ForthcomingDiscipleship Training School (DTS) Gatherings• Coventry, 17–24

March 2012• Glasgow, 27 Oct–

3 Nov 2012All DTSs, YWAM staff, YWAM associates and friends welcome, for a day or more, or for the week! For more, Rossie@forever2012.com

Earhart ExperimentsForever Arts weekends• 6–8 April 2012• 2–5 June 2012For more, Rebecca@forever2012.com

Circuit Riders School• 1–14 July 2012 plus two-week outreachFor more, www.ywamharpenden.org

Go 4 GloryYWAM Arts and Sports Festival• 20–25 July 2012For more, www.go4glory.org

in this issueThe spir i t of Munich ’72 p1

Megacit ies stor ies p3Just Go! p5

Forthcoming . . . p6Communicat ion matters p7

Staf f bonuses p8

Newsletter

The YWAM Olympic OutreachIssue 16 March 2012

continued on page 2

Lynn Green, previously International Chairman of YWAM and currently part of the global eldership, looks back 40 years to the first Olympic outreach, and wonders what God will do this time.

www.forever2012.com • info@forever2012.com • +44 (0)1582 463322 Forever is a ministry of YWAM England & Wales and YWAM International. Reg Charity No 264078. Forever is a partner with More Than Gold.

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That’s the spirit!

I have been in YWAM for over 40 years. I’ve been involved in some remarkable projects, and seen God do amazing things in and through YWAM. Highlights include March for Jesus, the Reconciliation Walk, the purchase of Holmsted Manor, The King’s Lodge and Highfield Oval … and the 1972 Olympic outreach in Munich.

Munich ’72 is remembered by most people for the horrors surrounding the so-called Munich massacre of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. But in the midst of that tragedy, God was working. Although the world was on edge, watching the unfolding drama of the terrorist attack, God was drawing His people together as one, to bring His message of peace and reconciliation to the watching

world. I will never forget walking down the main streets of Munich, banners in hand, one of thousands proclaiming the name of Jesus. In our hands were flowers provided by the city authorities to give out to the stunned public, which opened many opportunities for deep

Flower power ... marching down the streets of Munich in 1972

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EditorialAs I write this editorial, there are five months to go to the beginning of the Olympic Games! The outreach at the Games themselves will be the high point of the 2012 Olympic outreach, but there are already exciting things happening, as you will see as you read the Megacities stories from the streets of London in this edition.

God is moving, and as Lynn Green makes clear, it won’t be just about the outreach itself, but what God wants to do out of the outreach. YWAM’s history shows how God has used big events such as the Olympic outreach as a catalyst for new things, and that is certainly something we in Forever believe God wants to do out of the 2012 Olympic outreach.

One of those new things is to play our part in launching the next wave of British missionaries from these shores to the nations. So it’s great to be able to focus on Just Go!, which gives British young people the opportunity to get a taster for missions.

Who knows what other new things God wants to do out of this season of the Olympic outreach? As you will see, there are a number of events running up to the Games, as well as the outreach during the Games. God wants to use each of them to touch people’s hearts – both those who do not know Him yet, and those who do know Him and for whom He has new things ahead. Don’t miss out on what Jesus wants you to get involved in during this season of outreach.

conversations. Despite the tragedy at Munich 1972, God was still glorified: indeed, perhaps because of the tragedy He received even greater glory as people looked for some comfort, some good, some source of real peace.

YWAM at Munich 1972Munich was YWAM’s first Olympic outreach. A call went out to YWAM worldwide (not so easy then as it is now, as there was no such thing as email or the Internet – just tele-phones and the postal service).

In those days YWAM was small (about 100 full-time staff), yet over 1,000 YWAM volunteers came from all over the globe. We all slept in a castle (Schloss Hurlach) that miraculously YWAM had been able to purchase. We ate together, ministered together, prayed and worshipped together, and saw God do great things – together.

Out of that unity, God did more than just touch thousands with His good news. Such was the inspiration, such the Spirit-filled experience, that many of those YWAM volunteers returned home to start something new. Others in a sense never went back home, but lost their heart to another country.

Among the nations that can definitely count Munich 1972 as the starting point for their YWAM work are the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Germany, and Austria. There are no doubt others, and of course, in terms of YWAM, many other nations look to these listed nations as their spiritual parents or grandparents. Munich 1972 really was the start of start something.

