The gym becomes a mission field
Thinking of joining a gym in January? Have you ever thought of your local fitness club as a place where your church can really make a connection with people in your community?
If you do join a gym, even allowing for the recession, you're likely to be one of many hundreds of thousands. Even if only 20% of us stick it out, that's a lot of people making use of fitness facilities all over the country. The gym is fast emerging as a '3rd space' after the home and workplace.
Fit Lives is a Christian organisation that places chaplains in gyms, leisure centres and health clubs across the UK. They help a church 'adopt' its local fitness facility and then support them as they make it their mission field.
Beryl Bye, National Training Co-ordinator, tells us more:
"Most people join gyms because they recognise the need to improve their lifestyle by getting physically fitter and this often triggers a need to improve areas in their lives, other than body image. We are all well aware of the importance of living holistic lives and we want to assist the health centre to address the needs not only of the body but also of the mind and spirit.
Our main aim is to be a positive Christian presence in the centre - to come alongside staff and members in a caring and supportive way, to be available to listen to people when life gets tough and help develop a sense of community and friendship within the centre."
As Beryl explains, Fit Lives does not have an agressive evangelism agenda but seeks through its teams to show living examples of faith.
"If people are not Christians," continues Beryl, "it may be because they have an incorrect view of God and so our job is to give them a correct one by showing them love and care and genuine concern. If we as Christians are really living full complete and transformed lives people will see something to believe in and not just hear our words. People do not want a set of beliefs they want a lifestyle".
Fit Lives can work with a church to identify, train and support a Fit Lives volunteer 'Life Skills Co-ordinator'. The co-ordinator builds relationships with club members (with the blessing of the management) and run life skills courses such as parenting, marriage, stress, money and even alpha.
In the leisure centre in Bournemouth where Beryl volunteers, she and her team recently ran a coffee and mince pie morning alongside a resources table and listening clinic. There are even occasions where she feels it will be appropriate to offer prayer ministry.
Fit Lives already has teams working in gyms from Bournemouth to Birmingham and this year they plan to place chaplains in some 100 DC Leisure gyms across Britain.
If as a congregation you are looking for ways to 'be church' in the community, why not consider the opportunities your local leisure centre might offer?
Visit the Fit Lives website for more information or drop them an email.