Archive for month: June, 2019

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Boots for Xolani and Eswatini

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xolani from eswatini

Soccer Chaplains United, is is pleased to support another project and team headed to eSwatini. eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland was renamed by the king in honor of the 50th anniversary of gaining independence.

Headed to eSwatini is a team from Mountain Springs Church in Colorado Springs in coordination with Beyond Survival.  The team will feature Soccer Chaplains United’s own, Cory Jones, who serves as a community coordinator in the Colorado Springs area.

Development of key relationships has been happening for the last number of years and Cory and the team from Colorado Springs have a good relationship with Xolani Moyo, who started a sports ministry that has now blossomed into a few teams.  The motto is “Sport.  Faith.  Future.” noting that soccer is an avenue to reaching souls and providing hope and a future.  Xolani now leads a team of soccer coaches and sports ministry personnel.

Xolani and his sports ministry

This year, Xolani has specifically requested soccer cleats (boots, as they are known around the world) to outfit one of his teams. His initial request asked for 10 pairs, stating that two teams could share the shoes. Xolani continues to grow his soccer ministry within Eswatini and is continuing to work at having players in his program be able to play for a semi-pro league and potentially connect one of his teams to them. 

His love for the game and seeing lives changed through soccer is evident

Cory Jones, Soccer Chaplains United Community Coordinator

When you support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals or organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Chaplaincy and the EPC

I had the privilege, last week, of spending time here in Colorado with many different members of the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) during the denominations’ 39th annual General Assembly. The General Assembly was hosted by Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (one of our partner churches) and featured a week long gathering with worship, leadership and education tracks, networking, and conducting church business (voting on constitutional pieces, etc.).

The week started, for me, on Monday by joining some of the pastors up at Beaver Ranch Disc Golf Course for a round of disc golf. Of course, one of my favorite activities and hobbies on one of my favorite courses here in Colorado. The event was headed up by the Presbytery of the West Presbytery Chaplain Mike Anderson (whom I had to teach a thing or two)! I ended up shooting a 71 (2nd place) on the day. Only bested by a national pro for the 60’s age group who has a ministry to the disc golf community —Eagles Wings.

Chaplains from around the EPC gather for the one-day workshop hosted by EPC Chaplain Endorser, Mark Ingles

Tuesday, the chaplains gathered for a workshop that featured a couple of talks by brain-cancer fighter/survivor Michael Moyles, a retired United States Air Force Colonel, who is now a Christian speaker and author. Clergy in Crisis, was another topic and theme and the group watched Indivisible together which was based on the story of an Army chaplain and his wife. I had the chance to briefly share about Soccer Chaplains United and certainly was in the minority in the room. Of the approximately 70 chaplains currently endorsed in the EPC, most are in the military with a healthy secondary coming in the form of healthcare and first-responder chaplaincy.

Presentation of chaplains at the 39th General Assembly of the EPC (see if you can spot me)

The remainder of the General Assembly was filled with a number of powerful speakers — I was especially touched by Andrew Brunson’s personal story. Andrew, a missionary in Turkey, was imprisoned for 2 years and accused of terrorism and espionage. His release finally happened last fall and he shared his story with the Assembly. I was struck by several of the things that he shared, but one was particularly encouraging for me in the season of chaplaincy that has been for the past couple of years.

Andrew shared that early in his imprisonment he had expected that God’s presence was fundamental. But he said that after the first week in prison that he had lost the feeling of God being present. And during his two years he came to learn that the fundamental experience is not presence but a “simple devotion, a simple faithfulness.”

I was struck by this — as a chaplain, much that is key to our work amongst people — whether in soccer or in military or in hospital is a ministry of presence and a sense of the Divine presence as we listen, and as we minister and serve. Certainly, in my own experience of chaplaincy, there have been key moments where one cannot feel the presence of God, but I have often experienced this in short terms and short-spans. To hear Andrew share that there was little glorious about his prison time (he repeatedly mentioned that he “broke” under the pressure). Andrew confessed to a romanticized idea of being in prison. One that I likely have as well.

Are you just the God of conferences?

Andrew Brunson, one of his questions of God during his Turkish imprisonment

The rest of the time was filled with other moments of worship and teaching and business, but I believe that I will likely take Andrew’s story and reflect on that for some time to come.

CCPC Headed to Africa

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The youth group at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, one of Soccer Chaplains United’s partner churches, will be taking a trip to Kampala, Uganda and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July. A team of 19 students and leaders, passionate about serving the Lord and others, will leave for a couple of weeks to travel to Ethiopia and Uganda and work with different groups and organizations in each country.

Our team is excited about this opportunity to participate in how God is working across the world. We are going on this trip to love, bless, and encourage people in Uganda and Ethiopia.

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church Trip Participant

For the first part of the trip, the team from Cherry Creek will be running a VBS for Hope for the Fatherless. Hope for the Fatherless is an organization that seeks to cultivate a culture of adoption in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has a major orphan crisis that has been worsened by the fact that they do not currently allow international adoptions.

