More Than Gold presentations raise London 2012 profile in ThurrockMatt O jpeg

On Thursday 10 November there were two meetings at the Corringham Safety Centre and Grays Methodist Church to hear how Thurrock can become respond to the coming Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer.

Ex-footballer (and actor and opera singer!) Matt Oliver (right) from More Than Gold gave two presentations. At the lunchtime event in Corringham there were some 15 church leaders and representatives, and in the evening about 10.

Gold Champions

From this, Thurrock now has 10 ‘Gold Champions’, people who act has conduits for information flowing from More Than Gold and who will also meet together to strategise together a vision for the borough.

MTG pic2Meanwhile, ‘Borough Champion’ Tim Harrold continues to be part of the London-wide network of MTG Borough Champions, and also the MTG Prayer Team.

Council partnership

He and Rob Groves – Gold Champion for St Margaret’s and Fresh Hope Community in Stanford-le-Hope – have also been building links with Thurrock Council, offering the help of the church with such events as the coming of the Olympic Torch to the borough on Friday 6 July.

The potential for involvement of the church in the local community using the Olympic and Paralympic games as a backdrop for outreach is immense. Here are just a few aspects people can get stuck into:

  • MTG pic3sporting events
  • community festivals
  • street parties
  • cultural and creative activities
  • guest events
  • quizzes
  • prayer
  • hospitality

Churches can pool resources and be seen to act in harmony, thus releasing the blessing that only unity can bring, according to the promise of God (Psalm 133). It’s therefore important not to replicate but communicate ideas.

MTG pres jpegOlympify everything!

Matt encouraged us to “Olympify everything”, that is, to use the Olympics and Paralympics as a way of reaching our community at every turn.

There will be a local Gold Champions’ gathering at Socketts Baptist Church on Thursday 8 December at 7.30pm.

If you are your church’s Gold Champion – or you’d like to be your church’s Gold Champion – then please come along.