YFC in Scotland - Soccer Ministry Needs Funds for Portable Pitch
by Linda Emmons for TCC
When Americans think of Scotland, a few things are likely to come to mind. For some, it will be their favorite literature. Certainly, if you took all the Scottish authors out of the library, there would be gaping holes in every section. A Scotsman, Alexander Graham Bell, invented the telephone, a little invention that changed our world. Scottish achievements and relationships have deeply impacted our present lives. Perhaps you think of a great-grandfather who emigrated from Scotland, or maybe you imagine Braveheart thundering through the hills, or handsome swordsmen flailing at each other as in the old Highlander movie/TV series.
Looking at all that, two Scottish traits become obvious – passion and a zest for physical competition. Imagine that Highlander character being acted out in the despair and boredom of a young teenage boy or girl, minus any moral compass.
Boys on the Soccer Field
Games in Scotland
Youth for Christ - UK
The Scottish government says that as a conservative figure, upwards of 40% of all youths in their tiny country are involved in crime and anti-social behavior. That means that of every five kids, two or more of them are committing crimes. The statistics point to increasingly violent crimes and increased knife attacks are the main concern on the street.
Expand your horizons a wee bit and meet Alan Gray, Sports Ministry Coordinator for Youth for Christ based in Glasgow, Scotland. Alan has a job so important, and well, impossible, that only God could have the audacity to assign such a task and expect to see it brought to fruition. Alan is reaching the youth of Scotland through the thing that arouses their passions in a way that may be impossible with our own jaded youth. What is the vehicle? Soccer, although along with most of the world, they call it football. The Scots know quite a bit about this and other sports near to our hearts, including basketball, cycling, rugby, hockey, and curling because Scots wrote the rules for these sports a few hundred years before the USA was born.
A life without hope, economic despair, and boredom—a life without Jesus—is all these kids have to look forward to, without present and consistent intervention by people like Alan.
Alan’s team knows Jesus, they know the problem, they know the solution, they have football skills to share, and they have God’s blessing on their project to take football to the streets where the kids are. Now they need your prayers and financial support.
Youth for Christ has a plan to raise around $200,000 US to buy a portable pitch. This is an enclosed field needed to play football, and they can put it up nearly anywhere. They put it up, the kids gather to play, and before they know it they are willing to talk to Christians about Christ. There is virtually no other way to get these kids’ attention. But they really don’t need another way, because other than Jesus appearing, there could be no bigger draw for Scottish youth.
Portable Pitch for Soccer Games in the Streets, Parking Lots, etc.
There are mega-ministries that suck up a lot of donations that back worthy causes, too — how many gold throne chairs, personal jets and Rolls-Royces do you want to provide the “stars” of those ministries? According to some of the financial accountability groups, some of the TV evangelists haven’t dispersed funds from previous fundraisers before they start on the next one. Those appeals for your money will always be there — this portable football field is a short-term goal, attainable, with eternal consequences.
Since there are a lot of people clamoring for your donations, why pick this one?
This is a ministry that will have far-reaching implications and get a lot of results from even a modest donation. Yes, we should still help starving children-but your donation will feed them for a month, a donation here will feed this Scottish lad or lass for a lifetime. Although funding sources are scarce, ministries are, unlike in the US, able to go into schools and work alongside there. Relationships earned on the streets can then be strengthened and expanded upon in the schools, too. In areas where the football team has managed this, a noticeable drop in crime resulted, as well as confessions of faith.
To send a donation of any size, send a cashiers check or money order to Youth for Christ and mail to Youth for Christ, 110 St James Road, Glasgow, G4 0PS, Scotland, United Kingdom. For wire transfers, please contact the ministry for their banking information. All monies will be used directly to pay for the pitch and expenses with transporting and utilizing it in the greater Scotland area.
To learn more or contact Youth for Christ/UK directly, please use the web links below.
Youth for Christ Football Site
Watch the video where they show some football tricks. I could barely watch as fast as these fellows work that ball.
Learn more about YFC Scottish youth/sport ministries on Alan’s Myspace page.
Learn more about Scotland itself using these links.
Thanks for bringing this awesome ministry to our attention. The time is so short before Jesus returns–it’s wonderful to see how this ministry is leveraging time and finances to reach young people. Kingdom business!
What a great opportunity they have! It’s so hard to get the attention of kids in our community. Hope they get 2x as much money as they need. I am sending a small donation.