I pray that you are doing well; keeping safe and staying encouraged at the same time. The key to finding our way through these very strange days is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ. There are so many challenging and seemingly discouraging waves around us, and I know of no one who can calm our fears and anxieties, who can be our Rock and Foundation in these times, other than Christ Jesus.
HMIBC
This year will be a stay at home Christmas for Lorraine and me. We will not be seeing our entire family as we would like, but we will do the next best thing and connect online. While this is definitely not our preference, it provides a great opportunity to find the strength we need in Christ to encourage and be a shining light to others.
HMIBC
2020 Christmas Hamper Drive
The challenges this Christmas in our communities are great, with increased numbers of people struggling spiritually, financially, emotionally and socially. There is no shortage of need. Let me tell you a positive story! It is about our West Kelowna Warriors Christmas Hamper Drive. This is the 10th year for the Hamper Drive and while we wondered if it would even happen this year, the good news is that it is! Most years we pack 50 hampers for needy families, but this year we are at 120 hampers! I am honoured to have the Warriors hockey club team up with the chaplaincy program for such a great community outreach! I am also thankful to West Kelowna Tim Horton’s for stepping up in their support. We are doing everything distanced and masked, and while it’s a bit cumbersome, it is certainly worthwhile and rewarding.
HMIBC
I recently read in my Christmas devotions that when Mary said yes to the angel in Luke 1, she had no idea what the journey ahead would be like. The lesson was this: saying yes to Jesus means saying yes to a life of faith. He knows the path, we simply follow Him. May Mary’s words ring true in our hearts today: “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.”
HMIBC
May you have a wonderful and meaningful Christmas, and please know that we are thankful for you.
Hello out there, it’s another edition of Hockey Ministries in BC!
It is such an incredible privilege to minister in the hockey world, especially during 2020. I am keenly aware of the favour that the Lord has given me… to be able to safely and carefully minister to young junior players, as well as coaches and other staff. I have already had a number of really good chapels, which I sincerely believe is largely to do with the pressures of Covid. It honestly seems like the players are listening and engaging more intently. There are certainly additional challenges these days, such as access to arenas, Covid friendly ways to bring food into the chapels, no fans at games, etc, but… with God, nothing is impossible. As I told my guys at chapel very recently, “If it’s important, we’ll find a way. If it’s not, we’ll find an excuse.”
I have a miracle to tell you about! Each year, I hold an annual Christmas Hamper Night with the West Kelowna Warriors. For the past 9 years, through the chapel program we have supplied 50 to 60 Christmas hampers to needy families in our city. This year was looking like a big problem, because my fundraising for this always occurred at a Warriors home game but this year Covid restrictions dictate that there are no fans allowed in the arena. I prayed and asked the Lord to intervene. I was directed to our local Tim Horton’s and when I sat and explained the situation to the owner, before my coffee was cold I had a cheque for the entire amount in my hand! Thank you Lord, how’s that for an up-to-date miracle? God is Faithful!
HMIBC
Warriors wedding
Now to explain some of the pictures: In early September I ran into Max and Monique French. Max was the Captain of the Warriors a few years ago in 2012 & 13, and a great supporter of the chapel program. He has gone on to a good long pro career in Europe. The wonderful part of this story is that just last year I was honoured to officiate at Max and Monique’s wedding. I feel that this is another example of God’s using chaplaincy to bring guidance to young hockey players. Also in September, I had the opportunity to officiate my first heli-wedding! We all masked up for the chopper flight and held the ceremony on a mountain top. I was also thrilled to officiate another September wedding (socially distanced of course) of some long time, hard core fans of the Warriors…. so much so that the ring bearer was the Warriors mascot, the General! Finally, I spend a great September morning with the Warriors Coaches having breakfast by the lake. These times are very important, because it takes things like this to build trust and relationship which are the currency of chaplaincy.
Warriors Coaches breakfast
I am pleased to let you know that we are very close to re-starting chapel programs in Surrey with the Jr A Eagles and also in Langley with the Jr A Rivermen. I would ask you to please remember these chapel programs in your prayers. Also, if you could remember all the chapel programs in the province, as each chaplain negotiates Covid challenges. And when you are praying, could you remember young Brayden, a Junior age hockey player who is battling leukemia, and Gavin, a 10 year old player who is also battling cancer. I believe in the power of God and in the power of prayer.
Even in these difficult days, God is doing and will do great things!
Here we are, at the end of our 2020 summer! While this year has been so very different, I am viewing it as a time to stretch in faith and to trust God in what He has in the future. God will make a way!