Catching the spiritI believe that this year’s Olympic outreach is capturing something of the spirit of Munich ’72. There’s a sense of YWAM and others stirring themselves worldwide to be present at London 2012; a sense of unity and oneness not seen for some time. This is an opportunity like no other: not only will we have the world coming to the Games, but London already has the world here, in a way that few cities can claim.

Of course it will be different – Jesus never does things the same way twice. But 40 years on from Munich 1972, there is real excitement within YWAM that He is going to use this Olympic outreach to bring big expansion to the mission force. Not for YWAM’s sake, but for the glory of His name; to raise up a whole new generation of young people who will go – unreservedly, wholly, with no care for themselves – to establish the Kingdom in places and circumstances where it isn’t, and to preach the gospel among peoples that have never heard it.

I’ll be there. The question is, can you afford not to be?

Then and now ... Lynn and Marti Green, in 1972

and 2012

Street talk

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Outreach teams working with YWAM’s Megacities report back from their times on the streets of London.

“A girl wandered into our church one Sunday because she

wanted to know more about God. After the service I shared

with her and she got inspired by my testimony and wanted to

know more about my relationship with God. We made a time

to meet up and she invited us over to her house. It was an

answer to prayer to be able to go to her home! We met her

family, shared testimonies, taught her how to read the Bible

and brought her to Christ. She prayed and accepted Jesus as

her Saviour.” – Jessica, Sweden

Continued on page 4

“We did door-to-door evangelism … a guy named Mikey opened the

door and invited us straight in his flat. We quickly found out that he is

an alcoholic and had experienced a lot of sad things in his life. His flat

was a real mess. We talked to him for about an hour and I offered to

come back the next day to clean his flat and help him to think about

his life and what to change. So we cleaned his flat for three days but

it’s still a work in progress. I prayed for him every day and spoke Jesus’

name over his life. I found out through doing mercy ministry and

praying for him God changes people and he came to the church service

on Sunday.” – Samuel, Germany

“… the homeless shelter programme had just begun … I placed myself next to this young chap named Elliot. We began having a very friendly conversation and not long after he began opening up to me about his life. He had been homeless for a week and had been camping in parks during that time. He ran away from home because his father was abusive, I immediately saw the opening, identified with him and began sharing with him about my life. Afterward he said, ‘I saw this sign post and it said if you haven’t tried Jesus give Him a try, what do you have to lose.’ I pounced on the opportunity and began sharing the gospel with Him … I said to him, ‘You can pray and I will lead you out in a prayer if you would like?’ He agreed and right then and there he gave his life to the Lord.” – Matthew, South Africa

“Joel and I were holding a ‘Free Prayer’ sign and suddenly a man fell. We helped him up and then let him go. Joel quickly thought ‘I should’ve prayed for him’ and he ran off to pray for him. I continued standing there for a little while, after I prayed for someone I went to go find out where Joel went. I rounded the corner and he was talking to a man in a wheelchair. We talked with him for a while (turns out he was a believer, though he seemed sceptical about healing). So Joel and I prayed for him. He said he felt like something happened but didn’t want to try and stand so we left. Then later in the day Joel saw him and he called Joel over. And he stood up out of his chair and said he couldn’t do that before. And to this day we check up with him at the church we go to and he says it keeps getting better.” –Joel, USA

Website statisticsSince the beginning of 2012, we have seen a huge jump in the numbers of people visiting our website (www.forever2012.com).

Here’s a brief comparison of December 2011 and January 2012:

• Number of visits:

• Dec – 1,716 • Jan – 2,694

• Page views:

• Dec – 5,389 • Jan – 8,871

• Number of visitors:

• Dec – 1,148 • Jan – 1,811

• Number of countries/territories that visited:

• Dec – 82 • Jan – 101

As of 23 February, we have had visitors from 145 countries and territories.

The surge is coming!

