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Team CCPC Takes on Team Iglesia Maranatha; Both Win

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Last October, partner church Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (CCPC) made their way to Juárez, Mexico for the 28th time in a nearly 34-year history. Every year, CCPC goes down seeking to make an impact in a neighborhood just a stone’s throw away from the boarder, with the University of Texas – El Paso’s college buildings in plain sight.

La Iglesia Maranatha and Pastor Jorge Mata has been serving in the Felipe Ángeles neighborhood for those many, many years. One of the annual traditions for the family mission trip of CCPC is to play a “friendly” soccer (fútbol) match prior to the week’s worth of work on a Sunday in a local park. This trip was no different as team members, Jared and Mea Kelso, write about their experience:

Lots of kids are kicking around soccer balls in Juarez, Mexico, thanks to the generosity of Soccer Chaplains United! This fall, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (CCPC) returned to Juarez, Mexico to visit Iglesia Maranatha. CCPC has a 20+ year relationship with Iglesia Maranatha. Iglesia Maranath serves the inner-city community of Juarez, and it has been faithfully led by Pastor Jorge for 40 years. The mission trip included leading a VBS program during the afternoon for local school children and repainting the church during the mornings, as well as encouraging and catching up with old friends.

On our first Sunday, we attended Church and held a picnic at one of the local parks. All of the Church members were there, and almost everyone played in a pick-up soccer game! Soccer Chaplains United’s donation of gear allowed us to hand out new jerseys to the church members that were put to good use in a vigorous match in the park. It was so much fun to watch our groups begin to bond as they played for over an hour!

While we didn’t have a chance to hand out jerseys to the kids, we were able to donate the jerseys to Iglesia Maranatha. Part of their outreach to the city includes a thrift shop that Ms. Marta, Pastor Jorge’s wife, runs alongside her dental clinic. Donating these jerseys gives the Church an opportunity to sell high-quality clothes and put more money towards their facility fees and encourage Pastor Jorge and his family. The jerseys also allow the customer a chance to own something that’s uniquely theirs!

Thank you Soccer Chaplains United for your continued support of Cherry Creek Pres’ ministry, and the chance to donate this gear to Iglesia Maranatha!

Jared and Mea Kelso, team members for Juárez mission trip 2022

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!

Cherry Creek Jaunts to Juárez, Mexico for 28th Time

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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!

Juggling Juárez — Cherry Creek Presbyterian Returns from Week-long Mission

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“It’s a good tired” I shared with a friend who asked about the recent family mission trip to Juárez, Mexico. Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, one of the sponsoring churches of Soccer Chaplains United, and the church where my family and I worship and are members, completed what is thought to be the 30th year of ministry and mission with Pastor Jorge Mata and his church, Iglesia Maranatha Presbiteriana. The church, just a stone’s throw across the US border, has endured many struggles during the COVID pandemic — spiritually, emotionally, economically, and more.

The family mission trip involves a week-long stay on the church grounds and various work projects and Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs for the neighborhood children, some of whom are extremely poor. This year’s team of 18 adults and youth, spent time working, serving, and worshipping with the church — something which was not able to happen in 2020 due to the state of the global pandemic and the closing of the US/Mexico border.

On Sunday, church members play fútbol with team members at a local park.

The border still remains closed today for “non-essential” travel. This has greatly impacted many of the church members and the neighborhood, as many of the women worked in El Paso cleaning homes and doing other work on a daily and semi-regular way. The economic impact has been severely felt amongst many of the families living in the neighborhood area of the church — and so, the visit of Cherry Creek after last year’s absence, has brought much encouragement to the church members and to Pastor Jorge. He shared the day after our departure:

Hoping that your return trip has been good and that you are all already resting. Yesterday and today we were working a little, trying to finish the projects. The Church is very lively, you coming did us a lot of good. Our Lord bless you, and again thank you very much!!

Pastor Jorge Mata

In addition to sharing some of the soccer gear through Soccer Chaplains United, the team also took the VBS program and soccer gear to an orphanage in Juárez where several Mexican and immigrant children were living. In spite of a short time, the children at the orphanage quickly warmed to the team and appreciated the special day with the visit which included songs and skits in Spanish and later, the orphanage directors handing out the special jerseys to the children.

Handing out soccer jerseys to the children of Juárez.
Boys play soccer on the concrete courtyard between the church and community building sporting brand new Colorado Rapids jerseys.

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!

