With the arrival of the Olympic Torch to the UK less that two weeks away we are launching our '70-day Prayer Relay' - that tracks the same route the Torch will travel.

Read on for how to be part of this great cascade of prayer and praise. And for much more besides.

Jesus said we were to 'shine like lights' with our actions leading to others believing that our God is to be worshiped. The coming 2012 Games are the perfect opportunity for us to do exactly that.

Get ready to run. Get ready to shine.

Thank you.

Peter Meadows

Communications Director

Let the Olympic Torch inspire you to pray

WE WANT THE OLYMPIC TORCH Relay to inspire a cascade of prayer and praise through every village, town and city - including yours - between 19th May to 27th July.

Tracking the same places and dates as the official Relay is the More Than Gold 70-day Prayer Relay. The aim is to generate prayer for communities, the Games and the nations.

On your own or with your home group, prayer group, whole church or lots of churches you can -

• Join in the Prayer Relay on the day the Torch comes your way
• Pray where you are for the communities the Torch is passing through

As a first step, download our free guide to Praying During the 70-day Prayer Relay - link. It has ideas for before, during and after the Torch comes your way.

Then download the Prayer Relay Daily Prayers - link. And request a free prayer poster, with the dates and places the Olympic flame will travel at ucb2go.co.uk/morethangold You will also be able to follow the Prayer Relay on Twitter via #mtgprayer

If you are in one of the 70 towns where the Olympic torch is to stop overnight, join in the Prayer Relay blessing 'exchange'. This day-time event sees church leaders passing on prayers of blessing from where the Torch last stopped. Details will be on our Facebook events at link.

An Olympic athlete for your church?

FANCY AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE to speak at your church? Don't even think about it! Competitors are focused on only one thing - to be at their best when the moment comes.

But there is a great Plan B. Short, sharp interviews with UK International Christian athletes are available from Scripture Union as paid-for downloads £1.50 each or all 10 for £10 from link. There is also a free outline of 5 short talks based on the downloads which is available through the link.

Another Plan B is to run an Olympic-themed sports quiz free from Christians in Sport - details here.

Great resources for youth and schools

LOOKING FOR A WAY to engage young people with the Games and faith? Look no further -

For schools: 'Team Talk' has 5 Key Stage 2 assembly outlines featuring UK International Christian athletes and dramatically re-told Bible stories. For details and to order go to link.

For 11 to 16s from outside a church community: there's a 'Decathlon' which uses games from 10 different sports to convey some essentials of the Christian faith. For a sample of one of the sessions click here.

For a link to these resources and lots more like them go to www.morethangold.org.uk/webshop

Get your sights on the Paralympics

THE PARALYMPIC GAMES gives your church a way to champion the cause of disability and be welcoming to all. And there's lots of ideas and help on hand.

The Olympic movement has taken the issues of disability to its heart. The time has come for churches to do the same. This can be through -

• Being welcoming to everyone through all your 2012 Games activities - see resources at link and link.
• Holding special events highlighting the Paralympics - ideas at link
• Celebrating the Paralympic Torch relay
• Marking a Sunday a Paralympic Sunday

News in brief

Mission Teams seek London churches. Over 1,000 people from overseas have now signed up to be part of mission teams - most with London in mind. So we need to hear from London churches that could use helping hands and willing hearts this summer. To see what's involved go to - link.

Games Pastors deadline approaching. The deadline is Friday 1st June to apply to serve the thousands of travelers, sightseers and spectators involved with London 2012. For information click here.

Free event pack for churches. Still available is our 48 page publication full of ideas to help churches engage with their community during the Torch Relay and the Games. Created by Traidcraft with an emphasis on acting justly. To request go to www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/churcheventpack

Prayer

Please give thanks for:

• The thousands of churches planning to serve their communities during the Torch Relay
• The Get Set tour - where over 1,500 were trained across almost 20 locations
• The way so many Local Authorities have welcomed the support and involvement of churches
• God's continued protection over our nation

Please pray for:

• The team involved in the 70-day Prayer Relay as they pull the final plans together and get ready for 70 days on the road from 18th May
• The need for more Games Pastors and hosts for our Athlete Family Homestay programme.
• The need for more churches in the Greater London area to host an international mission team

For daily prayers during the Torch Relay download at link