Archive for month: July, 2018

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Soccer Chaplains United Partner, Cherry Creek Pres, Goes Back to Ghana

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In 14 years we have sent ten mission trips and helped to establish 42 churches, explains Helen Grace Norblom,  who works with Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in the kids@creek department.  In a few weeks, we will be sending another group of missionaries to continue to serve villages in Ghana.

Our service will include running a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program for kids and supporting their villages. This VBS program will involve Biblical lessons and time for kids to play and participate in fun activities. We hope to impart a message about God’s presence in their everyday lives and His unconditional love for all of His children.

While participating in VBS, we also provide the children and their parents with meals and shelter in a nearby school since many of them are coming from distant villages. Most of the adults who come are mothers and during VBS there will be programs for them as well. They will receive training in vocational studies, parenting, marriage, and basic self-care practices among other things to help improve their lives.

Part of our goal is to extend our reach beyond the children and adults who attend our program. We will teach lessons that we hope they will relay to their community members. We would also like to send soccer equipment with them to bring back to their villages.

Another part of our service to these villages is through fundraising to build wells and schools. The task of funding, building, and incorporating a well in these village can be immensely challenging. The cost can range from $5,000 to $7,000 which we raise through monthly donations and fundraising events. Even after a well is paid for and constructed, some villagers may be wary of using it because they have grown so accustomed to traveling to a farther, often less safe location for their water. This is where the importance of our longstanding relationships come in and allows us to reassure and encourage people to make use of the safer and more accessible source.

Through these various programs and services we will reach upwards of 400 people in Ghana and provide them with important resources – both physical and spiritual.

To support this specific request for Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, or future ventures like this, please donate through PushPay — simply select “Timothy Project” from the selectable funds to contribute to.  Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor an individual or organization in an outreach effort, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

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Highline Shares Some Surplus

It was a tough Thursday morning. Our board conference call the night before hadn’t gone as well as I had hoped. Technical difficulties. A warm summer evening. And then the financial news. A mid-year shortfall due to our quickening pace of growth. I left feeling a bit discouraged.

The next day, a meeting with church partner, Highline Community Church and a representative from the Missions Committee. I wasn’t sure what the meeting was about. Would the church end their financial support? Were they looking for an update? What encouraging news could I give them especially with last night’s call?

I grumbled a bit as I plugged a few coins into the parking meter. Why are we meeting here? There goes more shortfall…quarter by quarter. Hopefully, an hour and 15 is good enough. As I sat waiting, I just prayed. I was tired.

Then Evan walked in. He offered to buy lunch. We sat to eat.

Brad, I just want to know about Soccer Chaplains United…

I began to share. Defaulted to the “shortened version.” He stopped me.

No, I want to hear the whole thing. How did you get here? What was CrossTraining? How did you get to Soccer Chaplains United? What all do you do? How does it work? Everything?

Everything? Rarely, do people listen. Rarely, do people give you that much time to tell your story. But there was Evan with a notebook and pen and taking some notes, asking questions, really wanting to learn about our story, our mission, our vision.

I felt lighter. I felt lifted. I had to excuse myself to go put more quarters in the parking meter.

Then Evan shared the reason for the meeting.

Highline has some surplus in the missions budget. We want to visit with all the missionaries and groups we have been supporting and see how they are doing. No promises, but we want to see if we can be more of a blessing.

I choked back some tears. It was enough of a gift to just have someone who would listen.

Long story short, I received an email this morning from Pastor Dave Meserve at Highline…

Morning young Rev! Did you skip church to see France win the World Cup?  Just checkin’…I’m actually writing to let you know that our Missions Committee met…and we would like to help fund the Timothy Project.  I wish it could be more but we have a check…to send in.

Friends, I continue to see God work in amazing ways and in His perfect timing. His provision for His work. And so, we carry on. We continue to follow the faithful call that we have received and we know that He will provide faithful (even when we are not, or we are a bit grumbly).

We would love to see you partner, too, with us in this work. If you feel led, please consider making a gift via PushPay, text SoccerChaplains to 77977 or sending a gift to: Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081, Denver, CO 80250. Your gift is tax-deductible.

Soccer Chaplains United Growth Needs

Soccer Chaplains United Logo

Ever since rebranding last fall, Soccer Chaplains United has been experiencing a tremendous amount of growth and opportunity. Last year, at the time of rebranding, the Portland Timbers chaplains joined Soccer Chaplains United as well as the organization’s first collegiate chaplain at Moody Bible Institute joined the organization. This year, we’ve added chaplains in Nashville and Rio Grande Valley with the second division soccer teams there and are exploring adding a chaplain at another college in Illinois.