Jerseys in Juarez

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Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church’s 2019 mission trip to Juarez was a strengthening, encouraging and fun-filled time of ministry. Jacob Smith, a team member reports back on the trip:

The first full day we were there, we went to the park where we spent the afternoon playing a fantastic soccer game with the local people. During the game, we passed out the jerseys and some soccer balls that were generously donated to us through Soccer Chaplains United’s Community Project program.

It wasn’t just the kids that rushed forward to have a jersey, but the men and women were thrilled to have one too.

Jacob Smith, Mission Team Member to Juarez

The jerseys and gear helped us bond with the local people and church over the common sport of soccer. It was a wonderful beginning to our week of ministry together. Thank you!!

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 to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!

CCPC to Visit Friends at Iglesia Maranatha

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Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, one of the partner churches for Soccer Chaplains United, is headed out to Juarez, Mexico. The church has been serving and working together with Iglesia Maranatha for many years and this annual trip has become a traditional outreach for families to go and serve others. Cherry Creek’s request will be the 9th community project of 2019 that is sponsored by Soccer Chaplains United.

One of this year’s team members, Jacob Smith, shares what the experience is like and what he and other members of the team are looking forward to:

The team of Juarez 2019 consists of more than twenty-five people, some of which are included in families, others that are traveling to Juarez without their related family but are still traveling with their church family. The leader of the team (Parker Dragovich) has been going to this small church, in Juarez for more than twenty-five years, she has a strong relationship with many people there, and because of this, our giant church in Cherry Creek, USA has a great relationship with the small local church in Juarez, Mexico.

The mission starts about month before we actually leave for the trip, with a full team meeting in witch we discuss a typical day during the trip, jobs, packing list, and what goals we hope to accomplish while there.

This year, the CCPC Juarez team has requested 5 soccer balls and 40-50 t-shirts or jerseys and soccer ball pumps. Below is a picture of what Soccer Chaplains United is able to provide.

Soccer Chaplains United is able to provide nearly 300 soccer t-shirts and 7 new soccer balls

We leave for the trip on Saturday morning at 4:00 am, we drive for about 10-12 hours until we reach El Paso, Texas and have dinner. We then drive for about half an hour, across the border to Iglesia Maranatha the local church and compound we will be staying in for the week. Upon reaching the church, our team unloads the baggage and finds the rooms we will be staying in, and by rooms I mean a concrete roof , floor, and walls, with no doors. There are no furnishings beside ply wood bunks that threaten to collapse when you put any weight on them. After we find our rooms, we have a meeting with the pastor and his family, and then go to bed.

Pictures from 2017 — CCPC shares jerseys down in Juarez before a local game of soccer

The next day, our team, and many of the people in the congregation, carpool to go to the nearby park where we have an competitive soccer game with the local people and enjoy a delicious lunch. This is the time when everybody grows in community with one another and launches a great start to a great week.

Please pray for Jacob Smith and the rest of the 2019 Juarez Mission Team from Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church while they work and serve with the church at Iglesia Maranatha.

Thirty Year Relationship Still Going Strong

Ministry partner, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (CCPC), partnered with La Iglesia Maranatha in Juarez, Mexico thirty years ago.

Katherine Plank, Cherry Creek Pres. team member, shares with Soccer Chaplains United what a typical mission trip to Juarez is like.  We will drive from the Denver-Metro area and spend six days living at the church compound. Although this is a short-term mission trip, we always accomplish as much as we possibly can!

In the past years I have attended, our main focus was to host a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the community. At VBS, we play games, sing songs, dance, read bible stories and craft. We also offer crafts to engage the parents who stay with their children during VBS!

Another objective of our time at La Iglesia Maranatha is to build homes for church or community members.  We repair houses and buildings on the church’s compound and we have helped repaint many buildings around the property. Any small fixes with maintenance such as damaged pipes or drywall is attended to our by team as well. Most years when we go there, we even build fun things for the kids! In the past, we have assembled a basketball hoop and trampoline and re-built their playground and soccer goals.

When we go to Juarez, my favorite day is always Sunday! We like to get involved with the church services that take place during our stay. Sometimes we sing a song, pray, or share a sermon with the congregation. After church, the congregation goes to a nearby park and we enjoy a delicious picnic. Following the picnic, nearly everyone plays a huge soccer game together. Before the game begins though, we pull out the jerseys we brought for our Juarez friends. Everyone gets so excited and immediately puts them on! We play until we are all exhausted and our jerseys are soaked with sweat. The kids continue to wear their new jerseys for the rest of the week, every day at Vacation Bible School!

