Dear HMI BC team mates,
Later in the month, I was so happy to be able to meet fellow HMI staff member Jeremy Martin and his wife Amy. Jeremy and Amy are involved with HMI in Ontario, and this was the first time I had the privilege to meet them. I was blessed to spend time with this fabulous couple…
In mid-February, I travelled down to Penticton to be a part of a Mission Emphasis Sunday at Bethel Church. Pastor Dave Funk and the church have been supportive of HMI BC for a long while, and I am grateful for their partnership in this ministry. Also in February, Lorraine and I took a few days to head to Vancouver to see a young hockey player who has been busy in rehab. Cody plays goal in Calgary for the Hitmen, and in January he was injured. Cody was a former Warrior in West Kelowna who attended my chapels, so when I heard about his injury I thought it would be good to go see him. Lorraine and I had a wonderful lunch with Cody and his mom Dana, and ended up having a prayer for him. I am so glad that we went to see him, and am also grateful to all of you who support this ministry, who make a trip (and trips) like this possible. We never know what the Lord has in store in people’s hearts and lives. I believe that my job is to ‘show up’ in their lives and simply be Jesus.
In late February, we held our 8th Annual West Kelowna Warriors Faith Night. This game night was probably the best that we have had. The arena was filled with Christian people from all kinds of church groups and traditions; we had the biggest crowd of the Warriors season. Between the choir singing the National Anthem, the interview video, the pastors on the ice throwing gifts into the crowd, to the welcome announcements for every church group in the city, it was an incredibly satisfying night. I am so grateful to the Warriors organization to put on such a ‘Faith forward’ event. Also, I was honoured to be invited to be a presenter on ice at the Annual Warriors Awards Ceremony. Among the awards I presented were the Chapel Program Award and the Humanitarian Award. Only the Lord can orchestrate these kinds of things!
As you might have heard, the West Kelowna Warriors hockey club, where I have served as chaplain for all 11 years of their existence, are for sale. If they move from West Kelowna, this will be very difficult for this city and personally for myself. Even though I continue serve the Kelowna Chiefs as well, the Warriors have been a significant portion of my chaplaincy ministry here in the Kelowna area. I am making a presentation to the West Kelowna City Council on Feb. 28th, to ask them to reverse a decision they made regarding the Warriors. At the same time, there will be a large Warriors rally outside City Hall. I am honoured as the chaplain to speak to City Council on behalf of the club and to have the opportunity to lead in this area. I pray for God’s wisdom and guidance.
In the next few months, I will have an opportunity to make presentations regarding chapels programs to both the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) and the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) Boards of Governors. It is always an honour to speak to a room full of largely secular people about the benefits of a Hockey Ministries chapel program. I am thankful for open doors, and I pray for wisdom and guidance from the Lord during these important presentations.
Prayer Points:
- Survival of the West Kelowna Warriors
- Presentation to the BCHL Governors
- Presentation to the KIJHL Governors
- Summer camp in Williams Lake
- Summer camp in Chilliwack
- Warriors and Chiefs New Testaments
- New chapel programs
- Summer hockey weddings
That’s it until next time, thanks for reading this update! May God bless you today!