The History of Athletes in Action in South Africa (see photos)

In brief Athletes in Action began in 1973 when Len Lindeque, a reporter at a well-known Sunday newspaper introduced Jan Du Toit – a rugby player from Digger Rugby club - to the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC).   Jan attended some Lay Institutes courses of CCC and after seeing films such as “The Great Commission” and a Dave Hanah – founder of Athletes in Action International (AIA) film; he committed his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Lord challenged him and felt compelled to join the ministry as a fulltime worker. 

Before Jan’s conversion he worked as a salesman of alcohol but after his conversion he realized that he could no longer be involved in selling alcohol.   A week after his conversion he spoke to CCC staff worker John Templehoff (ND) and expressed his desire to join staff fulltime.  John advised him to wait a year before he joined staff but that very day God opened the door for him to become CCC volunteer worker.  
In April 1974 Jan was due to depart for the USA for training but did not have the finances for the yearlong training.  In God’s providence he won a Mercedes Benz motorcar in a competition, which he then sold to fund his trip. He and his wife went to IBS in Colorado, then onto Arrowhead Springs and were then placed at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles).  Here he worked with the campus staff and become assistant coach to the UCLA’s rugby team.  Through his ministry some men became Christians, one of them went on to play in the USA national rugby team. 
Upon his return in 1975, he began working with sport men on a one-on-one basis. S A pole-vaulter Gawie Malan and S A. hurdle champion and rugby player Pierre Spies was exposed to AIA.
In 1976 Jan was instrumental in bringing two American weight lifters, Ras Knipp (Olympic medallist) and Tom Kurtz, to visit schools and clubs in South Africa and Swaziland.  Nelson Mandela’s daughter a pupil at the school in Swaziland indicated on her comment card her acceptance of Jesus Christ as her Saviour.  As a result of the visit of the weight lifters others were challenged to be involved with AIA.
Thereafter CCC South Africa asked Jan to start the Executive Ministry of CCC.
 In 1979, Gawie Malan met some members of the Athletes in Action track team while competing in the USA.  He was a student at Randse Afrikaans University (RAU) – now University of Johannesburg (UJ); his father was a pastor at a Dutch Reformed Church.  Upon his return Gawie contacted the CCC in South Africa with the vision of starting a similar sports ministry in South Africa.   This vision excited some rugby players and businessmen especially the businessmen who were already linked the executive ministry of CCC.
In 1980 AIA was officially launched at a meeting organized for past and current sportsmen and their spouses.  The media covered this event with more than two hundred people in attendance.  Unfortunately without proper sustainable discipleship structures in this new ministry momentum was lost. 
 Gawie Malan then went to America and challenged USA AIA staff to come to South Africa to help establish the ministry with a solid infrastructure.  Three people responded and in April 1981, Donnie Bratton an American rugby player and AIA field staff member from Louisiana, with Glen & Barbara Leckman from the AIA Track Team arriving in September of that same year. 
During 1982 and 1983 Glen discipled well-known track runner and marathon champion Bernard Rose. He went on to become the head of the national track and field organization.
 In 1983, AIA arranged a dinner at Wanderers in Johannesburg.  Pierre Spies invited many rugby players and their wives and Zach brought a total of twenty-one soccer players and their wives.  Zach shared his testimony; the guests were taken by his testimony, as they had not heard a prominent black person share so openly about his faith in Christ.   
At this time AIA arranged golf day to raise funds -Gary Player was the honorary President of AIA - he wrote something that was read out to the participants the awards ceremony. 
Sometime in 1983 or 1984 one of the top sportscasters in the country was the emcee for a dinner we held and that person made a commitment to Christ.  I remember Piet de Beer had some follow-up appointments with him.  You might ask him about it.
In1985, AIA had a dinner in Soweto at which "Baby Jake" Matlala made a commitment to Christ.  He was the first non-soccer player that Zach ever took through basic follow-up.  Six months later  "Baby Jake" won the world flyweight or paperweight boxing championship.
This trio began meeting regularly for prayer with Pierre Spies (Northern Transvaal Rugby player), and his wife Deirdre.  In October national CCC leadership appointed Glen Leckman as the Athletes in Action co-coordinator. 
