Note #9122 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06082 Feb. 13, 2006
Group making Olympian effort to share the gospel at Games
Ecumenical News International
GENEVA - A group of Italians has launched a "More Than Gold" campaign during the Winter Olympics in Turin, using former Olympians to offer hospitality and pastoral care to athletes and their families in the names of several Christian denominations.
Anyone who steps into a church in the Turin area during the Games will be offered a free copy of the Gospel of Mark on behalf of the "Committee 2006," which includes representatives of the Waldensian Church, the Roman Catholic bishops of Turin, Pinerolo and Susa, and the Holy Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy.
"The Gospel according to Mark is one of the books of the Bible which tells the story of the life, work and teachings of Jesus Christ," said the Rev. Luciano Deodato, the Waldensian president of the committee. "As a concrete sign of warm welcome to our visitors, we've decided to make a gift of that which is precious to us as churches and church people."
The campaign's name is a reference to the clause, "Faith in Christ is worth more than gold," which is based on a Bible verse (1 Peter 1:7) that members say inspired the creation of the program.
"The association has designed and created a wide-reaching program of hospitality, presence and witness in Turin ... for the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games," said the Rev. Giuseppe Platone, the president of "More than Gold."
The group is offering hospitality for Protestant chaplains on hand to offer pastoral care and support to those who drop by the Religious Center in the Olympic Villages in Turin and Sestriere. There are 14 ministers from seven countries.
"The chaplaincy service is ... offered to the athletes and their families," Platone said. "Our organization is working in cooperation with the Interfaith committee of TOROC, the organizing committee of the Games, in offering these services in specially designated areas.
"Within these religious centers, the chaplains, almost all of them former Olympic athletes, will be offering services, on a totally volunteer basis, thus guaranteeing the availability of chaplaincy services every day."
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