Mennonite Brethren Grey Cup Service

Winnipeg

A Mennonite Brethren congregation, The Meeting Place, conducted a Sunday morning worship service for Grey Cup attenders November 22. The Grey Cup executive had heard The Meeting Place band at a tailgate party at a Blue Bomber game some weeks ago. They approached Athletes in Action, asking whether this group would be willing to conduct the service for families of the athletes who would be in the city for the Game. Since The Meeting Place has three full services in their facility every Sunday already, they soon realized that another venue was needed. Many of the week's events had been held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, so they approached management about the possibility of renting two of the halls for this service. This enabled The Meeting Place to use light and sound systems already in place, for their service. The service was advertised in all the Grey Cup publicity material, and, to quote pastor Paul Wartman, "it was exciting to be accepted in that culture".

Approximately 3500 people were at the service, and of those, approximately 1000 were there as invited guests, many of them unchurched. The children's service had about 450 participants and about 350 volunteers were needed to stage the service in this venue.

It was a typical Meeting Place service with an energetic band led by Jane Martens on keyboards.

Testimonies by two CFL players were a highlight. Craig Hendriksen, linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers told about coming to Christ almost seven years ago while playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. Up to that point, he had done "anything to get a rush", including drinking, drugs, and women. Now his main motivation is "to glorify God at all times in my performance". Hendrikson, who attends The Meeting Place when he is in Winnipeg, sees himself as an ambassador for Christ, who cannot quit or give up in a game, because that would mean his faith is phony.

When Wartman asked Michael "Pinball" Clemons (who is five-foot-five), "How did you not get killed on the field? Clemons replied: "Fear." He said he had been given the ability to run scared, but he had chosen to serve the Lord. A Christian since the age of 8, Clemons stated that the goal of CFL players is to play for the Grey Cup. He, though, had a goal of spending eternity with Jesus Christ; that instead of ring, he was looking for a crown. Continuing on the theme of the service, "The Heart of a Winner", Clemons encouraged the crowd to "play as though you have the victory".

Wartman then preached a sermon challenging the audience to let their lives be impacted by a vision of the risen Christ, and based on John 3:16, let Him "transform your heart into the heart of a winner."

sbb

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