The second part of the trip, will feature time in Kampala, Uganda to serve alongside Youth for Christ Uganda. While there, the team will join in school outreaches and sports ministry. School outreaches will include skits, dancing, and different team members sharing their testimonies. Part of the ministry work within the community will include playing soccer with the children, and we want to hand out soccer equipment during those games. This trip will be part of the church’s continued partnership that began in 2007. We will also have the opportunity to put doors and windows on the Mirembe house, a home for single, pregnant teens.

While we are there, we hope to bless and encourage the people we come in contact with…our desire is that God would show the people of Uganda and Ethiopia His incredible love through us and that His love would leave a lasting impact on the people we interact with.

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church Trip Participant

Specific to the request from Soccer Chaplains United, the team is looking to take about 100 pounds of soccer gear and equipment on their trip: soccer balls, jerseys, and cleats.

When you support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals or organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Coram Deo Fulfillment

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Perhaps one of the more difficult parts of our community work comes in the mundane task of sorting through donations. Often times, Soccer Chaplains United receives donations that are thrown together into plastic bags and cardboard boxes, it can take hours to sort and piece things together. And when we get a specific request, like we did from Matthew Hulst and Coram Deo, you end up holding your breath sometimes because you aren’t sure if you can match exactly what they are looking for. But what is amazing is to “pull” the request and see what God does.

Specifically, Hulst and co. asked for 4 different uniform sets — jerseys, shorts, socks, etc. And a few weeks ago when I pulled their request, there were some tense moments of counting and recounting and trying to match. The most awesome moments are when you can match uniform numbers on jerseys and shorts! Let me tell you it’s a lot of back-breaking, back-bending work, but it is worth it.

3 of 4 sets complete!

The sorting and organizing took an immense amount of time, but as I prayed and reflected and listened to music I found a bit of a God-conversation going on. “God, is this really what I ought to be doing with ___________?” I filled in the blank with a lot of different endings to that question: my time, my seminary degree, my family, and so on and so on.

There was one moment when I realized that the shorts and uniforms that I had already sorted and pulled could potentially have matching numbers. I debated for about 15 minutes if I should go back and spend the time to sort through and find them amongst the piles on my garage floor. And then, the thought came to me — I can’t say if it was a God-inspired thought (but it seemed so). “Wouldn’t it make someone’s day and wouldn’t it perhaps make the story of the gospel easier to show or tell if I just spend the extra time?”

Set 4! Let’s goooooo!

I know that when my family makes donations we usually throw things in a bag and imagine that someone else will sort it out and give it away as needed. To be honest, I don’t think much about it. But here, now, in the 50 degree garage on a cold, Colorado night — a little bit of a glimpse came into view. That is God values the recipients of these soccer shorts and jerseys, then so should I and because I am not going on the trip, the best way that I can serve them is to go a little bit of an extra mile to make it as special for them as I can.

So thank you for supporting Soccer Chaplains United. When you do, a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals or organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

Mendoza To Keep Books

One of the things that I have come to learn in leading Soccer Chaplains United is that you never know what God might have in store when you say goodbye to one team member and God brings another. Recently, our first bookkeeper, went on and advanced in her bookkeeping and accounting work with joining a local private school’s accounting and bookkeeping team. The change meant that Soccer Chaplains United would soon need to look for a new bookkeeper.

I nearly pulled out my hair trying to find someone. Our bookkeeping needs are quite small and not a whole lot of hours, but is still a critical function of our ministry and for our growth. Several interviews and after quite a bit of searching, finally got an email in response to our advert on the Denver Seminary job board (shout out to the ole’ seminary).

The funny part is that the applicant was someone I know. The convergent worship leader at the church my family worships at, Cherry Creek Presbyterian, and a church partner with Soccer Chaplains United. What’s even more funny is that I had asked the missions director and executive pastor if they knew of anyone in the church that might assist us.

Well, it’s my pleasure to introduce Susie Mendoza, who will serve as our new bookkeeper. I had a wonderful time sitting and sharing the Soccer Chaplains United story with her and hearing much of her own story and journey. I asked her, why even bother with a smaller opportunity like Soccer Chaplains United? She shared,

Working in a “faith-based” organization can be quite rewarding, as both career and faith in Christ can intersect. Sharing my faith is what I love to do…I share the same vision as Soccer Chaplains United in that we are to share the Good News of Jesus!

Susie Mendoza

It is an incredible gift for us to be united with a shared vision to share the Good News and especially to live it out in our chaplaincy and counseling and community service that we provide. And when we live out, with passion, the deep vocation and calling that God gives to us, we get to see the amazing privilege of the work that God is about and where we get to join in and be vessels used by Him. Certainly, I have been able to see that in Susie week after week as she leads in worship and I am excited to see her bring her talents and gifts in accounting and bookkeeping to Soccer Chaplains United.

Susie, welcome to the team!

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