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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.

Grace FC El Paso Getting Ready to Kickoff for Fall

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Iglesia Cristiana Bethel in El Paso, Texas is starting a new soccer club as part of the ministry of the church. The club will look to include girls from the ages of 7-11 years old. For many of these girls, they do not have experience playing but they have expressed excitement and a willingness to learn.

Pastor Pablo and Natalie Mata have shared their hopes for seeing this new girls team begin to train, play, and compete in a local league.

We hope to bring them closer to God while they are learning this new skill and grow in favor towards other people, like coaches, teammates, and other club teams. It is a new project for our church, Iglesia Cristiana Bethel, in El Paso. It is part of the work to continue developing to help the community and spread the love of Jesus.

Pablo and Natalie pose with the family in 2024

The church is looking forward to utilizing discipleship moments and seeing the discipline that comes from practicing and being a part of a team sport along with the joy that comes from playing soccer. Specifically, they have requested the following to help the team:

  • Jerseys
  • Soccer Balls
  • Goalkeeper gear
  • Coats/Jackets
  • Equipment for training
  • Nets

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!

Piña Proud of Work Done in the Valley

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In 2018, I gave Isidro Piña a phone call after a recommendation from Spanish-speaking chaplain, Cesar Duran. Isidro began (in late April) to serve the Rio Grande Valley Toros FC as volunteer chaplain and led the ministry with the team until 2023. I still recall an early phone call with Isidro after he had been introduced to the team in the locker room after a mid-week training session.

These players are so young…they are just like…kids.

Isidro went on to win so many hearts as he served the coaches and the players of the organization. His time included the difficult year of COVID. Isidro led the Spanish-speaking Ash Wednesday service that Soccer Chaplains United produced for 2020 and 2021 when teams were sequestered at times.

Isidro continued to serve until a new opportunity within the United Methodist Church opened. His new role included a move to San Antonio and he travels around to various UMC ministers and encourages and supports them, much like a chaplain to chaplains. He handed the chaplaincy ministry over to EJ Ruiz who had also assumed pastoral duties at the church that Isidro had led for many years. But EJ’s service wasn’t to last very long as RGV Toros FC folded at the end of 2023.

Since moving to San Antonio, Isidro has been helping Soccer Chaplains United with Spanish translation and serving as an adviser on several projects. Hopeful that there might be an opportunity to serve a new team in SA never materialized.

Isidro finishes eight years with Soccer Chaplains United and many athletes still reach out to him today.

One of the guys from the team moved back into the Valley and he called me. ‘Rev, are you in the Valley right now?’ ‘I am…’ ‘Could you come and pray over my new home?’ It was such a privilege that he asked me to come and bless his house. The years of working with the Toros are some of the best ministry moments of my life.

We wish Isidro and Blanca all of God’s best for this next, new chapter!

McDaniel Has Heart for Heartwood, Resigns Defiance Chaplaincy

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Jubal McDaniel has tendered his resignation from his volunteer chaplain role with the Tacoma Defiance and from Soccer Chaplains United. Jubal began serving the Defiance in 2020. The last 6 seasons have watched him grow the ministry toward the team and community in some really neat and exciting ways. 

Jubal not only served as volunteer chaplain to the Defiance, but also played other key roles in the community and for Soccer Chaplains United. He had a direct hand in getting soccer gear for three different community projects including two project in Spokane, WA with Community First in 2024 and 2022 which did work and ministry with refugee resettlement families. Another project in 2023 saw Wilderness Church working with an orphanage in Mexico.

In addition to the Community Projects, Jubal was also key in seeing the placement and support of several new chaplains to Soccer Chaplains United. His additional volunteer work as the West Coast Chaplain Coordinator for Soccer Chaplains United since late 2023 saw him play a key role in helping bring chaplaincy to Ballard FC via Gavin Brand, Spokane Velocity with Russell Branham, Spokane Zephyr FC with Amy Miller, and Central Valley Fuego FC with Geraud Brumfield. He also introduced Tiago Souza to us who helped with Portuguese translation of our 2022 World Cup Devotional.

