Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Initiative

For over two years preparations have been going into preparing to host the Christian outreach that is going to occur during the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Jack O’Halloran is in charge of Sports Outreach for the Salvation Army.  The Salvation Army has a huge presence at major sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup.  Jack is instrumental for the outreach that will surround the Olympics.  I first met Jack at the Athens Olympics and have been working and communicating with him since.

We are also working with Lawrence Ho, a Christian attorney who lives in Vancouver, to help prepare for protecting religious freedom at the Games.  We have already been helping evangelists who are ministering on the streets of Vancouver in advance of the Games. 

I know it seems like it is a long way off, however, less than two years is very little time to prepare for the hundreds or thousands of missionaries who will come to Vancouver to share the Gospel with the thousands of tourists who will flock to town.

We will tailor a letter to the organizing committee for the Vancouver Games.  This letter will succinctly lay out the legal issues that protect the rights of missionaries to share their faith in public places, particularly during major sporting events like the Olympics.  This letter will include discussions of Canadian law and the protections it affords to everyone.

The IHRG will also be working with mission organizations and mission leaders to educate them and their missionaries as to the rights they will enjoy during the course of the Games.   We will help educate them before and during the events in Vancouver.

We will also be on hand to monitor events during the Games.  This has proven, time and again, to be a great way to ensure that problems do not escalate.  At past sporting events, particularly the Olympic Games, we have had to intervene to protect the rights of missionaries on the streets during the Games. 

We take our job seriously, therefore we will communicate, educate, and monitor during these outreaches to make sure the door remains open for the proclamation of the Gospel at major sporting events around the world. 

Please continue to pray for the work of the IHRG.  We are dedicated to work hard to keep the door for the proclamation of the Gospel open around the world.  As you can imagine, this takes a lot of money, and it takes a huge toll on our families.