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Michigan On the Horizon

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We’re just a couple months away from the 2nd Global Congress on Christianity and Sport. This year’s congress is being held at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI October 23 — 27 and it’s not too late to register. Here is a place for dialogue and sharpening between academics, theologians, practitioners like chaplains and counselor, and others connected into the world of sport.

I really enjoyed the last congress in York, England back in 2016. And, as I have mentioned before, it was at the congress that God gave us a new vision to change the name of our ministry to Soccer Chaplains United.

At the York congress, I gave a presentation entitled: Foundations of Pastoral Care- Recovering the Spirit of Chaplaincy in Sport. Additionally, I had my first professional article by the same title published in a special edition of Practical Theology. It was an exciting and challenging time.

Theologian Miroslav Wolf will be a keynote speaker this October

During the upcoming congress, Soccer Chaplains United will feature in two parallel sessions. One session, entitled, Chaplaincy and Counseling in Sport: A Necessary Partnership, will have myself and Brooke Ewert presenting on the challenges of linking chaplaincy and counseling in sports. We will share about our work of serving in football (soccer) and how the chaplain and counselor can serve simultaneously and differently from one another.

I will also present in a separate session, A Biblical Foundation for Chaplaincy in Sport. In this session, I will propose a different starting point for considering chaplaincy and sports chaplaincy from a biblical framework. Currently, there is not an article being published, but hopefully there will be something to add into the library of sports chaplaincy at some point.

Please pray for Brooke and me, and other chaplains and people working and interacting and bridging the world of Christian faith and sport.

Proposal(s) Accepted!

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I am excited to announce that Soccer Chaplains United has had two proposals accepted for presentation at the Second Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. The congress, taking place at Calvin College later this year, will feature speakers, writers, practitioners, academics, and more that are constantly wrestling with issue of faith, life, and sport.

I had the privilege of presenting at the Inaugural Congress in 2016 in York, England. It was a challenging and encouraging time all in the same breath. Theologians and academics mixing with sports ministry practitioners — for me, there was some new thinking and challenges around how I understand faith and sport. I also did my part, challenging a few academics into considerations that, as a chaplain, I’ve had to work out in the field and arena of sport.

My friend and colleague Rev Bob Mayo (chaplain for QPR and vicar at Shepherd’s Bush) pose whilst having a coffee on the ancient fortress walls in York at the Inaugural Global Congress on Christianity and Sport.

This year, the committee for the congress has accepted two proposals from Soccer Chaplains United. I submitted one on a bilabial foundation for chaplaincy in sport. Essentially, chaplains (and those in sport) often default to particular passages fo scripture to “make a case” for serving in the sport arena (and other areas as well). My hope is to encourage chaplains to go further back into scripture for a foundational basis for the work that we do outside the walls of the church building.

The second proposal involves myself and our Director of Counseling Brooke Ewert. We will be tackling the issue of chaplaincy and counseling in sport. It is a difficult integration and Brooke and I will be doing a panel presentation to discuss how Soccer Chaplains United has worked to bring the work of the chaplain and the work of the counselor into better alignment.

Brooke has been an amazing addition and our sights are set on Michigan in October

Some of the featured keynote speakers include Tim Tebow, Miroslav Volf, Gary Thomas and more…

A few of the keynote speakers lined up for this year’s congress

If you would like to sponsor or help offset the cost of getting to Michigan, we would love your support. Pray for us as we share with others working in the field of sport and as we seek to learn and to grow Soccer Chaplains United.

Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and we depend upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy, counseling, and community service across all levels of soccer. Your support allows us to grow in our skill, education, and service to others. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our work. Click the PushPay logo below or text soccerchaplains to 77977 to make a secure electronic donation. You can also mail a donation to Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081 Denver, CO 80250.

2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity

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I am really excited about the upcoming 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity this October. The inaugural congress was held in 2016 in York, England at the University of Gloucestershire. I was able to be a presenter and participant in 2016. I gave a 20 minute presentation on Foundations of Pastoral Care: Recovering the Spirit of Chaplaincy in Sport. And before the congress, the paper was accepted for publication in Practical Theology.

2016 and the congress were significant for another reason, though — it was through some conversations borne out of my time there that God impressed upon me that the time had come to put the CrossTraining name to rest. Thus began the journey of creating our current organizational name of Soccer Chaplains United.

Now, three years later, I am excited to return back to this latest expression of the Congress. It will be held at Calvin College in Michigan, October 23-27. I have already entered one abstract for presentation along the lines of a theological construct for chaplaincy. I am also working to develop another presentation with sports chaplaincy and counseling themes intertwined.

I am praying that we will be able to help subsidize the cost of our chaplains and counselors that are available to go and attend, as it is an extremely formative and sharpening time.

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