Ministry growth has outpaced ministry funding, though, for the year which has created new challenges and an opportunity. As the Board of Directors for Soccer Chaplains United seeks answers to address the shortfall, there has been looks at several different options including creating new business partnerships, seeking new individual donors and new church partners, and working to develop an annual fundraising event. The other alternative, is to make program cuts. Geoff Eliason, Board Vice-Chair and head of the subcommittee on finance shared,

The board recognizes that Soccer Chaplains United finds itself in a season of exponential growth, requiring additional resources.  The infrastructure was put in place in 2017 resulting in a sustainable model in 2018 and beyond that delivers high level chaplaincy and counseling services throughout the U.S. and globally.  We are excited to see God continue to work in providing for Soccer Chaplains United through this unique time of expansion.

As the chaplaincy with different teams and organizations continues to age, the cost increases. Simply put, the more people become aware of and trust a chaplain (or counselor) with Soccer Chaplains United, the more utilized the service becomes. Expenditures for existing programs with the Colorado Rapids, Valor Christian High School, and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC continue to grow.

To date, Soccer Chaplains United has been funded primarily by individual donors, and in a smaller part by church partners and foundations. Recently someone asked me, why not ask the teams or players for money? The answer is quite simple, once a chaplain asks for money the integrity of the pastoral relationship is broken. As an organization the need to explore and find new funding sources is becoming increasingly vital.

So what are some of the specific needs?

  • It cost approximately $2,500 to discover, develop, and launch a professional chaplain
  • Depending on team size, specific team ministry costs can range from $5-10k per club
  • Our Timothy Project budget has undergone some reductions, but our goal is to get to 5-10% of our annual budget as a way of giving back
  • We anticipate in the next 2-3 years we will need to double our counseling subsidy that we provide to the neediest that we serve

We would love to see you partner with us in this work. If you feel led, please consider making a gift via PushPay, text SoccerChaplains to 77977 or sending a gift to: Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081, Denver, CO 80250. Your gift is tax-deductible.

If you would like to know more about Soccer Chaplains United and our work please reach out to us at info@soccerchaplainsunited.org to learn more.

Creek Goes to Ethiopia to Work With Hope for the Fatherless

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Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, a Soccer Chaplains United church partner, is sending a team (including Senior Pastor Brad Strait, his wife, Soccer Chaplains United board member Darren Dragovich’s family, and Children’s Ministry staffer Lea Wright) to visit Hope for the Fatherless, a Christian ministry that serves orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia.

Hope for the Fatherless strives to create a culture of adoption and orphan care worldwide by working in and through local communities. The team from Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church will be ministering to the children who are part of HFTF’s group homes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There are ten children in each home.

Bontu will get to meet her sponsoring family

In addition, the team will also visit one of the children who are sponsored by the Dragovich Family through Compassion International. Bontu lives about an hour outside of the capital and attends a Compassion project site that serves over 200 kids. These children are from difficult and impoverished situations.

The Cherry Creek Team is bringing gifts including school and crafting supplies and jump ropes to the Compassion site. They are also requesting some One World Play Soccer Balls to provide HFTF and Compassion opportunities to continue their work with these children. The team is looking forward to using soccer to provide a chance to easily cross language and cultural barriers and engage in a fun, loving, and meaningful ways with the children from both organizations.

Specific Request:

  • 7 soccer balls
  • 18 youth jerseys

To support this specific request for Hope for the Fatherless, or future ventures like this, please donate through PushPay — simply select “Timothy Project” from the selectable funds to contribute to.  Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor an individual or organization in an outreach effort, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

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Amazon Prime Day Upcoming, Support Soccer Chaplains United

Amazon’s Prime Day is almost here. Deals start July 16, 3pm ET and run through July 17. Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year. We’d like to remind our supporters to shop at AmazonSmile and designate Soccer Chaplains United as your charity of choice. When you do, Amazon will donate to Soccer Chaplains United. Simply follow this link to designate us!

Thank you from all of us here at Soccer Chaplains United.