“Christian and I were out knocking on doors. A guy named Jeff ended up answering the door. He wasn’t interested in prayer from what I remember, and he didn’t seem interested in discussing God … Then I started asking a line of questions where at one point I asked if he would like to have a relationship with God, and he said something like ‘No, not really.’ I asked some more questions, and several of his responses included that God existed, that He was good, and that he had created the world (though not us) – and therefore was powerful. So I said ‘You believe that God exists and that He is good and powerful and you don’t want to have a relationship with Him?’ He said, ‘Well, when you put it that way …’ I ended up having him read some scriptures. I would ask him what each scripture said, and he seemed to be understanding things. I talked about some other things, and then went through five gospel points and then asked him if he wanted to be in a relationship with God, and he said yes. I led him in a prayer, and he asked God to forgive his sins and invited Jesus to be Lord of his life.” – Joel, USA

“I have been helping out with the homeless shelter at St Paul’s Shadwell.

During this time I got to share with a man called John from Gambia. He

opened up to me and just needed someone to befriend him, so I did and

also started telling him about the love of God and gave him a Bible. The

second Monday I got to see him I prayed with him and he gave his life

to God. He is going to church now and he doesn’t feel alone anymore.”–

Mariska, South Africa

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“This week we went to Camden Town to do evangelism with chalk. We were writing

on the ground and an old lady stopped to look. When I asked her her name she

bitterly responded with, ‘Why do you care? You won’t remember in 20 years.’ I

was able to say to her, No I won’t, but God does and He knows you, He loves you

… She let me pray for her and when I finished she had a single tear run down her

cheek. She gave me two hugs, and I know God used this meeting to bring value to a

woman who thought she had none.” – Christel, USA

Megacities is a YWAM Australia project that coordinates outreach teams to a city for one year. In 2012, London is the city.

For more about Megacities, either visit www.megacities.org.au or contact info@megacities.org.au. To see the latest outreach stories, or to read fuller versions of the stories here, visit the YWAM Megacities Facebook page.

“In Romford I got to go out with the street pastors a few times. That was really cool because I got to directly minister to some people who were struggling. Like there was a couple who were fighting outside of the club. And I got to talk to the guy. And I got a word for him and I told him that God loved him no matter what he has done and no matter what he might think of God. And then we got talking about God a little bit and I prayed for him that God would really show Himself to him.”– Ashley, USA

“Jason and I both spotted a man using hand crutches limping along and he decided

to sit right beside us. We looked at each other and were in agreement to pray for

healing. A casual ‘How are you doing brother?’ broke the ice and we asked the

condition of his knee. He said it was very painful and dislocated, but is on its way to

recovery. We asked right away if we could pray for him and he said yes! We laid hands

on his knee, as we prayed and commanded healing in Jesus’ name, Jason felt a click

movement in the knee cap area! After we were done praying, we asked him how he

felt and with a big smile he said that the pain was gone. We told him to stand up and

try it out. He did a little squat position and said it felt so much better.” – Jill, Canada

Praise • Jesus is the reason for

this season of outreach!• For the teams from

Brazil, Romania and Cameroon who have been praying for the UK as part of brick by brick.

• That we are having breakthroughs in getting tents/housing sorted out for the summer.

• The surge is happening! Enquiries about sending teams to the Olympic outreach are increasing.

• Megacities outreach teams are having a big impact across London.

Prayer• That as the Games gets

closer, the UK Church fully engages with the opportunities offered.

• That many would get a heart for prayer in 2012 and lay the prayer foundations for all God wants to do this year.

• For God to bring breakthroughs for teams planning to come from abroad.

• For a breakthrough in the costs for outreach teams travelling into London each day.

• For our time at the forthcoming DTS Gathering in Coventry.

• For our team health; many of us have been unwell recently.

• For God’s provision for the Forever project throughout 2012.

• That we would continue to have hope in what God has been speaking.

• For financial, networking and accommodation breakthroughs for our next two YWAM and Forever team plants in Manchester (March) and Wimbledon (April).

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Quotable quotesAthletes who participate in the Olympic Games can be a rich source of inspiration. Here are a few quotations from down the years:

“The triumph cannot be had without the struggle.”Wilma Rudolph

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”Jesse Owens

“Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.”Emil Zatopek

“Lots of people let it go by and never accomplish what they want. I just wanted to see what I could do.”Ed Moses

“You came into this world with nothing, and you will be leaving with nothing.”Kip Keino

“Whatever you do, don’t do it halfway.”Bob Beamon

“It made me proud to know that I had been able to bring joy into people’s lives.”Fanny Blankers-Koen

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Just Go!A large part of the Olympic outreach is about mobilising YWAM across the world, but we also want to draw British people into missions. Kyle Henderson-Begg describes one opportunity.

