Since he has a busy schedule, he quickly recruited a Christian friend called, Sunday, to help him. He shared the vision with Sunday and made sure he understood the importance of having a kingdom perspective in the sports ministry. They joined together and gathered a group of boys (under 15 in age) and started meeting and training with them weekly.
After working with his team for some time, Audu decided to plan a football (soccer) tournament, but not like other tournaments in his area. You see, all the past tournaments never came to a completion because fighting always broke out during the tournament and it had to be cancelled. Audu focused on Godly character issues. He also mixed up the teams so that new relationships were formed. By God's grace, the tournament did finish successfully.
Many church and community leaders, including those of other religious beliefs, came out to witness the competition and encourage their youth to grow in godliness. By the end of the tournament, 14 youth accepted Christ as their Saviour.
These new believers are involved in different churches and are being actively discipled. One non-Christian parent even requested to have her son on a Sports Friends team because she saw the difference in how the coach and youth behaved. Audu is also training these young men in areas of life beyond football; he is their "whole life" coach.
He has started a farm with them and is teaching them business skills. Other volunteers are also helping the boys with their school work and educational learning. The ministry is growing wider and deeper. Audu has been willing to invest in a group of boys, and God has blessed it and multiplied it so that now hundreds of Nigerian youth in the area are being impacted with the transforming power of Jesus' love.
Over the last several years, Sports Friends has trained over 1,200 Nigerian men and women like Audu to become effective sports ministry leaders, impacting their communities for the cause of Christ through the platform of sports.
If sport is your passion and gift, why not consider sports evangelism. Make an appointment with our SIM representative in your state and chat about the possibilities.
Read more: http://www.sim.org.au/index.php?axn=view&newsID=365