“How can you tell it’s spring time?  Because we are in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that how!”  I trust that you are doing well these days, and perhaps even enjoying the playoff games….  Ministry has been a good stretch (as usual) during the last few months, so let me tell you what has been going on.

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The first part of March was incredibly emotional for all of the West Kelowna Warriors players, fans and staff as everyone waited to see if an investor would come forward with fairly ‘deep pockets’ to keep the team from leaving.  In the last 24 hours, that is exactly what happened, and when the ‘we are staying’ announcement was made, the celebration was unbelievable.  Lorraine and I didn’t know whether to dance, laugh or cry.  It was joy mixed with relief!  The first thing that I thought of was to be grateful.  The joy for me of course is that I will still be able to conduct chapels, and for that I am so very thankful to the Lord.  I believe that your prayers are working!

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During March, I was able hold a number of chapels for both the West Kelowna Warriors and the Kelowna Chiefs. (where I was honoured to present the guys a personalized New Testament)  As well, I was pleased to be a part of the Warriors game broadcast on quite a few occasions during the last part of the season, working with our play by play announcer Trevor Miller.  I also did some travelling around parts of the province in the last months and I was able to meet a few of the chaplains in the Kootenay region of the province.  Derek Smith is one of the chaplains that I spent some time with, and he serves the Kimberley Dynamiters Junior B club.  Derek is a great guy with a wonderful heart for the Lord.  My journey also enabled me to swing through Revelstoke, Invermere, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Creston, Nelson and Trail.  In Revelstoke, I had a great visit with the Grizzlies chaplain Josiah Olson and the Coach Ryan Parent.  I have also added a few pictures of some of the other chaplains I’ve met on a few other trips.  These include Michael Kleyn of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and Dave McCauley of the Merritt Centennials.  All of our chaplains are tremendous Christian men of faith;  I love these guys!

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I really do appreciate your prayers as I travel.  I have included a mountain pass picture from early April; the roads and the weather can be quite challenging and draining!  Thank you for praying.  When I was in Creston, I had the privilege of addressing the local junior hockey club, the Creston Valley ThunderCats.  I was invited into the dressing room before one of their games, and after saying a few encouraging words I was honoured to lead them all in prayer.  How awesome is that, to have prayer in the dressing room?

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In early-April, a big truck pulled by my house full of veteran Warriors players… what a joy that was!  I told them that we had to go for one last ‘J&J’, (Java and Jesus) so we all met at a coffee shop and had a great time chatting over coffee and finishing with a good prayer.  There is a good chance that our paths may not cross for a long time if ever, which leaves a hole in my heart…. but man, that was a special time!

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Let me also tell you about Sami Jordt.  Sami is one of the girls who has attended our HMI summer camp in Williams Lake for many years and who now plays Midget hockey on a boys team in Trail BC.  She was with her family in the Okanagan for a tournament and I thought I would watch one of her games.  I’m pretty proud of her, as she is one of very few females playing boys midget hockey.  Sami and her family have always been very encouraging to HMI ministry.

In late April, I was asked to be a part of two weekend spring hockey camps, with the Kelowna Chiefs and West Kelowna Warriors. This is a weekend where they begin selecting Midget age (15-16 yrs.) to attend their main training camp in August.  It was an honour to be introduced to the players and their parents by the GM and also by the Coach.  I had some parents approach me and have a chat about the chapel program, which I felt was very positive.

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Please keep praying as this ministry continues… it looks like I will be addressing the KIJHL and the BCHL Boards of Governors in the next month, so please be praying about that.  Also, I will attend the Western Canada Cup in Penticton in the first part of May, representing Hockey Ministries and being involved where possible.

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Thanks for your partnership in this gospel ministry, May the Lord bless you and your families.

