General news and information about Soccer Chaplains United including newly formed partnerships, news on the different teams and communities being served, and upcoming events for donors, partners, and communities.
I am excited at the opportunity that my long-time friendship and relationship with Wells Thompson has afforded me to be a guest at this year’s Mental Fitness Summit. There are some 15+ industry-leading professionals that are coming together to speak on issues of mental health and resilience. This year’s event is online, similar to last year. I am including some details below. I think players and parents and others associated with soccer will find this to be a brilliant introduction to Soccer Resilience and all that they have to offer which includes resourcing club, teams, and individuals: including coaches and referees.
The summit is being held from November 14-16. And if you are interested you are encouraged to register here at this link.
Matt Keifer, the Director of Operations for Cumbre Alta, recently sent the following report:
First of all… thank you again! This is awesome stuff and can’t tell you how excited our men and womens team will be to get all of this new gear.
Because of the amount that was given, and the varying sizes, we have enough of the compression gear to give to both the first team’s of the men and women. There will not be another team in category that has anything like this for the men, and zero teams regardless of classification will have anything like this for women. Women usually get the leftovers at best, but usually get the worst clothing, equipment, and field choices. This is one area we want to distinguish ourselves by putting the women on equal footing with the men in every way. I have no doubt our guys and girls will be flooding their personal social media pages with their new training gear- I really can’t explain how cool and rare this will be for our players.
The t-shirts we received are already put to good use. We have already given out a bunch as “prizes” to kids that attend our games- we have small competitions before and after games and we give the tshirts as prizes for competing. Something else that no other team is doing around here (taking care of their fans and giving stuff away for free)!
We gave the jackets away to the women’s teams. In all we gave away 56 jackets to the players of our 2 women’s teams. It is another way that we demonstrate to them that they are just as valued as their male counterparts… Thank you!
We still have about 35 tshirts of smaller sizes that we will give to the kids of a local orphanage. We have a small camp planned there where the kids will receive these tshirts.
Again… thank you! Getting donations like this is rare but super beneficial to our program as a whole, but more importantly demonstrates the love of Christ when we get to explain to our players where the clothing/ gear comes from and why. It’s another touch point that allows us the share the Gospel with our players.
Cumbre Alta was able to add their logo to the compression gear the team took down
When you financially 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 Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/image-e1622053271979.png-e1652133785306.webp334673Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-11-03 00:00:002024-07-08 23:56:35Cumbre Alta Strives for Equality With Latest Gear
Every.org has announced a new campaign whereby they will match new recurring profiles setup through Every.org. Starting, today, November 1, new recurring donations will be matched up to $50 for up to two months while funds last. Each person can create matched monthly donations for up to 3 different nonprofits. To create a profile through Every.org click here.
Generous donors have raised enough funds for a $50k match pool for nonprofits on Every.org to take advantage of during our #FallGivingChallenge – The Monthly Match. From Nov. 1 – Nov. 30, or until funds run out, any donor who sets up a monthly donation to Soccer Chaplains United will be matched up to $50.00 of their monthly donation for the first two months. This must be a new monthly donation and not one that is currently active. This recurring donation will be automatically charged to the donor’s payment method every month and matched another $50.00 for the month of December as well. In total, donors giving $100 ($50 in November and $50 in December) will have $100 matched ($50 in November and $50 in December). Donors who set up a monthly gift in December are not eligible for this match.
— From Every.org website
As a reminder, donations made through Every.org are considered contributions to Every.org and thus donors will receive tax-deductible receipts through them.
Soccer Chaplains United utilizes Every.org for a few select reasons, currently:
enables us to receive crypto currency donations (a new, growing option for generosity)
enables us to receive stock options
has a few other platforms for giving that our current vendor (PushPay) does not — including PayPal, Venmo, etc.
Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our chaplains and our work. Check out our Donate page for different giving options.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-01-at-4.10.30-PM.png3761184Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-11-01 16:12:572024-07-08 23:56:41Every.org Starts Fall Giving Challenge Donor Match
World Cup 2022 is just days away! Soccer Chaplains United has released an accompanying book for the largest sporting event in the world. The 2022 World Cup Devotional | The Light is Coming is available in English and Spanish in two formats: ebook and print on Amazon*!
¡La Copa del Mundo 2022 está a solo unos días! Soccer Chaplains United ha lanzado un libro complementario para el evento deportivo más grande del mundo. El devocional de la Copa Mundial 2022 | The Light is Coming está disponible en inglés y español en dos formatos: ¡ebook e impreso en Amazon*!
The 2022 World Cup Devotional | The Light is Coming is an 8-week, 80 page devotional with illustrations. Each week has three different readings (Kickoff, Halftime,and Final Whistle). The devotional is created to begin with the FIFA roster release date (November 13) and parallel different World Cup timelines, as well as themes of Advent and Christmas.
El devocional de la Copa Mundial 2022 | La Luz está llegando es un devocional de 80 páginas y 8 semanas con ilustraciones. Cada semana tiene tres lecturas diferentes (saque inicial, medio tiempo y pitido final). El devocional se creó para comenzar con la fecha de lanzamiento de la lista de FIFA (13 de noviembre) y paralelo a diferentes líneas de tiempo de la Copa Mundial, así como temas de Adviento y Navidad.
Amazon (better yet, AmazonSmile) is the place to purchase the book.
Amazon (mejor aún, AmazonSmile) es el lugar para comprar el libro.
Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our chaplains and our work. Check out our Donate page for different giving options.
Soccer Chaplains United es una organización sin fines de lucro, 501(c)3 y depende del apoyo financiero de nuestros socios para llevar a cabo nuestro trabajo de desarrollo de la capellanía en todos los niveles del fútbol. Considere hacer una contribución hoy para ayudarnos a continuar aumentando nuestros capellanes y nuestro trabajo. Consulte nuestra página de donaciones para conocer las diferentes opciones de donaciones.
*Certain global Amazon markets may not have the book available for print or ebook, you can look in nearby marketplaces.
*Ciertos mercados globales de Amazon pueden no tener el libro disponible para impresión o libro electrónico, puede buscar en los mercados cercanos.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-01-at-12.06.28-PM.png12521630Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-11-01 13:00:002024-07-08 23:56:42Spanish Versions of World Cup 2022 Devotional Now Available!
Partner church Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church made their way to Uganda this past summer. The team made a request for soccer gear from Soccer Chaplains United’s Community Project program. You can see what gear we were able to provide by clicking here. They share a final update on the trip and how it went below.
Uganda
This year our church was able to take a team of high school students to Uganda to partner with Youth for Christ (YFC) Uganda in serving schools in the town of Matugga. One of things that always helps our team connect with the Ugandan people is the game of soccer. In bringing different types of gear and uniforms we connect relationally with the YFC team as well as empower them to connect with their community.
YFC Uganda is involved with local schools helping combat early dropouts and teen pregnancies. One of the ways they connect with the students in the community is by holding soccer tournaments. The gear that is provided helps facilitate these tournaments by providing new teams uniforms and prizes to attract new teams. These tournaments give the members of the organization credibility when they present their messages in schools.
The uniforms that are donated help foster team pride and bonding. When a team receives their new kits you can sense an increase in their morale. They often remark that they look ‘smart’ and must play as well as they look. The gear also helps our team connect with the YFC team. Our team joins up with YFC team to compete in the tournament. Putting on the same kit and supporting each other adds a layer of relational connection that makes ministry more fruitful.
Finally, the gear provided helps facilitate YFC’s provide a place of connection for the students in the area. Their soccer facilities and gear help draw students away from the street and gangs and gives them a safe place to connect with adults and other students their age. The donations are a big part of YFC’s mission to be a beacon of hope in their region.
Thank you so much for partnering with our trip. It was an amazing trip. The gear you provided helped so much in connecting our team with the YFC team and allowed us to bless the students in Matugga.