Transfer Window Opens, Opportunity and Need

Today, the summer transfer window for Major League Soccer opens. From July 10 – August 9, MLS teams can make trades and bring in foreign talent. For many teams, this window represents an opportunity to make improvements to a team — some teams bring in a player from another country or from a team within the league in an effort to try bolster team needs and win a coveted playoff position. For fans, many are hopeful that a playmaker or difference-maker brought in can propel their team to victory or help continue to sustain early-season efforts. But on the other side, the summer transfer window also represents a time of need for MLS teams and their respective chaplains or ministry folks.

Some of the challenges that come with mid-season trades include uprooting for families right before the beginning of the new school year. While the league offers financial help and support for players making mid-year transitions, those transition moments can still be tricky. Often, wives are left to manage details of packing and moving house while a player often reports immediately to a new team. Overseas transfers are even more difficult with some of the logistical challenges that are faced.

For players, the mid-year change can mean getting to know new teammates, learning a new city and culture, communicating at distance with family yet to make the move and a host of other challenges and issues. Some players relish a fresh start and new opportunities. Some players regret leaving behind a place where they have already begun to put down roots.

Certainly, there is opportunity, though to lift up in prayer those who will be facing transitions and changes during this period of time. Also, pray for the chaplains and counselors and community coordinators as we look to help soften the pains and difficulties that can come with these changes.

Jan van Vliet Joins Soccer Chaplains United Board of Directors

This past week, the Soccer Chaplains United Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve Dr Jan van Vliet to the board. As an educator and professor at Dordt College in Iowa, Jan brings a rich wealth of academic knowledge and experience to the organization. Born in the Netherlands and holding dual citizenship in the Netherlands and Canada in addition to US permanent residency, Jan possess some unique multi-cultural understandings that will be helpful for our growth.

Jan and I met in 2011 when he was a visiting scholar at Denver Seminary. The Colorado Rapids had just won the MLS Cup and a mutual friend connected us for a coffee. Since then, Jan has been on my radar as a potential partner in ministry and board member.

This past spring, when Dordt College soccer coaches participated in a soccer ID camp in Denver, Jan’s name came back to the forefront of my mind and we began discussion about Jan possibly coming onto the board. One of the primary hopes for me in Jan’s appointment will be his ability to help us strategize in regards to continuing education for our chaplains and counselors and also to help develop equivalency tracks for candidates that may not meet all of our particular criteria to be a chaplain with our organization.

I am excited to serve on the board of SCU because of the challenges that are presented by the multi-cultural and inter-faith nature of the most popular sport in the world. I hope to contribute to the educational and credentialing processes of our chaplaincy program to help ensure the spiritual needs of our professional soccer players are served in as most Christ-like a fashion as possible.

Jan holds several degrees including a Doctor of Philosophy from Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia), a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale Theological Seminary (Toronto), and a Master of Arts (Economics) from Queen’s University (Kingston, Canada). An author, translator, and contributor, Jan has a long list of projects and works that he has been involved with including the following volumes:

On Islam (2017) by Abraham Kuyper

The Rise of Reformed System: The Intellectual Heritage of William Ames (2013) . Studies in Christian History and Thought

This year, Jan was awarded the Dordt College Award for Noteworthy Scholarship and is involved in several other writing and translation projects. He is currently working on a book about Adam Smith, the fountainhead of economic thought. He has served as an elder in the United Reformed Church, the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, and the Christian Reformed Church for which he was a synodical delegate in 2016.

Jan’s appointment now brings the Soccer Chaplains United Board of Directors to seven individuals. We are still seeking a few more members that will help grow the organization.

If you would like to learn more about Soccer Chaplains United, please email info@soccerchaplainsunited.org and go to http://soccerchaplainsunited.org

Lewan Family Foundation Gifts Grant for 3rd Year in a Row

The Lewan Family Foundation made it three years in a row in helping support Soccer Chaplains United. The foundation provided a small grant which will help with the growing costs as we continue to build the chaplain and counseling work throughout soccer in North America. The Lewan family has been a notable name in Denver for many years through their company, Lewan Technology. The Lewan Family Foundation has had a long legacy of service and support of many local Denver and Colorado organizations including Denver Seminary, where many of our chaplains and counselors have received training.

I came to know the Lewan family during my time serving as a pastor at Cherry Hills Community Church. It is encouraging to see their continued support for our vision to provide chaplain and counseling care and service.

Soccer Chaplains United is seeking other funding and partnerships to finish 2018 strong. If you, your church, business, or foundation are interested in supporting our work to provide spiritual care, wise counsel, and meaningful service to soccer please contact us. Send an email to info@soccerchaplainsunited.org.

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