“Football, Faith, Future"
Over the school holidays North Cardiff Ministry Area ran a football camp at St Denys Church in Lisvane with support from Ambassadors Football, a charity who partner with local churches to deliver faith-based football camps and share Jesus through football across the world.
Ambassadors Football’s aim is to break down barriers and reach children through the sport that they love, teaching them about Jesus in the process.
Our Youth Engagement Worker , Steve Lock, reflects on his experience at the club.
"Wow, Wow, Wow!
What an amazing three days of football, fellowship, and faith. That in itself is a weird statement for me, writing as someone who really doesn’t like football at all!
However, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9 v22 “All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings.”
We are to be all things to all people so, it was with reluctance (if I’m honest), I agreed to help out with this event and I’m so glad I did.
We were met on the first morning with the rain absolutely chucking it down sideways, I remember, as I soggily stood under a brolly by the side of the football pitch. The team from Ambassadors Football were really on fire for Jesus – and that is why I got involved. Their vision is to serve the local church, inspiring and equipping it to build Christ-centred relationships through football, and even the weather couldn’t dampen that. Their strapline is “Football, Faith, Future” and through a series of lessons, videos, drama, and of course football.
They introduced Jesus to a bunch of children in a way that just made sense and over the three days the boys and girls, some of whom formed brand new relationships, discovered what a friendship with Jesus means to each of them personally.
The mornings covered football skills training out on the field and, mixed with that, stories of how Jesus accepts and invites everyone unconditionally (unlike football scouts looking for talent, age, or other notable qualities).
In the afternoon those football skills and Christian values were put into action on the pitch. Interviews in the hot seat with the coaches also proved important in helping the children discover the relevance of faith in their personal walk with God and the prominence in which Faith helps them with their futures.
Even as someone who doesn’t get football, I would recommend Ambassadors to any church wanting to help the kids in their communities find Jesus for themselves.”