Over the weekend there was a heartwarming/wrenching story on 60 Minutes about the Homeless World Cup and the Australians who flew to Seoul, South Korea to represent their country. It is absolutely worth a watch. You can watch the whole segment on the 9 Now app but here is the promo video:

One of the featured athletes is Michael Wilson who was living in a tent in South Australia before discovering “street soccer,” he struggled with keeping a job and drug use. Street soccer literally “turned his life around”.

There is a brilliant film that was released on Netflix this year that details even more of the Homeless World Cup, titled “The Beautiful Game.” The film stars Bill Nighy as the coach of England’s homeless soccer team. He takes a team of hopeless wanderers to Rome to participate in the Homeless World Cup. One of the key players on the squad is talented striker “Vinny” who struggles to identify with being homeless. Here is the Netflix trailer:

It’s crazy to think that on any given night approximately 120,000 Australians are doing “it tough” forced into temporary housing or not having a proper dwelling to lay down in.

As a Christian, it is our responsibility to care for the homeless:

Isaiah 58:7 reads –

Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

In fact even sometimes Jesus was the homeless one,

But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)

On the soccer pitch, I don’t see race, colour, or social status—just the game. This year, about 20 senior students travelled to Fiji for our Mission Trip. Everywhere we went, whether between buildings, on a large grassy field, or at a dusty construction site, a quick game of football or rugby would break out. It always started with just a ball and a few of us Aussies, but soon enough, the locals would join in, taking over the game. The joy on their faces when they scored a goal was pure elation.

In those moments, it was easy to forget where these kids came from. Many of them had homes, but they were nothing like the places you or I call home. In terms of material things, they had very little. Yet, in the middle of that game, they had everything—they had joy, connection, and a shared moment that transcended their circumstances.

This Christmas would you consider serving the less fortunate? Go on a Mission Trip in 2025 or 2026. Serve at a food kitchen in the inner city. Donate a shoebox to Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child. Give extra towards one of our 11 Compassion children in the Philippines so that they receive a gift this season. Bring food, clothing or toiletry items to any of the recent tent communities that exist on the Sunshine Coast and into Brisbane because of this massive housing crisis.  Volunteer with Orange Sky, a company that washes clothes for the homeless. You can choose to do that, close by in Caloundra, Caboolture, Maleny or Maroochydore but it’s Australia-wide. 

This year I even talked with a GCC student whose family at one point found themselves without a home. One day it could be you. It’s not too late to see them as Christ does, “Created in his own image.”

Pastor Syd, College Lead Pastor