Next year when the world turns its attention to Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, True Love Waits will be a part of the celebration.
Hundreds of thousands of signed promises of sexual purity from Christian youth in at least 100 countries will be displayed and celebrated in Athens Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004, during the XXVIII Olympiad. The pledge reads: "Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship."
"This [international display] will amplify the voices of the Christian students who are standing for purity — either by being physically present in Athens or by being represented there by their pledge card," said Jimmy Hester, senior director of student ministry publishing of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. LifeWay produces True Love Waits, which has been endorsed by ninety-six Christian entities.
"It's our prayer that as the world's attention is focused on Athens for the Olympic Games people will become aware of the hundreds of thousands of youth who have made decisions to protect themselves physically and spiritually by living a life of purity, " Hester sad.
In addition to the display of True Love Waits promise cards from around the world, plans call for a celebration that will include Olympic athletes who stand for purity challenging students to take a stand for moral purity and youth from AIDS-ravaged nations giving testimonies of courage and moral resolve. A major Christian TV network has tentatively committed to making the event a live TV special.
Other observances will take place all over the world as students and their churches commemorate the commitment to biblical sexual purity to coincide with the Sunday celebration in Athens. Churches will coordinate and participate in regional and local True Love Waits events leading up to and on Aug. 22, 2004. Many of the True Love Waits pledge cards that are part of these local and regional events will be sent to Athens for the international exhibit.
Pledge cards with an Athens/Olympic theme and a True Love Waits Summer Olympics 2004 pin may be purchased from LifeWay. Additional information and updates about the Athens display and celebration, including mailing and shipping instructions for the pledge cards, will be posted on www.truelovewaits.com.
The 2004 True Love Waits celebration marks the 10th year anniversary of the sexual abstinence campaign and is the fourth time commitment cards have been displayed internationally. Other worldwide displays occurred in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1995, in Atlanta, Georgia, at True Love Waits Thru the Roof , and in Australia, Dec. 31-Jan.1, 2000.
For more information, visit www.truelovewaits.com, send e-mail inquires to [email protected], or call 800-LUV-WAIT (588-9248).
