About AIA
Athletes in Action (AIA) is a movement of young people and churches with a passion for sports, people and Jesus. AIA uses sports as a means to an end: sharing the gospel of Jesus. Engaging in sports creates easy contact and bonding.
Every year, AIA organises projects worldwide, events and sports camps.
History
Summer of ‘96, the Olympics in Atlanta, USA. Henk Stoorvogel, 18 years old, and his younger brother leave for America to participate in an project of Athletes in Action. They are wildly enthusiastic about the combination of sports and faith and decide to come back the next year, but this time with a team of 15 people.
After that project they felt a great desire to do the same kind of projects in the Netherlands. So in the summer of 1998 a group of 120 athletes from various countries (The Netherlands, USA, Canada, Belarus, Moldova, Scotland, Germany and more) gathered somewhere in the Dutch countryside for the kick-off of the Sports Clinics Europe Tour in the Netherlands. With absolutely no significant experience in hosting a conference and organising sports clinics, but a great deal of enthusiasm, confidence in God, energy and passion made up for that.
Originally, SCET’98 was to be a one time event. However, the three weeks of projects had such a great impact and invoked such a great deal of positive response that the organisation team couldn’t bear stopping. After a meeting on a conference of Athletes in Action Europe, the people behind SCET’98 decided to join AIA. Henk and Ruth Stoorvogel were the first couple to lead the organisation. Athletes in Action Holland was born!
Since that day AIA’s vision has broaden and deepened. The focus shifted more and more to collaboration and partnerships with churches, instead of isolated projects. Some of the milestones in Dutch AIA history:
2004
Giving the Flame: 700 youth go to Greece to spread Gods love on the eve of the Olympics in Athens. This was the largest gospel-related action ever in Greece and still the largest group of participants ever sent out by AIA Holland.
2005
Focus on Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Theo en Harmke van den Heuvel take over leadership from Henk and Ruth.
2006
Coming Home: AIA takes aim at the Netherlands.
2007
Focus on Turkey and Albania.
2008
East Asia: big international project in East-Asia during the Olympics.
Also the year of the tenth anniversary of Athletes in Action in the Netherlands.
2009 and 2010
Road2Africa: invited by churched in Africa, AIA will be having projects in over 35 place across the African continent, especially South-Africa, which hosts the World Cup Football that summer. Not the largest project ever, but it is the project with the largest scope ever by AIA Holland.
AIA Nederland
Athletes in Action (AIA) was originally founded in the United States in1966 by David Hannah, who desired to capitalize on society’s great love of sports and utilize the platform given to athletes to reach the world for Jesus Christ. AIA Holland has sent many teams to serve in many countries throughout the world over the last ten years.
The primary goal is to partner with local churches to train and equip them in sports ministry by sending teams that will demonstrate and share this vision practically through games, clinics, recreation activities, seminars, etc. The last three years have seen Athletes in Action send out over 2000 people, including many on international teams primarily to two countries, Greece (700 participants) and Israel (300 participants). God has certainly used these projects in the lives of those who have gone as team members and those who have hosted teams. These big, focused projects created much enthusiasm and momentum, and many lives were changed as the gospel went forth. Local churches were also encouraged and challenged to live out the gospel in their own communities in new ways.
Athletes in Action Holland is part of Agapè. Agapè is the Dutch branch of Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI), a worldwide organisation for spreading the gospel and building the Kingdom.
AIA Holland currently has 25-30 full and part-time staff members who are committed to serving God and reaching out through sports ministry. The departments of AIA include Recruiting, Training, Media and Public Relations, National Projects, International Projects, Sports Camps, Innovation, and Office/Logistical Support. All are working together to fulfil the mission of AIA, both at the head office in Groningen (northern part of the country, see map) and in the field in various cities. Abroad, a handful of STINT’ers prepare projects and establish local contacts. Additionally handbooks and DVDs are annually published to equip and train others to join in this vision, and coaching is offered to local churches throughout the Netherlands.
