How athletes and evangelists are combining to make London’s Summer Olympics about more than just sports
Madeline Mims has served as an Olympic chaplain for 24 years. When she travels to London for the 2012 Games, it will be her seventh time to fill that role. But strangely, as experienced as the former gold medalist is, she has no idea what to expect.
“Each Olympiad has its own unique personality,” Mims says.
One thing is for certain. The Summer Olympics in London, being held July 27 through Aug. 12, will provide much more freedom for ministry and a wider variety of evangelism opportunities than its Beijing counterpart from four years ago.
“With England being an Anglican nation, that door has been opened to make sure the religious services are filled,” Mims says. “They’re making sure they cover all the bases.”
Mims is one of four American chaplains—two men and two women—who will minister to the entire U.S. contingency. They will join 15 international Protestant chaplains to facilitate daily chapel services, one-on-one counseling and team-specific ministry. She created the United States Council for Sports Chaplaincy (USCSC) to help support American sports chaplains as they travel to the Olympics, Track & Field World Championships, U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials and other events.