Faith and Sports ? events got started in the year 1994 when Tuija Hokkanen (now Elo), the Finnish Championship in body-building who had become a believer, suggested to me a weekend seminar where born again athletes could meet each other. When I got home immediately I sent invitations to every Christian athlete I knew and asked them to deliver the invitation to those they knew. The first Faith and Sports-event was held at the Päijälä Labor House in Kuhmoinen in November 1994 and even in the first seminar we realized how important part this seminar had to play in taking God?s Word forward and also to encourage born again athletes and to refresh their Christian life. From the very beginning there has been people that were interested in spiritual things and wanted to spend a weekend with Christian athletes asking questions and fellowshipping with them to get answers to the questions they might have.

The happening has always been organized with local churches and it has been a ?joint Christian? event from the beginning, where the faith in Jesus has been the most important factor. The people who join the seminar has spent weekends in different cities in camping centers and they?ve organized with local churches some public occasions in sport centers, schools and other places where people had a chance to hear the athletes? personal testimonies of how their lives changed after they became believers.

From the beginning there has been made TV-programs, interviews and articles, through which a large crowd of people ha found the joy of salvation with the athletes. In these events there has always been people who are not believers but are interested in spiritual things. Often during these events they have experienced the delivering rejoicing of salvation and gone home born again and free from their weights.

Faith and Sports-events that last for a weekend has been organized in Kuhmoinen, Toivakka, Seinäjoki, Tampere, Oulu, Rovaniemi and Viitasaari. In some of these places even more than once.

To these meetings it has been easy for outsiders to come and the atmosphere has always been free and happy. Myself I have always received strength for everyday life from these happenings and a bunch of new great friends.

Risto Salopuro