World Cup Fever: Pray while they play

Jo Herbert, June 10th, 2010

Love it or loath it, the World Cup is upon us and football/soccer mania has begun. Shirts with nationalities and emblems are a common sight; flags are flying on cars, in pubs and homes. In England footy anthems are jostling for a position in the music charts and newspapers, restaurants and pubs are launching tournament themed events. In the midst of all this activity hundreds of athletes have made there way to one nation to pit their skill against each other to decide who takes home the coveted cup.

Tomorrow… the world’s attention will turn to South Africa and will stay there for the next month.

Now when I say our attention is on South Africa, what I really mean is that our attention is on a few thousand square meters of grass on which the matches are played.  Our awareness of the wider nation hosting the event is often only turned to the rest of the country if riots break amongst passionate fans.  Please Lord; bring you peace to the streets so that won’t happen this year!

It’s easy to get caught up in the competition but as we follow the highs and lows of the most watched sporting event on planet earth let’s remember the nation and it’s people beyond the Football stadiums.  With an influx of people there is always a mixture of good and bad… Tourism bolsters business and brings new revenue to city, but an increase in population often brings a rise in crime and can prove a strain on areas of society already at risk.  

So what else is going on in the cities of South Africa as this huge tournament is played out?

If we just zoom in on Durban we see that there is so much we don’t hear of. Durban is home to (as of Jan ’09) 6,000 street children, to much poverty, deprivation, vulnerable people and those who would seek to take advantage of them. The children of Durban will be especially vulnerable as the world flocks to their city and takes over the pubs, restaurants, bars and hotels. Those who make a living out of selling people, often children into slavery will mix in with the thousands of oblivious fans making themselves difficult to identify.  

Soul Action South Africa (a network of many churches, projects and organisations) have been working together organising holiday clubs and activities for children and families so they have activities to keep them occupied (all of the schools are closed), and most importantly somewhere to be so they will be safe.

One project will be facilitating Places of Safety at every Mr. Price (a major retail store in South Africa) during the football, where any vulnerable child can go should they become lost separated from their parents, feel scared or vulnerable, encounter drug or sexual exposure, feel they are being followed, photographed or groomed or for any other reason that they feel they need to seek assistance.

In Galations 2:10, Peter and Paul agree that the one thing they must all do is remember the poor. God requires that from us too.

If you are a football fan, I want to ask if you will join me in praying for the many vulnerable people on the streets of Durban and for those working with them at the beginning of each match you watch. Please also talk to the people you are with about the risk of human trafficking so that others are made aware of what goes on behind the scenes.
 
There are so many organisations and projects involved; they are too many to list!

There will be street teams out every evening, praying, meeting people, talking to people about Jesus, there are screenings of the matches for children to watch in safety, there are family activities and fun days and the list goes on.

Please pray for the many volunteers and workers, pray for God’s presence in the city of Durban, so the safety of the street teams who will be out and about and of course for the many vulnerable people who will be at even more risk than usual during this period.

If you would like more detailed info about the projects going on, please email me.  On the 24-7 Blog Carla Harding makes further suggestions about how you can pray for all the nations taking part in the tournament. Check it out here.