When you financially 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 Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/K09A9211.jpg12801920Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-10-27 00:00:002024-07-08 23:56:43CCPC Uganda 2022 Team Blesses Matuggan Students
World Cup 2022 is just days away! Soccer Chaplains United has released an accompanying book for the largest sporting event in the world. The 2022 World Cup Devotional | The Light is Coming is available in English ebook and print on Amazon* and we expect to launch Spanish translation versions in the next couple of days!
The 2022 World Cup Devotional | The Light is Coming is an 8-week, 80 page devotional with illustrations. Each week has three different readings (Kickoff, Halftime,and Final Whistle). The devotional is created to begin with the FIFA roster release date (November 13) and parallel different World Cup timelines, as well as themes of Advent and Christmas.
Amazon (better yet, AmazonSmile) is the place to purchase the book now.
Soccer coaches, executives, athletic directors and chaplains are all encouraged to email us at info@soccerchaplainsunited.org for information on bulk rate discounts.
Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our chaplains and our work. Check out our Donate page for different giving options.
*Certain global Amazon markets may not have the book available for print or ebook, you can look in nearby marketplaces.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-24-at-11.13.20-PM.png9461228Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-10-26 08:43:482024-07-08 23:56:47Paperback English Version of World Cup 2022 Devotional Now Available For Purchase!
Friends, well, we are trying to get out and ahead of World Cup 2022 — I’m pleased to tell you that the Soccer Chaplains United 2022 World Cup Devotional | The Light is Coming is available in English ebook right now on Amazon and we expect to launch the print book tomorrow!
This 8-week, 80 page devotional with illustrations is set to begin with the FIFA roster release date (November 13) and will have readings that parallel World Cup, Advent, and Christmas — all the way until Epiphany (Jan. 7).
Amazon (better yet, AmazonSmile) is the place to purchase the ebook now! And we are working hard to finish up the Spanish and Portuguese language translation versions as well.
We’d love it if you take a minute to read the introduction and write us a kind but honest review! And then, jump in starting Nov 13 (or really any time is fine, too)!
Soccer coaches, executives, athletic directors and chaplains are all encouraged to email us at info@soccerchaplainsunited.org for information on bulk rate discounts.
Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our chaplains and our work. Check out our Donate page for different giving options.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/World-Cup-Devo-ebook-cover-2.jpg15721012Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-10-24 16:00:002024-07-08 23:56:49The Light is Coming Ebook Devotional Now Available!
Partner church Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church made their way to Ethiopia this past summer. The team made a request for soccer gear from Soccer Chaplains United’s Community Project program. You can see what they received here. Recently, the team sent us a final update on how the trip went. We share it below.
Final Update
We returned to Ethiopia for our first mission trip since Covid to serve with Hope for the Fatherless (HFTF). HFTF is an orphan ministry in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that works to rescue children from institutional care, place them in forever families, and develop a culture of domestic adoption in Ethiopia.
Hope for the Fatherless currently cares for 28 children in its small, family-style homes, sponsors a number of other vulnerable children in single-parent homes who risk becoming orphaned themselves, and trains and equips adoptive families because children belong in families, not institutions.
Through the generosity of Soccer Chaplains United, we were able to gift each of HFTF’s homes (Hope House, Faith House, and Grace House) with their own indestructible soccer ball and jerseys for all the kids.
Soccer is definitely a favorite pastime for the children, and our team enjoyed playing many soccer games with them in the courtyard at Hope House.
When we brought out the soccer balls from SCU, the kids immediately started a game. And later in the week, when we gifted the jerseys to them, they were over the moon! Each kiddo immediately put on their jersey as soon as they got theirs—it was incredible to watch the joy that overcame them, simply because they got their own jersey.
This was such a highlight of the trip! Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church was very excited to partner with SCU once again to help bring so much happiness and fun to these incredible kids in Ethiopia. One of the boys has told us for five years now that he intends to be a professional soccer player when he is older. He received some goalie equipment from SCU and wanted to pass along a big THANK YOU!!