But more so than all of the above, Jubal had a deep love and care for the athletes, coaches, and staff that he supported through his time with Tacoma Defiance. Some of my favorite stories include him getting a keyboard for an athlete who loved playing piano. Or, the one time he helped get a bicycle for an athlete who was new to Tacoma. Oftentimes, Jubal could be found coordinating with training staff and bringing out electrolyte pops on a warm summer Washington day. Or, simply celebrating someone’s birthday in a meaningful way.

It has been a tremendous five years of serving the Tacoma Defiance and its people. It’s incredible to think back over where I’ve come from, but also to serve in a time where the club underwent some significant growth and changes of its own. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am so thankful for the opportunity…It is extremely hard to say goodbye, but I believe it is what’s best for myself, my family, the club, and the people I care for.

-Jubal, on his final farewell

Last fall, Jubal stepped into a new role leading the restart and revitalization of a church in Covington, WA. His duties now include oversight of a decent size building, a growing congregation, two part-time staff members and several community partnerships. This work and his responsibilities continue to grow, leaving him with less time and capacity to serve the Tacoma Defiance in the way he feels is best for the team.

Bless you in this new endeavor, Jubal. Thanks for all that you’ve done for Tacoma Defiance and for Soccer Chaplains United over the years!

Congress Schedule For Waco Coming Out

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Earlier this year, I learned that my proposed talk on translating the scriptures for sport had been accepted for the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity (GCSC) happening this summer in Waco, Texas at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. And I recently received an email about where my talk will fit into the conference as a whole. A tentative draft of the schedule has me presenting with three others in a panel titled “Contextual Sport Ministry.”

Presenting alongside of myself, will be friend Xavier Bharath, who has been doing a pioneering work in India. He will speak on a theme of church planting using sports ministry as a vehicle. Two others that are part of the panel I don’t, yet, personally know include Jonny Reid and Scott Jackson. Scott is based in South America and has been ministering in Argentina as a missionary. He founded Vertical Deportes which is primarily a social media platform connecting Latin American athletes to their faith. Jonny Reid is with Christians in Sport (a UK group) and co-authored with Graham Daniels, Spiritual Game Plan, a recent book that looks at sport and faith.

I will look forward to sharing thoughts and reflections from the work in publishing my recent books, The Soccer Psalms and The Football Psalms and soon to be published, Los Salmos del Fútbol.

https://mybook.to/thesoccerpsalms
https://mybook.to/thefootballpsalms-uk

2025 marks the fourth GCSC and the Faith & Sports Institute is proud to host the event at Truett Seminary in collaboration with Sport.Faith.Life, Ridley Hall, the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure, and Sports Studies, wired4sport, and the University of Tennessee’s Sport & Religion Research Alliance. 

This will be a special time, as well, as I have had the privilege of teaching the online section of Soul Care in Sports with Truett Seminary this past semester and I will likely get to meet several of the students face-to-face, while in Waco. I am hoping to raise about $1500 to offset the costs of the conference. If you’d like to make a contribution toward this, you can make a one-time donation via PushPay to the General fund.

Hope Going to Gitombo: Kenyan Village and School Needing Gear

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Wanjiru Mukunga and I went to Denver Seminary together many, many years ago. Formerly a chaplain with Christian Living Communities, we shared some professional development moments and colleagues throughout the years. In 2017, Wanji (known as Mary to many of her American friends) left the comforts of the US and her job here to return to her native Kenya. While in the States, Wanji had been raising money and working to transform the village of Gitombo. Her work was originally known as Project Adopt A Village (PAAV) – Gitombo; but many other ministries have similar titles. Today, Hope Gitombo has seen massive growth since its beginning in 2014!

In 2014, three students formed the first “class” for the small local school. They met inside of a small shack made of iron sheets. Today, PAAV Gitombo School boasts 222 student learners and 45 teachers and staff who meet in 6 buildings. They’ve recently purchased additional land and now have 2 playing fields with football (soccer) being one of the most popular activities amongst the children.