For the past few years, YWAM England has been partnering with fellow Christian charity Soul Survivor to see British young people engaged in mission. The result is the Just Go! outreaches. This year we are making the most of the opportunities in the UK offered as a result of the Olympics, and are joining forces with Christians from around the world to reach out both to local communities and to all the Olympic-related visitors in the country in the summer.

Train and goJust Go! runs from 22 July–5 August, and starts with a four-day training camp, featuring worship led by Soul Survivor and teaching by Soul Survivor leader Mike Pilavachi and YWAM staff. It will be a time of getting God’s heart for others and learning how to share our faith in really practical ways.

After the training camp we will

be heading off in our teams out into the UK. Our aim is to have two teams in London and one team in each of the other Olympic host cities (Cardiff, Coventry, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, and Weymouth and Portland). Each team will be involved in different projects, from painting fences to

painting faces, sports outreaches to family fun days.

If you want to get a taste of missions and are aged between

11 and 18, then Just Go! is for you, no matter what experience you have. You can even bring your whole youth group!

Join usWe believe God is moving in the UK, wanting to impact people with His love. Join us, and see more British young people get a deep burning passion for their nation, for missions and to see God move through them, as young British men and women have throughout history. Be part of the story.

Tell your friends and churches, and bring your own youth group. Visit www.ywamengland.com/justgo to find out more.

Forthcoming ...There are loads of events before and during the Games. Take a look and sign up!

The Earhart Experiments – 6–8 April & 2–5 June 2012Long weekends for those involved in the Arts, featuring two days of networking and creative outreach preparation followed by one day (April) or two days (June) of outreach in London.

Where: YWAM HarpendenCost: £43 (April); £60 (June)Who: Open to allFor more: www.forever2012.com/do/events/earhart/ or

Rebecca@forever2012.com

Circuit Riders School – 1–14 July 2012A two-week YWAM school, followed by two weeks of outreach in London.

Where: YWAM HarpendenCost: £285 (airfares and outreach costs are not included)Who: Open to allFor more: www.ywamharpenden.org or circuitriders@ywamharpenden.org

Go 4 Glory – 20–25 July 2012An international Arts and Sports Festival for Christian artists and athletes. Optional Olympic outreach in London afterwards.

Where: YWAM HarpendenCost: Check out the websiteWho: Open to all, but particularly for YWAM Arts and SportsFor more: www.go4glory.org or info@go4glory.org

Just Go! – 22 July–5 Aug 2012Short-term missions trips organised in conjunction with Soul Survivor. Particularly for young people, youth groups, and youth leaders.

Where: YWAM Harpenden then outreach in Olympic host citiesCost: £200 (airfares and outreach costs are not included)Who: Open to all, but specifically for British young people and youth groupsFor more: www.ywamengland.org/justgo or justgo@ywamengland.org

Kids in the Kommunity – 30 July–4 Aug 2012Holiday Bible Club, missions trip, community outreach and summer camp all in one.

Where: Harrow and RomfordCost: To be confirmedWho: Open to 7–11 year olds plus leadersFor more: www.kidsinthekommunity.org.uk or info@kidsinthekommunity.org.uk

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Resources

Forever Prayer

The Prayer section of the Forever website (www.forever2012.com/support/prayer-support/) has a load of prayer resources, including:

• maps for praying in the Olympic host cities;

• articles on different ways of prayer;

• articles to inform your prayers for the UK and the Olympics.

More Than Gold

Our partner organisation More Than Gold has announced two resources:

• Event Pack for Churches, a 48-page booklet of ideas and resources to help churches engage with the Games and the Torch Relay;

• A Time to Shine prayer guide, with 40 pages of creative ideas to help you pray with an emphasis on missions in this Olympic outreach season.

Visit www.morethangold.org.uk to find out more.

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Translation service

Forever videoThe new Forever video is now available with subtitles.

You can view the Spanish version at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzLdIbNNQk4&feature=youtu.be

You can view the French version at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3FS-L_DVNM

You can view the Portuguese version at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7AKsC9NAI4&list=UUIrPom4KNnNCUaORj5tyiCQ&index=2&feature=plcp

You can view the the Swedish version at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9CMlidNK5I

You can view the Korean version at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJN8qAGw8VU

Communicationmatters

There will be many stories to tell out of the Olympic outreach. Forever is gathering communicators from across the world to make sure they are told.

