Tag Archive for: Director Brad Kenney

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Timothy Project in Eswatini Three Years In A Row!

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The Timothy Project, through Soccer Chaplains United, is returning to the Kingdom of eSwatini for the third year in a row!  Never heard of eSwatini?  That’s because up until April 2018, the country was named Swaziland.  (The king renamed the country in honor of the 50th anniversary of gaining independence.)  Despite eSwatini being only the size of New Jersey, and almost literally halfway around the word, the Timothy Project has been connected in 2016,  2017, and now again in 2018!

Adventures in Missions Sports Ministry team

I will be going to eSwatini with a team from Mountain Springs Church in Colorado Springs in coordination with Beyond Survival.  Once again, we will be working with Adventures in Missions on the ground in eSwatini.  Adventures in Missions serves 30+ care points and 6,000+ children on a daily basis.

Beyond Survival has been forming relationships in eSwatini for 12 years now, and I have been able to be part of the team for the past 4 years.  I have been especially privileged to form a 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.

Prior to this trip, Xolani indicated there was an amazing opportunity for one of his U20 teams.  According to eSwatini Premier League soccer regulations, each Premier League team should have an U20 team in the junior league.  However, one of the newly promoted teams doesn’t have such a team.  Xolani is currently negotiating for his U20 team to participate in the junior league, connected to the Premier league team.  Xolani states there is a “high chance this will be successful,” however asked for prayer for a successful negotiation.

New gear for Xolani’s sports ministry

Through the Timothy Project, Soccer Chaplains United was able to provide approximately 40 pounds of gear, consisting of new cleats, jerseys, balls, and cones.  According to Director Brad Kenney, this was the first time Timothy Project had provided a full set of new gear.

To support Timothy Project: Mountain Springs Church/Beyond Survival trip to eSwatini, or future Timothy Project ventures like this, please donate through PushPay — simply select Timothy Project from the selectable funds to contribute to.  Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor an individual or organization in an outreach effort, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

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Rio Grande Valley Training Trip

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Today marks my third trip this year to work with our Soccer United Chaplains that are spread throughout the United States. I head to McAllen, Texas to spend a couple of days with our newest chaplain, Isidro Piña, to the Rio Grande Valley Toros FC who play in the United Soccer League. Earlier this year, I spent a few days in Nashville and utilized the first-ever match for Nashville SC (a pre-season match) to do work with our new chaplain there. I also spent a day in Chicago with our chaplain for Moody Bible Institute before heading to Charlotte and using the first match of the season to do some work with our chaplain to the Independence.

Why travel?

As Soccer Chaplains United places chaplains, there are a couple of things we look to develop or train:

  1. Is someone a chaplain? Many times we find a candidate who is or serves as a pastor in a local church setting. Some of our development work then looks at the specific role of a chaplain and some of the approaches and sensitivities and how those might differ from pastoral work in a church.
  2. Does someone know soccer? While not the most important aspect, knowing and understanding the game is helpful. The players, coaches, staff, and families of those that we are serving live in an environment that has considerable challenges. If someone is not familiar with soccer (or even the sub contexts of professional, etc.) some of our training and development includes looking at soccer in the larger context.

It may be that a chaplain or chaplain candidate does not need as much development in a particular area as above, then the training and coaching time looks more like a sharing of best practices.

Another important reason to travel is to have face to face interactions with chaplains and to see their particular context. From training schedules to stadium surroundings to the size of the metropolitan area and the people, it is very important to understand the different cultural nuances to a particular setting to give the chaplain achievable goals.

Sometimes in sports ministry, people are placed or connected into particular ministry areas with little or no training and development. This creates problems of accountability between the chaplain, Soccer Chaplains United, and the particular team or organization.

I covet your prayers as I work with Isidro for the next few days.

Interested in Learning More about Chaplaincy in Soccer?

Soccer Chaplains United Logo

Today, Roger Lipe of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) hosted myself and Jorge Vallejo, also of FCA, on a phone interview to discuss chaplaincy for soccer. I have known Jorge for a number of years and we have had the privilege of serving a number of the same people — players, coaches, and staff. Jorge serves as chaplain for Atlanta United FC (Major League Soccer).

Jorge and I offer some perspectives and share our thoughts and experience with chaplaincy in soccer/football during the call. You can listen to the recorded call (approx. 45 min), here at this link: https://fccdl.in/gmWPwtPfWX

If you are interested in learning more about becoming involved in soccer chaplaincy, I would encourage you to reach out to us at info@soccerchaplainsunited.org. We are developing chaplaincy, counseling, and community care at all levels of soccer in and throughout North America. Other organizations that are involved in soccer chaplaincy and sports ministry include FCA and Athletes in Action.

Charlotte Independence Update

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During my recent 10-day trip, Charlotte, NC and spending some time with our chaplain to the Charlotte Independence was high on my priority list. Last year, Gustavo Bentos took over the chaplaincy while we were still operating under our former name. With some personal and professional challenges arising, it was difficult for Gustavo to really invest the time into the team during the latter part of 2017.

At a meal with Independence representatives, part of my own and Gustavo’s understanding was focused on how we might serve the team better this year. A transition to a new stadium venue in Matthews, NC and the moving of office space along with a new ownership represented changes on the Independence side that might give opportunities for Gustavo and the chaplaincy to occur.

As we attended the opening home game for the Independence, there were several points of ministry that were observable and that many people do not consider being part of what a chaplain might possibly do. For example, a player was taken to the hospital due to injury. I shared with Gustavo, that a chaplain might be the one to help that player in a number of ways. One way might include praying for the player before heading to the hospital or showing family members how to get to the hospital, or even to simply help the player retrieve his car or belongings later, from the stadium.