 They arranged the first public outreach in 1981, a braai (barbeque) at the home of professional golfer Neil Pagard.  Twenty to thirty people attended amongst them several top rugby players and a black couple, Zack Lamola - ex SA national and Kaizer Chiefs soccer player - and his wife Sarah. They become the cornerstone of the South African Athletes in Action ministry.
Pierre and Deirdre Spies joined AIA staff in 1982 and attended the Great Commission Training Center for much of that year.  Donnie Bratton began follow-up training with some rugby players and Zach Lamola before he returned to the USA in the latter part of the year for his wedding.  After Donnie left, Glen met with some track athletes and began discipleship training with Lamola. 
The Athletes in Action ministry began to flourish in 1983.  Pierre was meeting regularly with a group of top rugby players and national level cricket players.  Gawie Malan began discipling some student-athletes at the Rand Afrikaanse University (RAU), national champion weight lifter and radio announcer Bernardus Van de Spy.  Glen continued discipling Zach Lamola and track athletes.
In 1984 AIA South Africa was restructured and two separate ministries was established.  The one ministry focused on reaching Afrikaans speaking people and the other on English speakers and black folk.   This structure worked well for the AIA ministry, as Glen was able hand over leadership of the ministry to rugby and cricket players, which was predominantly Afrikaans to Pierre Spies.  Glen continued to head up the English-speaking ministry with the other sporting codes.
Although the two AIA ministries worked well together they lacked national organizational cohesion. In 1986 Zach and Sarah Lamola joined as AIA staff, they were involved with the English speaking side of the ministry.  The Afrikaans-speaking ministry began to establish an AIA ministry in each region of the country.  This resulted in AIA sports camps for boys and girls becoming a popular means of sharing the gospel with the youth of the nation.  (The government funded a large portion of these camps even though it involved a considerable amount of administration.)  The two AIA ministries conducted sports clinics for various sporting codes using the testimonies of top sportsmen as an evangelism tool.
In 1988 Bernie Bitter – Zimbabwean professional soccer player - and his wife Pat joined staff, and did their training the following year.  Glen and Zach ministered to several professional soccer players with Scara Thindwe being particularly receptive to the gospel.  In 1989 that the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa saw the success of the Athletes in Action ministry and developed a similar ministry in their church. 
In 1990 the primary ministry focus was Manilla ’90 outreach in the Philippines.  Through this mammoth outreach and the sterling work of Bernie much was learnt about organizing outreaches.  At this time AIA sees the establishment of the first AIA volleyball team for men and women. They do well in the local league; Bernie exposes the team to sports ministry by arranging outreaches in South Africa and Botswana. Many of the participants are still involved in sports ministry or Christian ministry. The following year AIA made inroads into Zimbabwe. 
In 1990 Bernie establishes an AIA men’s and ladies volleyball team, which successfully participates in the local league. Steve Tromp coaches both teams. The team does outreaches to Nelspruit, Gabarone, Orapa in Botswana. Kati Plumbstead becomes involved with the ministry discipling the volleyball ladies and ladies from the RAU campus.
In 1992 Glen, Bernie and Zach take nine sportsmen from South Africa and Zimbabwe to the Barcelona Olympic Games AIA outreach.  They joined with more than 200 workers from around the world to reach the youth and the sports-minded public Spain. They conducted sports clinics in and around Barcelona as well as ministering to Olympic athletes and fans.  This outreach greatly aided the development of ministry in South Africa resulting in the unification of the English and Afrikaans arms of the ministry.
The ministry continued to grow in momentum and strength with a highlight and fulfillment of AIA’s objectives in seeing the proclamation of faith by six of South Africa players after their victory at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 
In 1996 CCC South Africa arranges the ‘Love Southern Africa’ outreach. USA sports teams from different sporting codes participate and conduct outreaches in Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Volunteer Carol Tromp arranges the outreach itinerary for the first AIA international ladies soccer team play and ministry in South Africa.  This event open doors for AIA to do ministry with the Under 19 National women’s soccer team in 2005. Love Southern Africa aids the momentum for annual, local and international sports outreaches for AIA teams.
In 1999 South Africa hosted the All Africa Games in Johannesburg. Carol and Stephanie Tromp and volunteers from a local church distribute bibles and videos all the athletes in their home language to take home. Staff and volunteers minister and help to the athletes – volleyball, soccer, basketball.