HMIBC
This summer I am grateful for the ministry contacts that I have been able to continue with. I have tried to connect with as many hockey people as possible. One of these was a beach coffee with last year’s Kelowna Chiefs captain, Myles Mattila. Myles is an awesome young man, and I am glad to be able to be able to spend time chatting with him and always ending our times with prayer. Another summer coffee was with former coaches Brandon West and Rylan Ferster. It is amazing to stand together downtown by the Delta Grand Hotel and lead these guys in prayer. I am convinced more than ever that the Lord is working even when we can’t see anything on the outside. I am so grateful that through this COVID year, I can meet (and physically distance) with hockey people, listening and pointing them to Jesus. In the same vein, it was wonderful to connect with Warriors broadcaster Chase Johnston and also with Kelowna Rockets former staff member Andrew Deans is this way.
HMIBC
Former Coaches Rylan Ferster and Brandon West
I am very thankful for the 2 HMI summer hockey camps that ran in BC this year. It was a miracle that they happened at all! We were very careful to modify the camps to follow our BC Health Authority guidelines. Some of our modifications were: no overnight campers in dorms, no served meals (campers brought their own lunches and snacks), campers arriving at 8:30a and leaving at 3:30p, physical distancing during lunchtime chapels, limits of people allowed on the ice, distancing during practice drills, etc. All in all, we had 2 wonderful camps, with young players enjoying learning on the ice and also hearing the gospel every day.
HMIBC
Summer J & J with Chase Johnston
As September rolls in, hockey training camps are starting. The challenges for coaches, owners and staff here are very significant, and the stress is evident. There are distancing issues, there is the fact that teams can’t have fans in the arenas, there are young talented players that may not have an opportunity to move on to American colleges, or American players that can’t come to play in Canada. (Believe me, the list goes on and on…..) In all of this, I pray that our chaplains can be a support in the middle of stressful times for coaches, players and parents. In the middle of all this, we plan on conducting physically distanced chapels according to COVID guidelines.
HMIBC
Summer J&J with Andrew Deans
Thank you so very much for being supportive, prayerful and understanding during this time. We are all asking the Lord to show us the way as we walk by faith. These are days of faith and trust!
HMIBC
Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
To the HMI BC family,
It’s been a long time (over 3 1/2 months) since we’ve watched or seen live hockey…. for me, that’s too long! Even as some Covid 19 restrictions are slowly being lifted, we are still not sure if we’ll see NHL playoffs begin this summer. (A completely weird concept to me….) Through it all, I am determined to be grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had to spend time with hockey people; to minister to and encourage them.
J&J with my good pal Dickson Muriithi
During the last number of months of isolation and physical distancing, it’s been very good to connect with Hockey Ministries staff all over North America via regular Zoom video calls. We have been able to share stories and pray together which has been wonderful. Also, while Covid has certainly made it more challenging, I’ve been able to connect with a number of people in the hockey world. One of my favourite ways to connect is J&J times (Jesus and Java) in the park. These have been a real blessing and again, I am thankful to the Lord for them. Just recently I was able to connect this way with the West Kelowna Warriors club President Chris Laurie. It’s great ending with a prayer after coffee and a good chat. (I always want to include the Jesus part as well as the Java part….!) A few days after my visit with Chris, I was able to also J&J with my Christian brother Dickson Muriithi. Dickson is a great friend, a wonderful prayer warrior and is also a great encouragement as part of the HMI BC team.
With former Vernon Viper Mike Ullrich
A few weeks ago I happened to run into Mike Ullrich, a junior player that billeted with Lorraine and I way back in 2005 in Vernon. Mike played for the Vipers Jr A club when I was their chaplain way back then. It was so wonderful to see him again; it was unreal when he saw me and called out my name..! All I heard was “Hey Don? It’s Mike Ullrich!!” How awesome is that? Mike got married a year ago and lives in Calgary. He loves the Lord and continues to walk with Him.
With Warriors Captain Jake Harrison
A mere week or so ago I had the honour of having J&J with the 2019 Warriors Captain, Jake Harrison. Jake has been a great chapel supporter over his 4 years with the Warriors. He is headed this fall to the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he will attend school and play for the UNO Mavericks hockey club.
Planning for summer hockey camps has been especially difficult this year. Considering the physical nature of the sport and the social distancing that is our new reality at present, we have had to drastically modify our summer camps. As I write this, I am confident that there will be a scaled-back day camp in Williams Lake in mid-July, but I’m not as certain about the Shawnigan Lake camp in August. We will be honouring the mandate of our BC Health Authority as we are determined to conduct our Hockey Ministries camps properly. Please be praying as we still desire to have the best experience possible for the campers, both on the ice and at chapel times.