• BCHL Board of Governors meetings
• KIJHL Board of Governors meetings
• Western Canada Cup in Penticton
• upcoming summer hockey camps
• for new chapel programs to develop
• safe travels this summer
• thankfulness that the Warriors are staying in WK

 Don Richmond

Hockey Ministries International

Pacific Region

Dear HMI BC team mates,

I am sure that I don’t have to tell you that we are living in days that test our faith in Christ; days to pray and to trust in the Lord for His direction!  Much is happening in this HMI BC ministry world that is far beyond my or anyone’s control. (Of course)  These can also be described as exciting ministry days!  So…. here is a brief rundown of what has been happening over the last while.

Early in January, I had the opportunity to hit the road with the Kelowna Chiefs Junior club. We travelled to play in Princeton, BC, which was a first for me.  I was so glad to be included in the trip and to be personally invited into the coaches room pre and post game.  Also in January, I made a trip to Trail to speak at Gateway Church.  The church there blessed me with open arms, and I am so very thankful.  Shortly after that, Lorraine and I travelled to speak at Calvary Church in Williams Lake.  Again, the pastor and people were wonderful and we felt their warmth and love.

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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…

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For a while now, I have been wanting to present personalized New Testaments to the Warriors and the Chiefs, with the team crest laser-engraved on the front cover along with players names and sweater numbers.  It was in February that I finally was able to complete this and present the players with their own New Testament.  I wrote a note in each one, and explained why my card was inserted in John 3:16.  Please join me in praying that these young men will be lead by the Holy Spirit and discover the love of Christ.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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And finally, as spring is almost here, my attention is starting to turn to the 8 weddings (most of them are hockey related) that I have scheduled for this summer, as well as our 2 HMI hockey camps.  Please be praying for all of these wonderful ministry opportunities.

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• 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

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That’s it until next time, thanks for reading this update!  May God bless you today!

Don Richmond

Hockey Ministries International

Pacific Region

Dear HMI BC team,

I trust that you all had a wonderful and fulfilling Christmas Season and New Year’s celebration!  Lorraine and I were quite busy over the holidays, travelling to Saskatchewan just before Christmas and then to Victoria on the 27th to be with our family on New Years.  The roads on the mountain passes were not always the best, but we trusted in the Lord and drove carefully!

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I have been home a bit more than usual in the last few months, which has been good.  There have been a few occasions when I did need to travel, such as a long drive up to northern BC (about 12 hours on the road!) to speak to a church group in Smithers on a Sunday morning, and also when I spoke at churches in Merritt and in Oliver.

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I am glad to see that the chapel program in 100 Mile House has started this fall, with new Chaplain Andrew Giesbrecht.  Please be praying for Andrew as he is in the initial formation of this new ministry.  I would ask you to pray for all the chapel programs that are running across the province, as young people are being exposed to the love and mercy of Jesus.

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In early November, I had an opportunity to participate in the Remembrance Day Ceremony as the chaplain of the West Kelowna Fire Department.  This is just one more opportunity to actively be a part of my community as a follower of Christ.  It was very meaningful to stand with other Firefighters and honour those who have fought for Canada in war.

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Later in November, a few Hockey Ministries people gathered in Chilliwack to put the finishing touches on a 3 year process of starting a new summer hockey camp.  This will be another camp in addition to the existing summer camp we have had going in Williams Lake.  The Chilliwack meeting was very exciting, and I believe that the Lord will do wonderful things through this new camp.  The committee was very focused on doing whatever it takes to see the camp succeed.

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Also, I recently had an opportunity to visit with Summerland Steam chaplain Rick Gay as well as the Merritt Centennials chaplain Dave McCauley.  Rick has done a great job in Summerland with the hockey club there and Dave has served the Centennials in Merritt forever. (almost, not quite…..)  Please be praying for these two as they continue to serve Jesus where they are called.  I also had a chance to have a short visit with two hockey buddies and chapel supporters Kolby Barnstable and Jayson Zilke, and their good friend James Reimer, a goaltender with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League.  It was great to meet James, who is a devoted disciple of Jesus.