I met with Wanji this past week and offered here soccer gear to take back with her. The struggle is that the school lacks soccer balls (something that we currently lack as well in our inventory). I did share that we might be able to provide some uniforms.

The children, when they go to play against other villages and other teams, they only wear these very small shirts. They don’t have much. They don’t have much at all. They don’t even look like a team. We would love some jerseys that can make the children feel like a team.

While unable to provide soccer balls at the moment, Soccer Chaplains United, through our Community Project program are able to provide some uniforms and gear for the Gitombo children and some of the adult workers. Below are some photos of what I was able to pull together for Wanji to take back with her in July.

Here is a list of the items we were able to provide on short notice (40 lbs of gear):

  • Rapids Academy Jerseys: 23
  • Rapids Shorts: 3
  • Calf Sleeves: 14
  • Lime Green GK Kit (shirt/shorts/socks)
  • Camo Yellow GK Kit (shirt/shorts/socks)
  • Other shorts: 10
  • Other shirts: 20
  • Rain pants: 1
  • T-shirts (s/s): 11
  • T-shirts (l/s): 9
  • Ball pumps: 2
  • Cones

Hope Gitombo also has a large capital campaign that supporters may be interested to learn about. The students and school have grown so much that a secondary school is now needed to see the student complete high school. You can learn more on the Hope Gitombo website.

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!

Subbing Out: Bailey Concludes West Virginia Chaplaincy Effort

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In late 2022, Josh Bailey reached out to Soccer Chaplains United about what chaplaincy might look like in Charleston, West Virginia. While there was nothing concrete at the time, Josh had noticed the influence of soccer and the number of people that were on the sidelines any given weekend. As a local church pastor, Josh had a heart to care for people. His relationship and mentorship of a couple of players with West Virginia United (a USL 2 side) prompted him to reach out and explore our process.

Josh joined Soccer Chaplains United in February of 2023, but after a 2-year season of vision and effort, Josh has decided to sub out and conclude his volunteer role, stepping away from attempting to establish a soccer chaplaincy presence in order to devote more time to some other ministry opportunities. Though the work didn’t gain long-term traction, Bailey’s heart and hope for caring for players, coaches, and staff still continues. He’s left the door open to return should a viable interest re-emerge in the future.

“It was always about presence,” Bailey shared in reflection. “Being available for conversation, support, and prayer—even informally—was meaningful, even if the chaplaincy didn’t take permanent root. Some of the other takeaways for me include the education and training and the culture of SCU — it’s a special group to be part of.”

While Josh and Soccer Chaplains United wasn’t able to establish a sustained chaplaincy, his presence brought a pastoral heart to the game, even in small ways. He gave many one-on-one encouragements as he discipled one particular athlete. Multiple attempts, too, to create a presence with the local university team were part of the vision with the strong connection between West Virginia United.

“Sometimes chaplaincy is about planting seeds,” said Rev. Brad Kenney, founder of Soccer Chaplains United. “Josh gave it a faithful try in a tough environment. Not every effort leads to permanence, but every effort matters. USL 2 is a difficult environment because there is so much change, so often.”

Bailey steps away with gratitude—for the opportunities he had, the conversations shared, and the vision he carried. Soccer Chaplains United continues to be available to develop soccer chaplaincy service in the region should interest arise again.

Packing for Peru: Pluses and Minuses

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For the recent Community Project Request from Saint Patrick’s as they prepare to head to Peru, we initiated a new process — an online, pictorial catalogue that allows teams to “shop” and “select” gear. And, with all new kinds of processes, there were a few setbacks but this week, I was able to pack out the gear for Peru. Beyond a few technical difficulties with the form and processing, Greg Aydt and the team did fill out a form with a number of item; however, their listed items only equated to one 50 lb. bag! 🤪

In total, we were able to do 2 bags — one 50 lb. and the other 48 lb. The pictures below give a little bit of a sense of some of the items that we were able to fulfill for the team.

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!