Although our week spent in Juarez is jam-packed, we still find time to play soccer. Soccer removes all language barriers and provides a way for us to come together through a common love, and A LOT of laughing.

Remember, when you support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help projects and requests like this one for Juarez. 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 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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Timothy Project: Cherry Hills Christian Middle School Juarez Update

Timothy Project: Cherry Hills Christian Middle School (CHCMS) returned to Juarez, Mexico after several years away.  This trip of 24 middle school students and a handful of teachers and parent chaperones marked the return to serving the impoverished and orphaned in Juarez, a city on the Mexico side of the border.  The team’s week of serving proved not only to be safe and free of violence but full of great rewards few expected.

The team’s primary objective while at Arbol de Vida was to pull out dead and damaged trees in the orchards and replace them with healthy saplings.  When the students were not honing their arborist skills, they were bonding with the orphans who live there.  A highlight of their time with the children was the giving of the soccer gear donated by Soccer Chaplains United.

Isabella Carpinelli, an eighth grader from CHCMS, said,

The kids were overjoyed to see everything. Right away they ran out onto the field with their new soccer gear and played for hours on end.

Soccer Chaplains United sent with the team a few dozen complete sets of soccer gear.  With their new cleats, soccer jersey, and shorts the kids from Arbol De Vida experienced Christmas-like joy.  The gratification did not end with the children, it rippled through the Cherry Hills Christian students and even into the adults. Todd Burmeister shared,

As a supporter of Soccer Chaplains United, I was excited to see how the Timothy Project works in its entirety. It is one thing to organize and donate gear here (in Denver), but quite another to see the joy and excitement in the children’s faces when they receive it. I now know firsthand what a blessing the Timothy Project is.

Todd Burmeister has been a supporter of Soccer Chaplains United and a parent of a Cherry Hills Christian Middle School student.

Since returning from their trip, the students have begun plans to continue to grow the relationships they started while in Mexico.  Several of the students hope to return to Arbol De Vida as well as support the children with gifts and cards of encouragement.

To support Timothy Project: Middle School Returns to Juarez, Mexico or future Timothy Project ventures 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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Timothy Project: CCPC Juarez 2017 Final Update

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Timothy Project: Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, Juarez 2017.  Soccer Chaplains United has a strong commitment to support ministry partners.  Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church of  Englewood, Colorado is a ministry partner so great efforts went into providing a robust Timothy Project donation when they requested it for their recent trip to Juarez, Mexico.

These reflections capture Emily Smith’s experience of her time on the trip:  Timothy Project generously donated many soccer-related items for our team of 35 from Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church to take with us on our recent mission trip to Juarez, Mexico.  Our church has been taking teams down to Juarez for nearly thirty years and it was a blessing to be a part of this year’s team.  So much of what we are doing while there is to support and encourage the local church with which we partner.

We strive to draw in as many people from the community as possible.  Soccer and games are instrumental in that effort.  Sharing the Timothy Project donations with the local church and community during a long and lively game of soccer at the city park one of the days we were there was such a delight.  We divided the shirts and jerseys between the two teams of players and continued on with our game, enjoying it all the more because of the gifts. Chaplain Brad Kenney, director of Soccer Chaplains United and a team member for Juarez shared,

 

It’s always amazing to me how a round ball can break down so many barriers – age, gender, culture, language – we were all able to play and share in a fun game of soccer with people from the church.  Shouts of ‘aqui’ or ‘tranquilo’ throughout the game made our time memorable.

Later in the week, a particularly special blessing for us was getting to hear the church leaders tell us about the first mission trip they took as a church last year into Mexico City and surrounding impoverished areas.  After many years of receiving the love and encouragement of our church’s mission to them, they were inspired to do the same and go out and support a church in their own country on a mission trip.  We gathered together one night for them to show us a slideshow of pictures from their trip and to hear more about how they were impacted by it.  We surprised them at the end of that evening with more Timothy Project gifts, but these were for them to give on their next mission trip. Parker Dragovich, team lead for this year’s trip, shared about the church,

We have been in partnership with La Iglesia Maranatha for almost 30 years, and the Timothy Project has been a wonderful addition the past several years.  What made this particularly special is that the Timothy Project not only provided us with supplies for our trip but also supplies for the Juarez church to take on their own mission trip to southern Mexico next summer.

 

Sharing soccer jerseys and gear with them during our fun day at the park was sweet but how much sweeter it was to give them a gift that they could pass along.  The truth that it is better to give than to receive was written all over their faces as they teared up with joy from the blessing they would be able to pass on to others.  Thank you, Timothy Project, for your generosity and work in stewarding gifts and allowing us to use those gifts to bless others.

