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Christian Surfing Competition Reaches Capacity Each Year

Peter Hunt, Contest Director of the Jesus Pro Am competition, told Christian Today Australia that thousands of spectators descend upon the Cronulla beaches, located in Sydney, to catch a glimpse of the competition.

By: Joseph Keenan
Thursday, 26 April 2007, 13:51 (EST)
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Peter Hunt, Contest Director of the Jesus Pro Am competition, told Christian Today Australia that thousands of spectators descend upon the Cronulla beaches, located in Sydney, to catch a glimpse of the competition.

Reaching at capacity each year, since the surfing competition started 3 years ago, the competition saw a number of recurring competing surfers entering each year, said Hunt. The competition runs for two day and had been described as being professional run while still maintaining a family atmosphere.

The aim of the competition was to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to elite surfers, said Hunt. It was not the kind of in your-face type of evangelism, said Hunt except at the end where an evangelistic event was held straight after the final man surfing competition.

The Christian Surfers Australia (CSA) took a low key approach where in the event commentary, they would mention about Christianity and who Jesus is. This was more subtle. The aim was to build relationship with the elite surfers to bring them to Christ.

This competition allowed the elite surfers to see that Christians were different and caring. Al Westbury, the CSA’s Central NSW Regional Coordinator, summed up the purpose of the competition as being a Christian outreach tool for elite surfers.

“If we found ourselves just running another surf comp we would pull the pin, but each year we re-affirm our reasons for continuing with the comp, as we see the Jesus Pro Am as one of the few opportunities we get to outreach to the elite surfing community,” Westbury continued.




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