Connecting with people through sport
Hope chats to Chris Kennedy about how he is using fitness and physical wellbeing as an opportunity for mission.
'The reason I do sport and activity is in that place of suffering, I find God – if it’s a 5k run… in that place of utter exhaustion, you find this other space where you allow God to come in.'
Rev Chris Kennedy, a physiotherapist-turned-vicar.
Chris, who is a ‘Pioneer Sports Minister’ in Teddington, told HOPE how his time in the NHS had exposed him to the suffering of other people. ‘That suffering shaped me and that’s the place where I find God,’ he explained. ‘I definitely feel much more comfortable on the margins than I do in the centre – more comfortable speaking to drug addicts and ex-offenders than I do to “normal Christians”.’ For Chris, it is incredibly important ‘to realise that we are incarnate’ – and that our bodies are ‘incredible blessings.’ He believes that sport and activity is an amazing ‘leveler’, and a wonderful place to connect with people around questions of faith.
‘Sports and activity is what people are doing… so now is the best time to be able to have that conversation. I’m tired of hearing Christians talk “Christianese”. We are also bodies, we also have the same ups and downs… if it’s as simple as going for a run, people don’t see us as “holier than thou”, they see us working through those things – and we have a hope to share that’s greater than anything else.’
In a bid to unite the country around sport, via their local church leaders, Chris has also set up a challenge he’s calling ‘5k Padre’ – a quest to find the vicar who can run five kilometres the fastest in the country! He himself finds running is an excellent opportunity for prayer – ‘I find it a great way to level my brain down, and then to be able to connect with God through creation.’
‘I find it a great way to level my brain down, and then to be able to connect with God through creation.’
Chris on running and prayer.
He’s also gone a step further, though, and is bringing fitness right into his church itself – by creating a crossfit gym in his church building. ‘We shouldn’t just be a Sunday gathering, but we should be a group of people that are striving to see God’s kingdom come and his will be done and we’ve got these incredible bodies to do it!’ said Chris. The idea is that people will ‘come, achieve, suffer’ – and ‘find real community’ in that place. Chris also sees a natural crossover between the community aspects of crossfit and church, with people naturally looking out for each other as they come together.
As part of his interest in fitness and wellbeing, Chris has chosen to run ‘The Wellbeing Journey’, to lead people on a holistic journey towards physical, mental and spiritual wellness. Each session of this eight-week course, developed by HOPE Together and KingsGate Community Church, looks at a different aspect of wellbeing and is themed around the idea of Jesus as the ‘Prince of Peace’. Working across seven pilot dioceses and a large network of churches, they are using Zoom to host the course, with an open invitation to anyone, and breakout rooms for people to gather according to their location. For Chris, The Wellbeing Journey has come just ‘at the right time’.
Churches across the country are running The Wellbeing Journey in their own communities – and it’s not too late to join in! Suitable for both church-goers and people who would not yet call themselves Christians, it’s a fantastic way to connect with people around a topic that’s on all of our minds right now.
Find out more and sign up here:
wellbeingjourney.org