Spotlight on World Peace Day
Spotlight, a Back to God Ministries International radio program, will air a broadcast on Sept. 20 that will give the background on and information about International Peace Day, which will occur worldwide on Sept. 21.
The BTGMI program will focus the “One game, One Goal” peace-through-football campaign. The campaign was started by Peace One Day, a group headed by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley who is working to help nations all over the world take note of and celebrate International Peace Day.
Having made a popular documentary film that featured international peacemakers, Gilley was instrumental in helping convince the United Nations to setSept. 21 each year as International Peace Day. The date was formally adopted by UN member states in 2001. The name of Gilley’s documentary is The Day After Peace and was produced in association with the BBC and Passion Pictures.
But for the staff at Spotlight there is more than just the Monday broadcast about International Peace Day.
Spotlight team
On Peace Day itself, the staff of BTGMI, Words of Hope (the radio ministry of the Reformed Church in America) and others will put on their Spotlight special jerseys and play a game of “unity” football, possibly on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Important to note: This is not the type of hard-hitting, bone-crushing football that is played by high school, college, and professional teams. Players are out there to mix, be kind to one another, and have fun. Winning is not the goal. Soccer, which is called football nearly everywhere else in the world, will be their game.
“Unity games are football games which are played to achieve peace in a particular area and between particular groups of people,” says Robin Basselin, who works for BTGMI, the multimedia ministry of the Christian Reformed Church, and wrote the program to be aired on Monday. “In unity games, teams often include players that would not normally play together.”
For instance, a whole day of unity games were played in 2009 in Darjeeling, India. Young players from 10 different communities came together to play football, says Basselin. Last year, individuals and organizations in 200 countries collectively played more than 700 Peace Day football games.
“With the day in place, Peace One Day’s aim now is to solidly establish Peace Day across the world so it becomes self-sustaining—a day of global unity, a day of intercultural cooperation,” says Jeremy Gilley on the Peace One Day website.
As for the football initiative, he adds, “Our One Day, One Goal initiative, supported by the [sporting goods and clothing manufacturer] Puma Corporation, aims to encourage football (soccer) matches all over the world on Peace Day.
“Teams are often created with a mix of players from different cultures or communities. One Day, One Goal matches celebrate cooperation, unity, and the power of football to bring people together on Peace Day.”
His organization also provides many materials for free to schools and other groups interested in learning more about peaceful resolution in conflict.
Aired on stations all over the world, Spotlight serves those who speak English as a second language. The program uses a simple vocabulary and the radio announcers talk slowly so people can catch all that they are saying.
The program examines a variety of Christian topics. It is produced as a partnership between Reframe Media (BTGMI’s English ministry) and Words of Hope.
This year’s International Peace Day, also known as World Peace Day, will feature a webcast of a concert hosted by Jude Law and Sharon Stone. The concert will feature such performers as Patti Smith and Charlie Winston on the stage of the La Zenith concert hall in Paris, France.
For more on Spotlight, and other BTGMI ministries, go to Back to God.