The game itself, was a thrilling, 4-1 win for the Independence. Included was this penalty kick goal:

Herrera Penalty Kick Goal

Please pray for our work and the ongoing development of the chaplaincy in Charlotte with the Charlotte Independence. We are excited to see a fresh year and new season begin with Chaplain Gustavo Bentos in place and with several strong connections of people to serve.

Sports Chaplaincy Summit in Charlotte

I asked if I could take one of these for a spin, but sadly the answer was “no.”

The second part of my trip included meetings in Charlotte. The International Sports Chaplaincy Federation had a second summit, again hosted by Cede Network at the Joe Gibbs Racing Center. The summit took place over the course of a couple of days and much was accomplished toward creating and defining chaplaincy standards in sport around the world.

I was privileged to be part of last year’s summit and again invited to contribute to this year. Amongst some of the moments, the group adopted the name Global Sports Chaplaincy Association as a way of moving forward and starting to reach out in the development of chaplaincy across different countries and continents.

My own contribution includes helping serve on the training and education team. There is a monumental task ahead of how to teach and train with best practices in mind while some who are serving as chaplains in sport lack many of the necessary resources to help do the work well. Our team has been tasked with continuing to discover and develop resources that might be used by chaplains from many different backgrounds and cultures.

In addition, as a part of Soccer Chaplains United and with our heavy presence in the United States, I will also be helping in the development of the registry hosted by Cede. The registry will allow chaplains to find other chaplains as well as to utilize resources for learning and collaboration. As we identify different chaplains, part for the work will be to understand and affirm their positions and callings and to encourage chaplains to share and grow in their collegiality.

The summit this year produced many landmark moments. There was a deep sense of accomplishment and forward progress.  I am excited to see the continuing development of sports chaplaincy and the confluence of several different organizations and people coming together.

Chaplaincy In Chicago

I just returned from a 10-day business trip. Chicago was the first stop on the tour. It was great to visit with our chaplain Pete Distler who serves the Moody Bible Institute Men’s Soccer Team. Moody, in recent days, has undergone a number of changes, one of which is the appointment of a new head coach for the soccer team. We had a chance to spend time with the new head coach and assistant to better understand how Pete, as chaplain, can help serve the team.

Among some of the opportunities that exist, the chaplain will be able to help the coaching staff better develop a spiritual plan for the team and offer a continued stable presence for the young players who often find themselves in the difficult space of balancing school and home life.

I had a really great time sharing, over a Chicago-style pizza with these men, about how the chaplaincy to the team can really be a service for the year. I am excited to see Pete continue in his role and offer a sense of continuity and place where players and coaches alike can come and confide in him.

In addition to meeting with Moody, Pete and I met with the Executive Director for the U.S. Adult Soccer Association, Duncan Riddle. A key moment in our conversation came as I asked, “How can Soccer Chaplains United support you and the teams that you oversee?” The USASA essentially oversees and sanctions soccer at the adult level. The teams served are too many to count; however, the vision to see a chaplain available to serve is a worthy task to undertake. While not an official meeting in any sense, I felt that some “idea” seeds have been sown. Please pray that something takes root, if it’s part of God’s plan.

Nashville SC is One Step Closer

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I had the privilege of spending part of last week in Nashville. The primary purpose of the trip was to do some training and coaching with our chaplain candidate who will serve Nashville SC this upcoming year. We’re not quite ready to announce who the chaplain is, but we will within the next few weeks as we complete the process.

I pose pre-game for a photo in wet Nashville with Assistant Coach David Proctor. David and I met in Colorado when he worked for the Rapids Developmental Academy.

With Nashville SC Head Coach, Gary Smith, being someone that I have worked with in the past (Colorado Rapids 2009-2011), there has been tremendous opportunity to assist in finding and developing the chaplaincy role for this new, exciting addition to U.S. Soccer. Nashville was recently awarded a Major League Soccer expansion franchise. As the team competes in the United Soccer League (Division II) for the next year or two, the club will face a lot of transition and work to make the jump to MLS.

Part of the time spent this week was spent being introduced to staff and players at a weekly training session. I shared about the support role of the chaplain and introduced the chaplain candidate. We utilized the first game for a bit of a walk though. The chaplain plays an active role during the week and during game days to support so many different facets of the organization — from players and staff, to management and ownership and their families.

It was also great to see some former players and staff who have made their way back to play with Coach Smith. Keep up with us as we look to make some more official announcements regarding the Nashville SC placement in the next few weeks.

Nashville SC Moments after Kickoff

Soccer Chaplains United Announces Year-End Need

Soccer Chaplains United Logo

This past weekend, I met with the Board of Directors for Soccer Chaplains United for our quarterly meeting. We accomplished a lot within our time together. Amongst some of the highlights were reviewing the bylaws that were initially formed as CrossTraining, accepting a couple of board resignations, and reviewing the work over the 3rd quarter.

The difficult piece was financially. Soccer Chaplains United is currently at 50% of our budget raised and we’ve only 6-weeks left to go in our fiscal year. With the rebranding from CrossTraining going on this year, we’ve struggled with fundraising. We couldn’t build and promote CrossTraining knowing that our new doing business as name was going to be Soccer Chaplains United and we couldn’t promote Soccer Chaplains United without giving the new name and brand away. A catch-22.

Soccer Chaplains United needs to raise $50,000 before December 31 in order to reach 90% of budget for the year and rebuild our depleted reserves.

Please consider giving a gift of support as we approach these last few weeks.

Some ways that you can donate and help support include:

Give a one-time gift, become a recurring donor, or increase your giving through PushPay

Designate our ministry through Amazon’s Smile program

Contact Waterstone to learn how to give different types of gifts on behalf of Soccer Chaplains United

or Mail a Cash Donation to:

Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081, Denver, CO 80250

Thank you for your support.

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