United See Three Graduate Seminary This Spring

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blue and white academic hat

I can’t recall a time in our history when we had so many of our chaplains finishing up a seminary degree. The past few weeks have seen three Soccer Chaplains United chaplains competing their course work and graduating from their respective institutions. Ben Pflederer (Denver Seminary — MDiv), Malcom Brown (Vanderbilt Divinity— MDiv Chaplaincy), and Russell Branham (Westminster Theological Seminary — MA Counseling) have all made massive strides in their training and education all while also serving in a volunteer chaplain capacity with their teams (along with all the other things in life!).

Malcom Brown celebrates with family his graduation from Vanderbilt
Ben Pflederer poses with graduating classmates from Denver Seminary
Ben Pflederer celebrates with family his graduation

For Soccer Chaplains United, a high value is for our volunteer chaplains to have a high level of training. While not every person enters into a chaplain role having completed a Master’s Degree, it’s something that we look for amongst our chaplain candidates when we hold interviews or go to make a placement. All three of these men were already in their seminary programs when they began with Soccer Chaplains United, and we are proud to see them complete their training!

Of all the noteworthy elements from my time at Vanderbilt Divinity School, I am most grateful that I depart with greater confidence in my ability to serve as chaplain. Whatever doors God may lead me through, I look forward to continuing in the work to which I have been called.

— Malcolm, on finishing at Vandy

Russell Branham is also graduating (but not pictured as he’s not able to make it to the graduation ceremony to walk). Russ shared with me that as he graduates with a Master’s in Biblical Counseling that he will continue his work with the Koinonia Ministry at Christ the Redeemer Church in Spokane, WA. This is a biblically centered ministry of counseling and caring for those in the church. His hope is to eventually transition from his vocation in the medical device industry space into full-time ministry as a Biblical Counselor.

For Ben Pflederer, he plans to continue working for Denver Presbyterian as the Youth Ministry Director and continue my chaplain work with the Rapids Academy. Longer term he hopes to be ordained and possibly pursue either a Master of Theology in Old Testament or a PhD.

Denver Seminary was an incredible place for learning and growth alongside amazing peers and outstanding faculty. It equipped and trained me, above all, to love the Savior and His words more and continually be formed to be like Him, along with all the essential tools to study and lead in advancing the kingdom and the Gospel as a part of God’s great redemptive work. I truly see God and His work and His church with wider vision and more wonder and imagination for all the He does and can do, Denver Seminary was a special place in cultivating that by challenging and stretching me–academically, spiritually, emotionally.

— Ben, speaking on his experience with Denver Seminary

Please keep these three chaplains in your prayers as they continue to live out their faith in practice and come alongside of people, not only in soccer, but elsewhere in the different vocational roles and responsibilities that they carry.

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 — simply hit the donate link to go to our donate page for different giving options or PushPay button at the bottom of the page to make a tax-deductible, one-time or recurring gift.

Game Plans and Gospel: Talking Translation in Texas

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I am really pleased to share that a proposed talk has been initially accepted for the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity (GCSC). The congress, happening this summer in Waco, Texas, has been something that I have prioritized now for a number of years dating back to the first congress in 2016 in York, England.

The working title of my presentation is “Game Plans and Gospel: Translating the Scriptures for Sport”
How Contextualization and Paraphrasing Bring Biblical Truth to the World of Sport. As I was thinking through some potential topics to share during the congress, my thoughts began to center around the profound amount of translation that I often find myself doing as a chaplain. Whether it is a Bible story or biblical concept — there is a lot of paraphrasing and retelling the Gospel story in ways that are fresh, compelling, and captivating for many people who’re unfamiliar with the sacred scriptures.

Translation is not an easy or light kind of work either. Some images don’t translate. Some parallels shouldn’t be made. How do we hold the tension of the integrity of Scripture with the difficulty that much of the world doesn’t know what God says through the Bible? The aim of this talk is to encourage and inspire others to do the difficult work of translating God’s Word in appropriate ways into their sporting context.

