A team of dedicated sports ambassadors in the diocese continue to make the important connection between community sport events and faith.

Set up in 2018, the team headed by the Revd John McCabe, Rector of Byfleet, are working quietly behind the scenes using sport to connect with the wider community. And it’s been growing. The team all have sporting background, and two are in the Archbishop’s FC XI who defeated a team from the Times Newspaper at Meadowbank Stadium, Dorking Stadium recently..

Now the Sports Ministry Team have a challenge for us all.

On Saturday 17th September they want to empower local church communities to ‘staff up’ their local Park Run with all the volunteers needed to enable the community run to take place.

Park Run is a national charity which stages over a thousand free five kilometre (3.2 miles) runs in open spaces and parks across the country every Saturday.

John, a World Championship standard, Biathle and Triathle competitor, has been a regular volunteer at the Byfleet event.

Once the runners and walkers have completed the course, personalised bar codes are scanned to record times. Each code has a name and so John has taken the opportunity, while scanning, of offering blessing to those taking part.

“Each one is named,” he says. “So, I can say, ‘Mark a blessing upon you, a blessing on your day and a blessing on your running.’” Runners have told John they choose his lane for scanning because they like to receive the blessing.

“This is something that we can do all over the country,” he says. “It’s really fun, and a privilege to bless people.”

So, start pulling your church team together for September 17th.