Bruins Chapels Start Today

There are a lot of changes with the Chilliwack Bruins this year. With a new coaching staff and many new players, it has been educational for me to see the changes being rolled out.

I am very fortunate and grateful that the coaching staff does support the work of a chaplain with the team. They have been very gracious and supportive as we are getting to know each other.

This is my 4th year as the chaplain for the Chilliwack Bruins and after the season opener is when the first chapel is usually scheduled.

This year, the first chapel starts today at 5:00pm at the rink.

We bring in food (usually lots of protein and carbs) and I have a talk from scripture about life and hockey. There is often some lively discussion and prayer for the team at the end.

Can't wait for 5:00pm.

Hockey Ministries International and Chilliwack Bruins

The 2nd season for the Chilliwack Bruins is in full gear. Training camp and the preseason is in the books, and the team roster has been chosen. My work with the team began last year as team chaplain. It's a great ministry. Hockey Ministries (HMI) has a partnership with the WHL to provide chaplains for each of the teams in the league. When the Bruins announced that they were starting a new franchise in Chilliwack, HMI sent me to the Bruins as one of the chaplains. Being a hockey guy who also works with youth made this was a natural fit. Last year everything was new. The team was new, the coaches were new and the players were new. Looking back, it was a great year. The team was very supportive of the Chaplain concept. They gave me space and permission to connect with the team. We put on 2 chapels a month and I stayed in touch with the players, praying for them and helping them process life issues. This year we are building on what we learned last year and trying to make adjustments based on what could be improved and what went well. We had our first chapel last week and we are off to a great start. It's going to be a great year.