Churches encouraged to get ready for Rugby World Cup 

With only four months to go until England and Wales host the Rugby World Cup, Engage 2015, a cross-denominational campaign, is helping churches think about how they can demonstrate God’s love to the rugby community.

From 18 September to 31 October, 11 cities in the UK will host matches between 20 national squads. And around 400,000 rugby fans are expected to visit the UK from over 100 nations.

“The Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the World,” said David Chawner, co-ordinator of Engage. “This is another golden opportunity for the church to engage with a national event and with its local community as it did around the Olympics in 2012.”

Our Baptist Union is encouraging churches to get behind the campaign. Lynn Green, General Secretary, said: “I want to commend the Engage campaign as a way that churches can be part of forming a strong foundation to build legacy for sport and the gospel throughout the UK. This is something we want to be part of.”

In the run up to and during the tournament Engage hopes to see churches getting involved by staging local community festivals, making links into schools, putting on touch rugby games or running holiday clubs in October half-term. During the event, Engage is aiming to provide a chaplaincy service, games pastors, hosts for players’ families and rehydration stations. 

At the end of June, Engage will launch a church pack, which will include, along with general information and resources, a video of professional rugby players talking about their faith for use in church services or community events.

Copies of a book called The Game of Life, which includes player testimonies plus the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts in an easy-to-read format, will also be available for churches to give away during the event.

The church packs and The Game of Life can be ordered from www.engage2015.co.uk from the end of June onwards.

From 10 June to 31 October Rugby-themed events will be taking place throughout the UK as part of a ‘Festival of Rugby’

Thumbnail image: Rugby training / Wikimedia Commons