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In December, I was in charge of an annual event around the West Kelowna Warriors hockey club – the 6th Annual Christmas Hamper Drive. WIth the help of the Warriors ownership and fans, we were able to put together 60 Christmas Hampers for needy families in West Kelowna.  It was so good to assemble the hampers with the team, to speak to them and lead them in prayer.  The Christmas Hamper Drive is an outreach of the Chaplaincy Program of the Warriors Hockey Club.  As well, in December I offered a personally digitally engraved copy of the New Testament to both the Kelowna Chiefs and the West Kelowna Warriors.  A good number signed up for them and so in January I will be distributing them.  I am excited about this opportunity to have the Gospel in the hands of these players and coaches.

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I am really looking forward with anticipation what the Lord has in store in 2017.  He is faithful, whether the road is level and relaxed or rocky, steep and difficult.

Again, I trust that your Christmas and New Years holiday was as meaningful and wonderful as Lorraine’s and mine was.

• -safe travels through the winter
• -New Testaments to the Warriors and Chiefs
• -new summer hockey camp in Chilliwack
• -new chapel program in 100 Mile House
• -the many chapel programs that are running this season
• -for the families who received Warriors Christmas Hampers

All for Jesus,

Don Richmond

Hockey Ministries International

Pacific Region

Happy summertime to the HMI Pacific team!

 You would think that in the first part of July, hockey would be completely shut down for at least a few months; but that is not the case.  Between physical workouts, summer hockey camp and traveling to see chaplains and coaches, hockey certainly doesn’t shut down.  It will be a bit quiet for a couple of days and then … bam!  It’s all systems go.

Here is what I have been up to since my last newsletter…

May and June have been a blur for me…. but I have felt the Lord’s presence with me wherever I have gone, just as the verse in Joshua 1 says.  As I mentioned in my March/April newsletter, the West Kelowna Warriors Jr. A club (one of the clubs where I serve as chaplain) went on a huge playoff run starting in the first week of March.  By the end of April they were still  going strong and had won the Interior Division of the BC Hockey League (BCHL) and later also won the 2016 BCHL Fred Page Cup as BCHL league champions.  This was no small feat, in that they were not ranked in the top 20 in Canada all year and had to defeat top ranked teams all along the way.  That was where the Warriors stood when I finished my last newsletter at the end of April.

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From the BCHL league championship they travelled to Estevan, SK to participate in the Western Canada Cup, and I was allowed to travel with them.  In Estevan as BCHL champions, they joined the Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba champions and also the host Estevan Bruins in tournament play.  It was here in Estevan that I held a 4th playoff chapel for the team and while there met up with HMI staff member John Bechtold and Briercrest Hockey Coach (and ex-HMI staff member) Jamie Ramer.  While in Estevan, our team hotel treated us absolutely terrific, and I discovered that the manager was a wonderful Christian lady!  I attended her church on Sunday morning.  The WCC was a tense time; an unreal tournament, with the mighty Warriors prevailing in the final and winning the 2016 Western Canada Cup championship. (WCC)

After the WCC, we spent a few days in Saskatoon, SK preparing for the final challenge of the year: the Royal Bank Cup (RBC) National Championship tournament in Lloydminster, AB, which began on May 8th.  I must say that Head Coach Rylan Ferster and the entire coaching staff was very good to me, allowing me to have free access to themselves and the players.

