In Athens, basketball player gains new vision for her sport
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| Kim Reed |
After accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior in September 2003, Reed is on her first mission trip, spending the summer in Athens as a volunteer with the Atlanta-based International Sports Federation.
“Basketball has always been in my vision,” said Reed, a 5-foot-3-inch guard from native of Bossier City, La., who attends Calvary Baptist Church in Pineville. “But I didn’t see the potential for [using it for] the Gospel before ISF. Basketball is a tool. People are just drawn to it.”
Ready to assist at Olympics, he also hopes to extend his faith
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| Geared up in Greece Nathan Scott, 24, is in Athens to extend a helping hand to Olympics dignitaries. Photo courtesy of ISF |
Instead, he will serve as sports information operator at the Hotel Oasis’ sports desk. The hotel will house International Olympic Federation presidents and other officials from across the world.
Outreach at Athens Olympics reflects ministry’s aim beyond U.S. borders
ATLANTA (BP)--As a Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff member, Cheryl Wolfinger had found her calling after earning a master’s degree in religious education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
SPORTS: Jennie Finch’s higher standard
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| Athlete’s affirmation Jennie Finch, a much-publicized pitcher on the U.S. Olympic softball team, states on her website, "Yes, I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; He is my Lord and Savior." |
Finch is the standout pitcher for the U.S. Olympic softball team. She throws the ball 70 miles per hour, and in college set an NCAA record by winning 60 straight games.
Her popularity is growing quickly. In a poll on ESPN's website for 2003's "hottest female athlete," Finch trounced Anna Kournikova from the world of tennis.
But while Finch may be a sex symbol to some, that's not an image she promotes. She rejected a lucrative offer to pose nude for Playboy and, instead, is more concerned with the image she conveys to her young fans.
True Love Waits ministry celebrates 10th anniversary
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| Cards for Athens Speaker and comedian Keith Deltano holds up a box containing True Love Waits commitment cards signed by youth attending the 10th anniversary celebration in Nashville June 26. The cards will be sent to Athens, where they will be displayed alongside some 400,000 other cards from around the world. Photo by Sara Sanders |
True Love Waits, a ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources, is observing its 10th anniversary this year and the celebration in Nashville recalled a movement that started in 1994 with 200,000 commitment cards for abstinence staked on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In August this year, sponsors of the campaign from LifeWay expect about 400,000 pledge cards to be displayed in Athens, Greece, for the summer Olympic Games.
Comedian and storyteller Keith Deltano served as emcee for the celebration, introducing music performances by Jadyn Maria, Chicago sisters BarlowGirl, and Shaun Groves, a six-time Dove Award nominee. Miss America 1997, Tara Dawn Christensen, shared purity messages from the year of her reign, and Jessica Vaughan, who participated as a student in the first True Love Waits event in Washington, D.C., talked about her failures and successes.
‘Olympics junkie’ urges WMU to join in Olympics ministry
INDIANAPOLIS (BP)--Beth Ann Williams of Salt Lake City, Utah, told Woman's Missionary Union participants at the Missions Celebration and National WMU Annual Meeting June 13 that she is an "Olympics junkie" and encouraged Baptist women across the United States to get involved in Olympics ministry.
True Love Waits’ 10th year to include Olympics display
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--True Love Waits, an international campaign that challenges teenagers and college students to remain sexually abstinent until marriage, is weeks away from going to the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens.
IOC executive board says ‘transgendered’ athletes can compete in Athens Olympics
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—“Transgendered” athletes will compete in the Summer Olympics in Athens if they meet guidelines adopted by the International Olympic Committee’s executive board.
Springtime volunteers needed to prepare for Summer Olympics
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Southern Baptist volunteers are badly needed this spring to help prepare for ministry opportunities during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
First True Love Waits cards arrive for Athens Olympics
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The first 1,000 True Love Waits commitment cards have arrived in Athens, Greece -- signed by Zulu youth of South Africa -- as part of an international display celebrating moral purity during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
