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Chaplains Undergo Mental Health Awareness Training

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Chaplains with Soccer Chaplains United recently were offered the chance to receive mental health awareness training through an opportunity created in collaboration with the Global Sports Chaplaincy Association (GSCA) and Sports Chaplaincy — UK (SCUK). SCUK National Director of Scotland, Mark Fleming, led the two-hour zoom training session which helped identified particular mental health issues that exist within professional sport and how chaplains might maintain a good level of mental health themselves and for those they serve.

Mark’s work in sports chaplaincy began with serving as Chaplain to Partick Thistle FC in 1998 and after nine years began gradually to source, train and appoint chaplains at other Scottish football clubs. Today, over 110 Scottish football clubs have chaplains and Mark has now begun to develop chaplaincy in other sports such as rugby, shinty and in gyms. Mark gained an MA in Sports Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care in 2016 and is also senior director and trainer with Positive Mental Health Scotland.

For chaplains, one of the key issues and points of ministry includes having a keen awareness of mental health issues that confront many within the context of sport, especially soccer. There is stigma attached into mental health issues and many in soccer don’t even realize that they are suffering or struggling with particular issues of mental health. In fact, there is a high degree of misnomer around the differences between mental health and mental illness, a point Mark highlighted,

We often get mixed up between mental health and mental illness. We all have mental health, but sometimes our mental health borders on having a mental illness, and that’s where we need help.

Mark Fleming, SCUK Scotland National Director

As well as identifying and speaking to the differences with mental health and mental illness, the presentation covered steps toward positive mental health. Each step and activity designed to reinforce and help a person build up a strong mentality — especially important in the difficult and turbulent times facing sports people and the world.

Mark has recently published a book, Confessions of a Football Chaplain.

Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of individual donors and church partners to help fund and resource our chaplain’s continuing education needs which enable us to continue to develop a high level of chaplaincy service across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue to subsidize training and education of our chaplains.

On the Road Again

February was a heavy travel month — as there is a preseason in sports, there is a preseason in sports chaplaincy as well.

Feb 7-8: Leoti, KS

To begin, a 400-mile road trip out to Leoti, KS for presbytery meetings. As an ordained minister in the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), it is important to work to attend a number of our quarterly meetings if at all possible. The added benefit for this trip was two fold: a) I got to spend an unexpected amount of time with our new chaplain in Memphis, Greg Aydt. His re-routed and re-directed flight put him into Denver and I had an extra seat. It was a God-thing to get the additional 4 hours on the drive to talk and work through some of the chaplaincy needs of the preseason. b) Soccer Chaplains United was able to have our new introductory video played at presbytery. The video highlights our chaplaincy, counseling and community work and many in attendance commented on the quality of the video and how it conveyed a new sense of the scope of work being done with Soccer Chaplains United.

Feb 19-21: Nashville, TN

I had the wonderful privilege of spending time with one of our newest chaplains, Rev Ryan Doyle. Ryan is getting started with providing chaplaincy for Christ Presbyterian Academy Boys Soccer for the upcoming spring season. We enjoyed a coffee and catch up in the historic Franklin downtown. We shared for a couple of hours on different ideas for the chaplaincy.

While in Nashville, I also got a chance to spend time with our Nashville SC chaplain, Billy Cerveny. We spent time together talking about the chaplaincy issues that will likely be faced this year as the team makes the transition from United Soccer League – Championship to Major League Soccer. Some Martin’s BBQ made for a full day as we also took in the announcement for Nashville’s new logo when they begin play in MLS.

Nashville SC new logo launch and reveal party

My trip also include some time spent with Nashville Head Coach Gary Smith and his family and an old friend, Pastor Don Diehl. Don was my youth pastor for a couple of years back in high school and early college. We were able to grab a quick breakfast and catch up with each other, before heading off to my final February destination.

Don and Diann Diehl, long time friends back to my high school days

Feb 21-26: Charlotte, NC

The longer part of my trip was to take part in the 3rd Summit on Global Sports Chaplaincy. Here, with leaders from around the globe, we worked through the continuing development of sports chaplaincy at a global level. How do we develop chaplaincy in developing countries? How do we equip and support chaplaincy leaders that lack resources? To what level do we try to formalize partnerships and relationships? These were some of the questions and tasks that everyone around the table worked to tackle.

Dr Steven Waller and I pose outside the Championship Conference Room at Joe Gibbs Racing Center where we had our meetings over a few days

For Soccer Chaplains United, the aims of this group is much broader than our own; however, the global nature of soccer and the relationships that God has afforded me to make over the years has meant that this is a significant conversation to continue to be involved in and contribute to.

I was excited, too, to learn that my hosts were connected to the most recent candidate to emerge for the Charlotte Independence vacancy. I had a dinner meeting with someone from the club during one of the nights where we had some time off from the meetings and then a breakfast the next day to meet with the candidate and speak more about what the chaplaincy with the team looks like.

All in all a full February and many ways in which I was able to see God’s faithfulness in so many ways. Thankful for the many miles travelled and the safety and provision of God.

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.

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