I was pleased to help the team out,  assisting in setting up the dressing room in just the right way for games and actually making two trips to Regina and one to Edmonton for players and coaches.  This RBC tournament featured the 5 remaining teams in Canada; Carleton Place (Ottawa) and Trenton Ontario, Brooks, Alberta, West Kelowna, BC and the host team from Lloydminster.  It was here that I held a 5th and final chapel of the playoffs, making a total of 15 Warriors chapels for the entire season.  What a week it was!  Rattling nerves and tension filled the arena, and on the final weekend, the Warriors were still in the hunt.  In one of the semi-finals on Saturday, the Warriors won 4-1 against Brooks which put them in the RBC championship final.  After Lloydminster won the other semi-final game against Trenton, the final was set for the next evening.  There were now just 2 teams left in Canada: the tournament host team Lloydminster Bobcats with their anticipated packed out home crowd against the West Kelowna Warriors.  The tension and pressure were almost crazy unbearable… !  You can’t believe how many people who wouldn’t ordinarily speak about God, asked for prayer that day!  The next evening the game was televised on TSN.  I didn’t sit down for a minute of that final game….. and when it was all over, West Kelowna was victorious by a 4-0 score, and were handed the Royal Bank Cup as the 2016 Canadian Junior A Champions!  The Warriors season was exhausting but worthwhile, lasting not only 58 regular season games, but also 35 playoff games for a total of 93 games played during the year!  The Warriors playoff run lasted two and a half months and we finished with the Triple Crown of Canadian Junior A Hockey…. the Fred Page BCHL Cup, the Western Canada Cup and the Royal Bank Cup National Championship Cup!  Wooo hooo!

We finally arrived back home very early in the morning on Tuesday May 24, twenty-seven days after we left for Estevan.  (I am so grateful for my wife Lorraine, who stood with me all the way and never once complained that I wasn’t home.)  Ready to meet us as we approached West Kelowna at 2:15 a.m. was an escort of four RCMP cars with lights flashing, leading us to our home arena where 150 fans were camped out!  The party really started then!  I am so thankful to the Lord and very honoured to be able to serve in this chaplaincy ministry, win or lose. I will be going into my 17th season as a chaplain, and this past year was the first time I was chaplain for a national championship club.  Believe me, it doesn’t come around very often!  I am also glad that I was able to have so many chapels and meaningful prayers with the players.  All those chapel prayers will not be lost or forgotten.

Coming home meant that I could take a few days off and recharge my batteries just a bit. (It actually took slightly longer that I thought it would…!) The very next weekend the Warriors held their 4th Annual Alumni weekend, and it was good to be with so many of the old Warriors there.

In the middle part of June, I took Lorraine, (I didn’t want to travel without her after my playoff marathon trip…!) and drove to Parksville on Vancouver Island and then on to Port Alberni.  In Port Alberni I met Michael Kleyn, who is now the new chaplain of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Jr. A club.  I also had a chance to meet with Ron Paulson, President of the Bulldogs and Kevin Willison, Head Coach.  They were very open to the chapel program.  Please be praying for Michael as he serves the Bulldogs this coming season.

We are now preparing for our 6th Annual Christian Hockey Camp in Williams Lake, which runs from July 17-22.  Please be praying about this camp ministry.  I will let you know how things go in my end of summer newsletter.  Also in the summer, my life is busy officiating at weddings.  These include many community weddings, as well as some hockey related ones.  I ask for your prayers for these wonderful opportunities to represent Jesus.

Finally, I would ask you to pray about the finances of this ministry, for myself personally and also for the two chapel programs that I run.  My costs are about $1000/season for chapels on each hockey club, the Warriors and also the Kelowna Jr. B Chiefs.  (although this year with 15 Warriors chapels, that number was more like $1500)  Additionally, I am also in need of personal donations to help my own salary finances through Hockey Ministries. If you know of anyone or feel that you could respond to this, please let me know.

Thank you for reading this rambling epistle today, I do trust that you have been encouraged by it.  You truly are a blessing and an encouragement to me.

• HMI Hockey Camp (Williams Lake – July 17-22)
• Many summer weddings
• For the new chaplain in Port Alberni
• For teams with new coaches
• For sponsorship of West Kelowna chapel program
• For sponsorship of Rutland chapel program
• For my own personal missionary support

All for Jesus,

Don Richmond

Hockey Ministries International

Pacific Region

I’m glad to be able to send you another quick update on the things that are going on in the HMI Pacific ministry world.  The first two month of 2016 have had some great adventures!  Here is a quick read of the latest……