It is a joy to see how something as simple as a shirt or ball, which we often take for granted in America, can be such a gift of love and bring so much excitement to orphaned and vulnerable kids halfway around the world. Thank you, Soccer Chaplains United and Colorado Rapids! Your generosity not only impacted the kids, but the team as well. In seeing the joy the kids had, we couldn’t help but be joyful as well. We experienced the beautiful community that comes from generosity as we celebrated alongside our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia. Thank you SCU and Colorado Rapids for your generosity and support!
When you financially 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 Project from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals projects and organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
In just a few days a small team from Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (CCPC) will look to make their way to Juárez, Mexico for what the 28th time in a nearly 34-year history. Save for a period of a few years when the church deemed it unsafe to travel to Juárez with the drug cartel violence and in 2020 with the boarder closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the church has sought to go down each year and make an impact in the neighborhood just a stone’s throw from the boarder fence.
La Iglesia Maranatha and Pastor Jorge Mata have been firmly planted in the Felipe Ángeles neighborhood and community for those many, many years and it’s through this relationship that the Gospel is shared and people are encouraged in their faith. The mission trip sees several church families combine to lead VBS (vacation bible school) for the children in the neighborhood and to work on several construction projects on the church grounds and in the surrounding neighborhood. The church, within sight of the UTEP (University of Texas – El Paso) campus across the boarder, lives in a shadow of poverty, but the neighborhood is slowly being transformed with jobs and homes being built and people being elevated socially and spiritually by the work of Pastor Jorge and the church.
A team member wrote to request the gear for this year’s trip:
Dear Rev. Kenney, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church has been blessed with the opportunity to send another mission team to Juarez, Mexico this year to support La Iglesia Maranatha and Pastor Jorge. Our team of eighteen students and adults is looking for donations of any surplus soccer gear to benefit the local kids. As in the past, we will be serving around 80 children through our Vacation Bible School program, in addition to working on several projects in the community. Soccer Chaplains United’s generous donations in the past have made a positive impact and assisted teams to better show generosity and the love of Christ to these kids. We are so grateful for your continued partnership with our church. Thank you.
2022 Juarez Mission Team
The Cherry Creek Prebyterian Church Team of 2021 pauses from playing soccer in the park to take a photo.
In addition to the local work that La Iglesia Maranatha does, Pastor Jorge and the church members have also undertaken several trips into the poorer, and more rural parts of Mexico. Taking donations and other items, the church has traveled long distances to share the Gospel and encouragement with the poorest of the poor in some of the small villages deep within Mexico.
Assembly line for packing donations
Remember, 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 cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/K09A4384-scaled.jpg12801920Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-10-13 06:00:002024-07-08 23:58:00Cherry Creek Jaunts to Juárez, Mexico for 28th Time
Today, I am super pleased to announce that Soccer Chaplains United is producing and publishing a devotional guide for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. The devotional, a collaboration of several Soccer Chaplains United chaplains and friends, will look to be available on Amazon beginning November 1.
The 8-week, 80 page devotional with illustrations will begin with readings that mirror the different weeks of World Cup, Advent, and Christmas — all the way until Epiphany (Jan. 7). Interweaving themes of faith, family, and football each week will feature three distinct authors and writings based on a weekly theme.
Amazon (better yet, AmazonSmile) will be the place to purchase your print-on-demand copy and will also feature ebooks with Spanish and Portuguese language editions as well!
Soccer coaches and soccer chaplains are encouraged to reach out and email us at info@soccerchaplainsunited.org for bulk rate discounts.
Hosting a World Cup watch party? Why not have a few copies to give to fans and friends?
Does your church or rec team have some World Cup fans? Why not get some copies to give away?
This is not the book! Just a stock image…but it will be cool we promise!
Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our chaplains and our work. Check out our Donate page for different giving options.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vfq0y6zvex0.jpg12001320Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2022-10-07 17:30:002024-07-08 23:58:05The Light is Coming: Soccer Chaplains United Producing Special Edition Devotional for World Cup 2022
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