A lot of this idea came from my recent books which were published, The Soccer Psalms and The Football Psalms. While I still have yet to fully develop the presentation, the abstract below makes for a great starting place and reference point:

Translating the Bible into the language, imagery, and story of sport presents both challenges and joys. How can the profound truths of Scripture resonate with athletes, coaches, staff, and fans immersed in these unique cultures? Drawing from 20+ years of experience as a chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, this presentation explores the creative process of contextualizing and paraphrasing biblical texts—like the Psalms—to connect with the spiritual needs of those in sport. Through examples like “Psalm 23 for a Footballer,” questions arise: Does such adaptation dilute Scripture’s authority? Can such efforts genuinely foster biblical literacy in a community often disconnected from faith? Yet, there’s joy in witnessing the transformative power of Scripture presented in fresh, accessible ways. This session highlights the balance between honoring biblical integrity and engaging imagination to make the timeless truths of God’s Word accessible and to draw individuals toward the life-giving truths of the Bible and a deeper engagement with God through His Word.

https://mybook.to/thesoccerpsalms
https://mybook.to/thefootballpsalms-uk

2025 marks the fourth GCSC and the Faith & Sports Institute is proud to host the event at Truett Seminary in collaboration with Sport.Faith.Life, Ridley Hall, the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure, and Sports Studies, wired4sport, and the University of Tennessee’s Sport & Religion Research Alliance. 

This will be a special time, as well, as I have had the privilege of teaching the online section of Soul Care in Sports with Truett Seminary this past semester and I will likely get to meet several of the students face-to-face, while in Waco. I am hoping to raise about $1500 to offset the costs of the conference. If you’d like to make a contribution toward this, you can make a one-time donation via PushPay to the General fund.

St. Patrick’s Marks a First for Peru

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St Patrick Presbyterian Church in Collierville, TN has been a church committed to the local suburbs in which she is planted. Missions has typically looked like offering money and prayers to those at a distance throughout her first two decades. But, more recently, the church has come to the realization that if we are to be faithful to the full call of God, there should be a launching out across cultures just like the church’s namesake, Saint Patrick of Ireland.

St. Patrick’s current Executive Director, Chris Bolton, spent several years as a missionary in the cities and villages of Peru. His work and heart for the country has translated into a team of some 28 people committing to crossing cultural boundaries with the Gospel to see God at work in Peru, this July. This marks the first time that Saint Patrick’s will do a short-term mission trip in Peru and it is also the first time in Soccer Chaplains United history that we are supporting a trip to Peru!

The team will be based in the coastal city of Trujillo and launch out with Peru Mission to the surrounding villages with whom they have relationships. In these villages, the team will see how God is at work in church plants, in ministries, and in family discipleship. They will be a part of the short term mission work for six days ministering through medicine, construction, ESL, and care. But the team will also look to express ministry through the global game of soccer.

Soccer Chaplains United Chaplain Rev Greg Aydt is part of the team headed to Peru. As Assistant Pastor for Youth at St. Patrick’s, Greg’s inclusion on the trip is a natural fit. Greg’s soccer chaplaincy work this past season has included helping athletes, coaches, and staff transition in the months following the shut-down in operations of local professional team, Memphis 901 FC. As disheartening as the team folding has been, Chaplain Greg has been looking for opportunities for faith and fútbol to coalesce.

I’m especially excited to be hosting local children in soccer camps each morning. With several high school soccer players on our team heading to Peru, we’re hoping to invite the children to play. And this is no small thing; we truly believe for children, play is Kingdom work.

The St Pat’s team is looking to take about 4 bags of gear down with the team and give away jerseys, shorts, soccer balls and more to the children that come out for the soccer camps. The team will leave out July 11 until July 19.

I’ve been able to take soccer gear from work with Soccer Chaplains United in the past to Latin America. And the impact it has on the excitement, enjoyment, and gratitude from the children is powerful. With some gear from SCU this summer, we travel with an eagerness to see how God can use us for His glory in the villages of Peru.

We encourage you to pray for Greg Aydt and the Saint Patrick’s Presbyterian Church team as they prepare for this exciting trip in July!

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!

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