Spending time with my girl
Finally: with hockey ending on March 12, my schedule and my life in general has certainly changed. One of the beautiful benefits of this is that I have been able to spend a bit more time with Lorraine. She has been a constant source of encouragement and joy to me. I am so glad that she loves the Lord and has a solid faith in Jesus. Time spent with Lorraine is always a wonderful gift.
Thanks to all of you for sticking with me, through thick and thin. I look forward to future times when I’ll be able to head back to the rink without having to physically avoid everybody…. But until then, I will keep looking up to the Lord, for that is where my strength comes from.
Waiting for the quiet arena to get noisy again,
Don Richmond
Hockey Ministries International
Pacific Region
It’s a great time to be a hockey follower, because… it’s just about playoff time! However, it’s also always a great time to be a Jesus follower, because of His life-changing message of love to people everywhere. I want to thank you for being a part of hockey ministries here in BC, whether you are an avid hockey fan or not; or simply because you are committed to the message of the gospel.
With Kimberley chaplain Jeremy Friesen
This past few months have seen many adventures, such as my January trip to Trail. The weather and the snowy roads made travelling difficult, and I am thankful to the Lord for guiding me safely along hundreds of kilometers of winter highways. I am also thankful for the many chaplains and chapel programs that are operating in BC, and I ask you to remember these wonderful chaplains in your prayers. However, there are many teams who do not have chapel programs operating, and I’m trusting the Lord to open the doors for these clubs as well.
With Cowichan chaplain Kevin VanderVeen
I will be travelling somewhat during the upcoming playoff season, and I would appreciate your continued prayers for the people I’ll meet and the conversations I’ll have. I pray for open hearts and minds, that the Spirit will go ahead of me to prepare people for meaningful chats. Road trip wise, it looks like I will be in 100 Mile House for the British Columbia Jr B Championships (April) and also in Portage, Manitoba for the last half of the Centennial Cup Canadian Jr A Championships in May.
With Cowichan Capital Austin Chorney
Along my recent travels, I’ve met with the Salmon Arm chaplain Kyle Reddemann, Kimberley chaplain Jeremy Friesen and Cowichan Valley (Duncan, BC) chaplain Kevin VanderVeen. When the Cowichan Valley Capitals came through Kelowna, it was so good to see former Warrior and chapel attender Austin Chorney. These kinds of meetings are special, because of all the wonderful chapel times and friendships that we have shared in the past. Also, when the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League came to Kelowna to play the Rockets, I was watching the warm up at ice level before the game when the Victoria goaltender banged on the glass and startled me… (he laughed!) It was Shane Farkas! Shane was in my chapels in West Kelowna and it was so good to see him and chat with him that day.
With Victoria goaltender Shane Farkas
In early February, we held our 11th Annual West Kelowna Warriors Faith Night. What a fantastic event! We had a huge crowd come out for the game, and the entire night turned out to be absolutely wonderful. Local pastors were involved constantly during the entire game, and I am grateful that the Christian community here is so supportive. What a wonderful celebration of the chapel program and the Christian faith community.
11th Annual Faith Night
I was so honoured in the past few weeks to distribute bibles to the Warriors and Chiefs players here in Kelowna. These bibles are laser imprinted with the team logo and each players name and number. (They are really sharp…) I would ask you to pray as the players read my personal note inside each bible and also that the Lord would speak to these young hearts. Also, I recently had a chance to have a wonderful J&J time (coffee and prayer) with a couple of 20 year old players as they decided to ‘hang up their skates’ for the last time. Lucas Cullen and Spencer Hora are wonderful young men, and I was privileged to have them in my chapels for a number of years. I will continue to keep in touch with these young men, as they have their entire lives ahead of them.
J&J time with Lucas Cullen and Spencer Hora
Finally, Lorraine and I had the opportunity just a week ago to travel up to Vernon on a Sunday, where I spoke at Alexis Park Church. This is the church where I pastored from 2000 until 2006. I admit, it was slightly strange standing behind the podium of that church after so many years. I am thankful for the opportunity to share with the church there.
Thanks for spending your valuable time reading my latest news, and may the Lord bless you. I should be going now, as I have somebody waiting at the arena for me….
All for Jesus,
Don Richmond
Hockey Ministries International
Pacific Region
Speaking at Alexis Park Church
Prayer Points:
-for 40+ BC chapel programs
-for teams without chapels
-for playoff chapels
-for my playoff travels
-for bible recipients
-for open hearts and minds
-for new donors
News from the crazy world of hockey ministry here in BC
