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You may not have heard, but at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, the organizing committee set up an ecumenical religions center for the athletes. In Nagano, the Organizing Committee for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games (NAOC) also set up a Religious Center for counseling and handling other spiritual needs of the athletes. Yoshihiko Kitamura was a key leader in organizing the center and is Pastor of the Nagano Bible Church, located in central Nagano City.
Two years ago Kitamura, who is an Evangelical Alliance Mission Pastor, did not pay attention to the Religious Center preparations. If it had not been for a visitor from the mission group, Athletes in Action (AIA), he might not have become involved in 1997. The visitor asked if AIA could participate in the center activities, but they needed special approval to work inside the restricted area. So Kitamura began to work with NAOC, and they asked him to organize 12 members representing various Evangelical groups. NAOC also expected 12 more staff members to come from National Christian Council in Japan organizations, such as the YMCA, Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Japan Baptist Union, the Korean Christian Church in Japan and so on. NAOC expected representatives from all world religions, however, no Buddhist, Islam, Hindu or other non-Christian groups responded to NAOC.
The 21 member Christian volunteer staff included Roxanne Robbins from Athletes in Action, a Cincinnati, Ohio based sports ministry group, and eight of her colleagues. The Religious Center provided many services, such as a place to pray, receive counseling or hold religious meetings and worship services in any of the three center rooms. The staff members were not allowed to actively pursue athletes for evangelizing purposes, or to hand out religious flyers. NAOC felt that since all religions were not equally represented, Christians should not have the advantage to evangelize. NAOC preferred keeping the Athlete Village neutral.
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Even with limitations, the center staff enjoyed meeting athletes in the village. One day Philip Boit, the Kenyan Cross Country Skier came by the center before his event. He was the only Kenyan competitor. Kitamura thought Boit might have been lonely and nervous as the first Kenyan winter athlete. Boit placed last in the 10 kilometer cross country event. Another skier, Bjoern Daehlie who won the gold, waited at the finish line for Boit to praise his efforts as a fellow athlete. Kitamura happily found athletes eager to witness to others at the Olympics. Anne Abernathy, a luge athlete from the Virgin Islands, visited the center and asked if she could share her Christian witness. She later visited several other places to share her Christian experiences during her stay in Nagano.
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Later it was reported in the Christian Weekly, that Tara Lipinski, Women's Figure Skating gold medallist, visited the center, too. Just before her final competition she came to pray and read some parts of Isaiah until the last possible minute before her free style event on February 20. After winning her event, she returned to the center and said to the staff, "I felt no fear, since I relied on God."
Some of the problems which occurred at the center included missing language skills and a lack of staff, Kitamura explained. English was the main language used for communication. One day a man from Taiwan, referred to as "Chinese Taipei" at the games for political reasons, came to find out where he could attend a morning service. Without the Language Support Center, they could not have communicated with him. The language center provided a translator via telephone. Athletes who sought guidance from Christian denominations who were not represented at the center also had difficulties. Catholic athletes came to have mass, but there were no Catholic Priests, and no one could come in from the outside without pre-registered security passes.
Kitamura was born in Nagano. Working as a pastor in Nagano City which is still influenced by Buddhism is not easy. Even a large sports event the size of the Winter Olympics doesn't create instant church growth. He said, "It is very hard to invite the 50-60 year old generation to church, since the local Buddhist and Shinto culture affects their personal identity. But I think to work as a pastor with a small church in this temple city, and to live as a minority Christian, is like lighting a candle for them." Most of his church members are in their twenties and thirties, living in apartments. They moved to the city from outside Nagano. Kitamura said it is much easier to approach and share the Gospel with those people who are not locally born.
Using the typical Japanese method of dispersing information via pamphlets becomes challenging in the winter months. Thus to share Jesus' story via handouts was not an easy task during the Winter Games. In the winter, people keep their hands in their pockets, and are reluctant to take Christian pamphlets Kitamura said. He thought the idea of serving free hot coffee and cookies that some evangelical groups did was a good idea.
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In commenting about the Buddhist rites included in the Opening Ceremony, Kitamura felt that showing the local religious culture is not the same as forcing those in the audience to believe in it. The ceremony included use of the Zenkoji Temple bell, the Suwa Shinto Ombashira Tree rites, and the traveler's guardian (folk deity) accompanying the children just before they showed their bright costumes. The National Christian Counsel in Japan criticized these rituals. Kitamura and his Christian friends, however, watched the ceremony on TV and felt it caused no injury to others.
Kitamura has many expectations for the March Paralympics, where he will work as an interpreter for the Swedish Team. As an interpreter, sharing his faith with others is a blessings and he looks forward to future sporting events in Nagano.
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