.

Help us to remind this community that they are loved by you and that we are your children; may we demonstrate that in our words and actions.

Prompt us as your Church to consider how we might get more involved in sport and share your love and compassion with this amazing community. Amen

We love what we do and were overwhelmed with the positive experiences that so many of our children, volunteers and Sport and Faith team had over the Easter holidays. We were able to provide 16 holiday clubs, all with a hot meal included, and were privileged to see so many smiles on so many faces.

From the young girl that showed compassion to a shy, younger member of the group, to the collaboration and team spirit felt across a session including years 1 to 6, which resulted in an all-inclusive day of fun, stories like these make us even more excited for what’s to come.

With 9 out of 10 participants recently telling us that they enjoyed exercise and sports more after joining Sportily, we feel encouraged to keep doing what we’re doing, with the prayers and support from you.

We also enjoyed the conversations that came up with some of the children choosing to open up about their family Easter traditions, and their personal beliefs about Jesus’ death and resurrection. Using sports ministry to connect with young people and explore faith is always a highlight for both the young people and our Sport and Faith team.