In December, the BC Hockey League re-introduced their new and improved website, along with every team’s website in the league. While that is an awesome improvement, it had an impact on chaplaincy ministry with my team, the West Kelowna Warriors.  I have written a blog for a few years now called Chaplain’s Talk, and I was so pumped to be allowed to have it included on the Warriors website, but with the new website improvements from the league, Chaplain’s Talk no longer had a home.  I was a bit stumped, but the Lord wasn’t, for He is so very Faithful!  After a few conversations and prayers, Chaplain’s Talk is back on the Warriors website!  In fact, it is more visible that ever.  If you would like to check it out, just go to the website, http://www.westkelownawarriors.ca/ and you can find Chaplain’s Talk in a big box on the right hand column.  I am so thankful to the Lord for this improved opportunity to share my faith in Christ Jesus.

In late January, a Hockey Ministries supporter chatted with me and offered his Phoenix, AZ home to Lorraine and I, rent-free for 10 days!  What a wonderfully generous offer that was!  Well, it didn’t take a whole lot of convincing us, so on January 20 we flew to Phoenix. We had such a great time, touring not only the Phoenix area but up north to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.  I was able to visit a former Warriors player who regularly came to chapel, and who now plays for the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey club.  I attended his game and was able to have a good chat with him afterwards.

Lorraine and I connected with some good friends in Surprise AZ, who kindly took us to an Arizona Coyotes NHL game in Glendale.  One morning we had great brunch with Brent and Carly Gough and their little boy Greysin.  Brent is a former Assistant Coach of the West Kelowna Warriors who now runs a hockey program in Scottsdale.  We came home very refreshed, with fabulous memories of wonderful friends, beautiful desert walks, breathtaking mountains and much more.

I serve as the Chaplain of the Kelowna Chiefs Junior hockey club as well as the West Kelowna Warriors.  When I arrived home from Phoenix, I was able to go on a short road trip with the team when they played the 100 Mile House Wranglers. I love hockey road trips!  They are such an opportunity to connect with coaches, staff and players.  I am thankful to Chiefs Coaches Jason Tansem and Lenny Rampone for allowing me to be a part of that trip.

In early February, Lorraine and I planned and hosted a Warriors Coaches & leadership dinner at a local restaurant.  The event was well attended that night, attended by the team owner and his wife, the head coach and his girlfriend, the assistant coach and his wife, the director of business operations and his wife, the athletic therapist and his wife, the team photographer, and more.  We had a fabulous evening that night!  I truly feel that these are the kinds of things that I am called to do, to be an integral part of my hockey people’s real lives; to do far more than showing up at the arena for chapel time and then disappearing.  A huge part of chaplaincy is to build trusted relationships with people that we are showing Christ’s love to.

On February 19 in West Kelowna, we held our 7th Annual Warriors Faith Night. This home game night is a perfect time to celebrate the chapel program, as well as honour the Lord and the local Christian community.  The arena was filled with Christian people from around the area and the atmosphere that evening was absolutely electric.  Pastors from around the area were on the ice for a short game of boot hockey, three pastors sang the National Anthem, and then later we tossed prizes out into the crowd from the back of a pick-up truck!  This year’s Faith Night was one of the best ever!  That night carried with it the ‘aroma of Christ’. (2 Corinthians 2:15)

Late in February we held our annual Warriors Post -Game Awards Ceremony, where I was asked to present 2 Awards, the Humanitarian and the Chapel Program Award.  OF course, this is a huge honour to be included in such a meaningful post-game ceremony.

Finally, I am including a few pictures as I visit some of the HMI chaplains around BC as well as faithful people who consistently help me out along the way. In one picture you’ll see our Langley chaplain Jordan Bateman with UBC Thunderbirds chaplain Simon Gau and in another, the Trail chaplain Bruce Taylor with the Smoke Eaters Goaltender Bailey MacBurnie.  Also I am including a picture of long time friends and HMI Pacific supporters Mike and Sheila Davis from Trail.

To all you good people who throw your support in many ways behind this ministry…. thanks so very much for your prayers, your love and your giving.

All for Jesus,

Don Richmond

Hockey Ministries International

Pacific Region