However, there is another AFL Grand Final event with a Christian theme. Scots Presbyterian Church is hosting the official AFL Grand Final church service Wednesday 22nd from 1pm. For ten years, the service at Scots has been an opportunity for Christians and non-Christians to gather, to inspect the AFL Premiership Cup, wear their club scarfs and, more importantly, reflect on something bigger than the Grand Final.
This year the guest speaker is Rev. John Boyers, chaplain to the Manchester United Football Club and International Director of SCORE chaplaincy in the United Kingdom. Rev John K Boyers is an English (BUGB) Baptist Minister who hails originally from Grimsby. There he benefitted from a strong Methodist family background, and an involvement with the Wellington Street Methodist Church.
John and his wife Anne met as students in Nottingham, married in 1972, then set up home in Grimsby before moving south when John left teaching to train for Christian ministry at what was then London Bible College. Later he was to be ordained by the BUGB and minister at St James Road Baptist Church in Watford.
In Watford, John became involved as Chaplain at Watford Football Club, serving the club for 15 years before moving to the north-west of England in 1992, responding to the request to become chaplain at Manchester United. Two years earlier, he was asked to pioneer the development of sports chaplaincy on an inter-denominational basis by BUGB, so left normal local church ministry to found SCORE, the sports chaplaincy charity, for which he now works as International Director. He has over 30 years experience in sports chaplaincy, including at major sports events like Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games. http://www.scorechaplaincy.org.uk/
Rev. Boyers will share about "Losing, Winning and Life." The success and failure of the season will be put into perspective as John talks about the frustration of failure, the superficiality of success and the call of Christ.
Wednesday 22nd program starts with a community sausage sizzle on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets in the Melbourne CBD from 11.30am, followed by the AFL Grand Final church service Wednesday 22nd from 1pm. http://www.scotschurch.com/