Good communications is at the heart of both YWAM and the Forever 2012 Olympic outreach project. And good communications will be at the centre of our main outreach period during the Games.

Story-tellingGod has done and is already doing many amazing things in this two-year season of the Olympic outreach. (Just look at the stories from Megacities on pages 3–4!) But there’s going to be a surge of stories during the month of outreach during the Games.

The main Games outreach runs from 25 July–13 August 2012. During that time, we will have thousands of people participating in outreach in London and the other UK cities that are hosting Olympic events. They will have stories to tell, and we want to collect those stories, edit them and then send them out. It will be an intense time of creating various communications in various media, each day informing the

world what God is doing through the Olympic outreach.

Team buildingWe are assembling a team of skilled and experienced communications people to handle our story-telling during the Games, people who are prepared to work hard for several weeks so that God will receive the glory for what He will do through the Olympic outreach.

Among the people we need are:• journalists• copy writers• copy editors and sub-editors• proof readers• graphic designers• photographers• video camera operators• video editorsWhether you are a communications individual, team or school, we’d love to hear from you.

For more on Communications ...Contact us on info@forever2012.com or visit www.forever2012.com/do/communications/, where you can also download application forms.

www.forever2012.com • info@forever2012.com • +44 (0)1582 463322 Forever is a ministry of YWAM England & Wales and YWAM International. Reg Charity No 264078. Forever is a partner with More Than Gold.

Sign up to pray for the UK in 2012 now at:www.forever2012.com/brickbybrick/

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Staff bonusesThe Forever team continues to grow. We asked the three latest recruits to introduce themselves.

“My name is SeungYun Lee, though I’m known as Hannah. I am from Seoul, South Korea, but have been based in England for a

few years. I’m working with my husband, Jonghee, in planting the YWAM Wimbledon ministry Among my roles will be to lead intercession, do teaching, and oversee hospitality.

“We want to see the glory of God come and people be transformed by the Holy Spirit through praise and worship in

Greater London, initially in the Korean community and then in the international community.”

“Hi, I’m Kerry Clancy. I’m from Cheltenham, England, and working with the Forever Arts Team and the Youth and Children’s Team.

“I will be helping to coordinate Youth and Children-focused outreaches, including Just Go! and Kids in the Kommunity. Through these outreaches, I hope to see young people in Britain being used by God to transform the lives of the people they meet. I am passionate about seeing young people, especially children, develop an intimate relationship with God now and not wait until they are older.

“As part of the Arts team I want to see people using their talent for outreach in new and original ways. I am passionate about the Arts, especially dance, and have a heart to see them used in worship and during outreach.”

“I am Jonghee Lee, from Seoul, South Korea. I met my wife Hannah in England. We are planting a new YWAM team in Wimbledon.

“My role will be to lead musical worship, teach, and preach in churches. Part of my role in Forever is to help translate various communications into Korean.

“One of the main reasons I joined Forever was because our visions match. I wanted to plant a team in Wimbledon (where the main London Korean community is based) and Forever wanted to plant any team anywhere in London. So it was a ‘win–win’ plan of God.”

“I want to see children and young people going out and impacting the UK.” - Kerry Clancy

“Forever is a door for peopl

e

who have a vision for the

UK and helps them to plant

a new ministry around the

country.” - SeungYun Lee

“I am excited to see the various teams that are being created and then sent out to different areas through Forever.” - Jonghee Lee

brick by brick updateThe brick by brick year of prayer for the UK started on 1 January with great success.

So far we have had many individuals as well as YWAM teams from Brazil, Romania, Cameroon and Harpenden who have been covering January and February in prayer for the UK. It’s looked different each time for each group.

The YWAM Harpenden (England) community read the Bible continuously for the first four days of 2012. Some have had weeks of 24-7 prayer and many locations have had times of intercession for the UK and fed back the words and things God has placed on their hearts. Individuals have taken 1–2 hour slots and prayed for God’s blessing over this year.

There are still lots of opportunities to sign up to pray during March and April onwards. Why don’t you get some people together in your YWAM location or church and sign up for some hours, a day or a week?