The Olympic games in Atlanta USA sees the unification of sports ministries under the International Sports Coalition. At the previous games in Barcelona sports ministries realized that they must network and do outreach together, their aims were the same and this would cut the duplication of resources, finances etc. The Atlanta Games sees the first outreach to the parents of the participants to be hosted by Christian families in and around Atlanta.
The pioneering work of Glen and others laid the foundation for the successful transition to a uniquely South African AIA ministry with its diverse cultural dynamics to the leadership of Bernie Bitter.  Bernie enthused people to be involved in the ministry and to seek opportunities to share the gospel at every level. He left a legacy of networking, partnerships and seeking opportunities for ministry that has enriched AIA South Africa.
Chris Dirks, a track and field athlete joins staff in 1996, after coming to faith through Bernie Bitters ministry at a teachers training college in Johannesburg.  Over the years he has been and still is the driving force behind the work of AIA in South Africa and in Africa.
In 1997 Mike Alford and Tricia his wife arrive in South Africa from the USA and set up an AIA ministry in Cape Town.  Mike develops a basketball ministry in the Cape Town area. They return to the USA after working in Cape Town six years. In December 1997 Bernie initiates the first AIA sports beach mission under the leadership of Kati Plumstead, which is still an annual event at Plettenberg Bay.  Carol Tromp takes over the leadership in 2001. Many of the outreaches result in great number of the participants becoming involved in some sort of part-time or fulltime Christian ministry – sport, youth, church or pastorship. Kevin Wood current director of AIA Germany saw the vision of sports ministry after participation in a Plettenberg Bay beach mission in 2000.
The Rugby World Cup in 1995 sees the printing of Christian Sport testimony booklets for distribution at churches, events and big screen screenings. Churches arrange match screenings at public places. The printing of the booklets for the World Cup Cricket is also done in.
In 1998 Bernie leaves AIA to begin his own sports ministry, which focused on assisting and facilitating sport networking worldwide. There is still a close association and partnership with Sports Outreach Africa and AIA. Chris Dirks and later with his wife Settie take the helm of AIA South African and Southern Eastern Africa (SEA). 
In 1999 Aggrey Ofula – ex national Kenyan basketball player – and his wife Nicci join staff. Their ministry is predominantly amongst the students at the University of Johannesburg. This university has been the base for AIA ministry recruitment and training operations. All the staff and stint workers who have worked at UJ over the years have greatly impacted the lives of the students unto salvation and evangelism. The fruit of years of labour are now seen as students now taking ownership and the initiative in sports evangelism.
 In 2002 Niklaas Arangies a student at UJ joins AIA staff after doing two years of training with AIA USA.  Upon his return Niklaas makes great inroads into discipling high profile rugby coaches and players. Niklaas takes a UJ student rugby team to participate in the Safari Sevens                    Nairobi Kenya in and do numerous outreaches in and around the capital. This becomes an annual event.
 Niklaas leaves AIA to begin a new ministry with his now wife Isobel but continues to work with the top rugby players and coaches. 
In 2005 UJ soccer team and with AIA Botswana do outreaches in Gabarone.
Chris disciples and trains up young professional soccer players from Witwatersrand University, ex AK Football club on a weekly basis.
In 2004, stint worker Larry Sharrett from the USA joins staff and helps establish an AIA basketball team that participates in the league.
In 2005 Carol Tromp begins a ministry with the Under 19 National ladies soccer players at the sports academy at the University of Pretoria, High Performance Center. The ladies range in age from 14 years to 18 years. Some of these players play for the South African National Ladies – Banyana Banyana – team. Carol continues to disciple ex academy and some national players to date.
Over the years AIA has been blessed to have affiliates, volunteers, and staff - Aggrey and Nicci Ofula, Carol Tromp, Louisa Kruger, Maia Ivanova, Cobus Kruger, Udo Karsten, Magda Gunter, Larry Sharrett - all whom played a vital part in obeying God’s command to reach the nations with the gospel. 
All the glory must go to our Lord Jesus Christ who has directed, sustained, protected, convicted and given victory to this ministry over all these years.  AIA South Africa is a testimony of God’s goodness and mercy in reaching the lost.