Over a year ago, sitting across the table at Crema coffee shop in Nashville, TN, I was visiting with Ryan Doyle. I could sense his enthusiasm for the sport of soccer. A pastor of a church plant and soccer coach of 18 years, we discussed the upcoming opportunity with the pro team coming to town. Ryan has a passion for the game, but more so, a passion for people. As we talked about soccer and chaplaincy in the weeks to follow via email, I made a casual comment. Soccer Chaplains United isn't just about the pro game — we're looking to get chaplains at all levels of the sport. That mention started to gain momentum as Ryan and I discussed potential chaplaincy with Christ Presbyterian Academy, a private, coeducational, college-preparatory school for grades preschool through 12. CPA seeks to provide

I am pleased to announce that new for the 2019 season, Christina Garber, has been approved as candidate to serve as chaplain to one of the most storied teams in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the Portland Thorns FC. Christina is on staff with Cru City and works with college and young professionals in Portland as well as various non-profit organizations to see the city of Portland flourish. Christina talked about some of the challenges facing the young people she works with, Some of the most influential years for a young person can be the 20's and early 30's. They are figuring out who they are, and what it is that they stand for in life. The decisions they

The start for 2019 is off to a fast and furious pace, with the panel that I was able to be part of just a few days into the new year. The annual, United Soccer Coaches convention was the occasion for me to be share insights as a Major League Soccer chaplain on a panel dealing with the topic of character. The panel was comprised of a few other members that I've come to know throughout the years including Ben Dudley (representing Positive Coaching Alliance), Adam Smith (Head Coach of USL-Championship side Fresno FC), Caroline Stanley (Coach at University of Tulsa), and moderated by Jordan Angeli (Broadcaster and commentator with the Rapids). Adam Smith, Ben Dudley, Caroline Stanley, myself, and

If you're like me, you're likely getting a few emails these days from various ministries, churches, non-profit, and NGO's. One email header caught my attention: THOUSANDS of lives changed... Thousands. As I opened up this particular group's Year in Review report, I saw amazing graphics, cool photographs, video linked testimonials. It was the third, such, Year in Review or Year Summary that I had seen and felt drawn into. It started me wondering whether Soccer Chaplains United needs to put together a professional looking report and summary for our own donors and constituency. But then I paused. What if our number was only one? What if we only impacted one life? Is one life, worth it? Is one life enough?

I am pleased to announce that ahead of the 2019 season, Greg Aydt, has been approved as candidate to serve as chaplain to one of the newest teams in the United Soccer League — Championship. Greg is the Youth Ministries Director at Advent Presbyterian Church and is currently completing his ordination process with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). You can read more about him on his bio page here. When we began the search earlier this year, I shared about the opportunity with several people in the EPC, which has a strong presence in the Memphis area. After a number of phone calls and looking at the various candidates, it became clear that Greg would make an excellent choice. As