To support future Timothy Project ventures such as this one to Juarez, Mexico please donate through PushPay — simply select Timothy Project from the selectable funds to contribute to. Your financial gift helps us purchase new equipment, sponsor a missionary 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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Timothy Project Donations – How the Gear Gets From Here to There

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Long before Soccer Chaplains United begins to pull gear for a trip, many things are happening to plant the seeds that will grow into a bounty of blessings in a far-off land.

When a church partner or organization is in the planning stages of a mission trip they first determine if taking along soccer gear will fit into their trip goals. If so, the group then decides if they have packing space to travel with the gear and do they have a place or group of people to whom the gear will be given.

The group will then come to Soccer Chaplains United’s website and fill out a form formally requesting gear. In the form, they share details about their trip, which gear they’d like and how much they’re able to take. Once approved Soccer Chaplains United sets to work preparing for the give. Often times Soccer Chaplains United purchases new equipment due to the fact that not all items requested are donated, such as soccer balls or soccer nets.

Soccer Chaplains United will prepare in advance by gathering all the requested supplies to be delivered to the group’s Packing Party. At the Packing Party, a Soccer Chaplains United team member will formally present the gear with a talk and a prayer.

Soccer Chaplain United’s latest award was to church partner Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church for their annual trip down to Juarez, Mexico.

Reverend Brad Kenney presented the donations, which included coolers, jerseys, soccer balls, water bottles, cleats, socks, and t-shirts. He shared from where it all came and the spirit in which it was given to Soccer Chaplains United. He talked about the privilege it is for the Timothy Project to be involved in reaching the people of Juarez with these gifts.

As the Denver Community Coordinator, I was able to be in attendance and because Rev Kenney was going on the trip, he asked me to pray for the team, the trip, and the donations. This was a neat opportunity for me and is part of of what we value doing at Soccer Chaplains United — not just giving away gear, but blessing the people and groups who will give it and those who will receive it. My prayer over the team went something like this:

Father God, we praise You for this opportunity that this team of families from Cherry Creek Presbyterian Churchs has to travel to Juarez to work alongside the community and to bless them with this soccer gear that is before us.  Lord, we pray for strength and unity within the Cherry Creek Presbyterian team that they are able to represent the Body of Christ well.  We thank you for the gift of this soccer gear, let it be a blessing to all those who receive it in Juarez.

To support future Timothy Project ventures such as this one to Juarez, Mexico please donate through PushPay — simply select Timothy Project from the selectable funds to contribute to. Your financial gift helps us purchase new equipment, sponsor a missionary 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!

#TPT

 

Timothy Project – Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church Juarez 2017

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Soccer Chaplains United’s Timothy Project is pleased to once again supply Colorado Rapids soccer donations to ministry partner, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church as a team of 30 plans to cross the US/Mexico border into Juarez.  Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church has been working closely with the community in Juarez for several years and it is always a joy to partner with them when a team goes down each year.

As the years pass and teams continue to go travel to Juarez, relationships with the local residents continue to grow, continue to deepen.  Soccer is an integral reason for this.  Pick up soccer games are common morning, noon and evening and all are welcome to play, regardless ability and skill.  The Timothy Project has helped to build the bridge between Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church members and the people of Juarez.  Timothy Project gear opens the door for soccer to be played.

This year the team will consist of several families, many of whom have young children.  Most of these children have not experienced a cross-cultural opportunity that this trip will afford.  One young participant, Jacob Smith, shares his excitement as the travel date nears.

“My name is Jacob Smith. I am 11 years old and am headed to Juarez, Mexico with 30 other people from my church. This is my first mission trip. We are going to a small church to help them run a VBS program for their community and help with work projects such as building houses. I love soccer and have been playing since I was three years old. I am looking forward to reaching kids in Mexico by playing soccer with them. I can’t wait to make new friends and share soccer gifts from the Timothy Project with them. Thank you so much for supporting our trip and sharing with the kids in Juarez.”

Though the team asked for minimal donations, due to the extreme generosity of the Colorado Rapids supplying Soccer Chaplains United, through the Timothy Project, is able to send far more than they requested.  These pictures show the gathering of the gear that will travel with the team into Juarez.

To support future Timothy Project ventures such as this one to Juarez, Mexico please donate through PushPay — simply select Timothy Project from the selectable funds to contribute to. Your financial gift helps us purchase new equipment, sponsor a missionary 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!

#TPT

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