Q: What do you call it when sports chaplains from Norway, Austria, Canada, Russia, Australia, and the United States are all together in one room?
A: It's either a corny joke or it must be the Olympics!
;-)
The men and women I am serving with as chaplains are deeply committed to Christ. They have strong faith in Jesus, are grounded in the Bible, and have lives that have been transformed by the gospel. They have a desire to minister to athletes, volunteers, coaches... everyone. It is quite encouraging to realize how God is at work through sports ministry all over the world. It is quite a privilege from the Lord to be here in Whistler serving as a chaplain during the Games.
Continue to pray for the athletes. One athlete received news that his grandfather - who has been gravely ill - passed away yesterday. Many athletes are battling injuries. Some are battling the flu. All are trying to stay focused on the task at hand - their competitions - with lots of distractions all around. The Christian athletes are seeking to be a witness for Christ through everything they do and say.
Pray for God to draw people to Himself.
Continue to pray for all those who are participating in the activities surrounding the Games: bus drivers, volunteers, security, food staff, cleaning staff, officials, spectators, venue staff, and media, just to name a few. Pray for God to impact lives and to reveal Himself as the one who died to redeem us all, and who offers salvation to all who will put their trust in Him.
A few final thoughts and prayer requests from today:
I was excited to hear from one of the chaplains what the Lord is doing in Norway through sports ministry and outreach. I want to hear more and to learn from him.
Pray that the Lord will guide our steps in the Village each day, that we chaplains will be exactly where the Lord wants us to be at all times, ready to minister in His name.
Every day brings new conversations, new challenges, new opportunities. Pray that in our hearts we believers will set apart Jesus as Lord, and that we will be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that we have, and that we will do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Eight (8) Blessings of Today
#8 - Meeting a worker at Starbucks in Whistler Village who is a believer in Christ, who is just in town for the Olympics (they need extra staff during the Games), and who is looking for a church to attend while she is in town. I was able to recommend two to her: Whistler Community Church and The Church on the Mountain.
#7 - Walking around the Olympic Village with my new friend, Pastor Matthew, a chaplain from Australia, as we introduced ourselves and our chaplaincy ministry to several nations. Word is beginning to get out about the ministry. God is drawing people to Himself.
#6 - Venti Starbucks dark roast coffee.
#5 - Listening to some great Christ-honoring Christian rock music on my headphones while riding the bus from the Village (the downtown Whistler Village) to the Olympic Village (a few kilometers away). Newsboys and some other great artists always pump me up.
#4 - Getting a surprise phone call from a US Athlete who made the Olympic biathlon team. He made the team and I didn't even know it. He attends our church and Bible study when he is in Lake Placid. Great job, Wynn! It was great to see him, to have dinner together, and to attend Bible study together tonight. Also, here's a cool "it's a small world" God-connection too: one of the chaplains from Austria (Joerg) recently met a pastor from the USA who told him that one of the US biathlon athletes who is a Christian is dating his neice, and that the US athlete knows me. Yep, it's Wynn. And I just met the chaplain from Austria three days ago.
#3 - A good start to our nightly Bible studies. A few chaplains and a couple of athletes were in attendance, but many of the athletes who we know are believers still haven't arrived in Whistler yet. Charis (pronounced "chair-iss") led a great discussion on John 11:1-16. A great talk about how God's love compels Him to do things in His timing not in ours, and how He always knows what is best and when to do it. And, to discuss how we die to self and walk with Him in the light because of our LOVE for HIM (not to earn His favor, not to earn earthly rewards, etc).
#2 - A great chat with my host family tonight, about wood stoves, about how they are caring for the wife's aging mother (her mum is 99 years old!), about ministry to athletes, showing them the "Life In The Fast Lane" video (see previous blogs), about faith in Christ, and more. They are a blessing to me.
#1 - Getting to talk to my beautiful wife and kids AND to see them via Skype today. It was good to see them. I wish they were here with me!
#7 - Walking around the Olympic Village with my new friend, Pastor Matthew, a chaplain from Australia, as we introduced ourselves and our chaplaincy ministry to several nations. Word is beginning to get out about the ministry. God is drawing people to Himself.
#6 - Venti Starbucks dark roast coffee.
#5 - Listening to some great Christ-honoring Christian rock music on my headphones while riding the bus from the Village (the downtown Whistler Village) to the Olympic Village (a few kilometers away). Newsboys and some other great artists always pump me up.
#4 - Getting a surprise phone call from a US Athlete who made the Olympic biathlon team. He made the team and I didn't even know it. He attends our church and Bible study when he is in Lake Placid. Great job, Wynn! It was great to see him, to have dinner together, and to attend Bible study together tonight. Also, here's a cool "it's a small world" God-connection too: one of the chaplains from Austria (Joerg) recently met a pastor from the USA who told him that one of the US biathlon athletes who is a Christian is dating his neice, and that the US athlete knows me. Yep, it's Wynn. And I just met the chaplain from Austria three days ago.
#3 - A good start to our nightly Bible studies. A few chaplains and a couple of athletes were in attendance, but many of the athletes who we know are believers still haven't arrived in Whistler yet. Charis (pronounced "chair-iss") led a great discussion on John 11:1-16. A great talk about how God's love compels Him to do things in His timing not in ours, and how He always knows what is best and when to do it. And, to discuss how we die to self and walk with Him in the light because of our LOVE for HIM (not to earn His favor, not to earn earthly rewards, etc).
#2 - A great chat with my host family tonight, about wood stoves, about how they are caring for the wife's aging mother (her mum is 99 years old!), about ministry to athletes, showing them the "Life In The Fast Lane" video (see previous blogs), about faith in Christ, and more. They are a blessing to me.
#1 - Getting to talk to my beautiful wife and kids AND to see them via Skype today. It was good to see them. I wish they were here with me!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Super Sunday
Sunday began with a good breakfast of apple pooridge, Chinese tea, orange slices, coffee, hard-boiled egg and water with my host family. Then we walked about a half hour to church. This walk helped me get my bearings about how Whistler is laid out. Worshiping at Whistler Community Church was great. It was my first time worshiping at a Mennonite Brethren church. The church currently meets at a school gym for worship services. The worship team led songs very familiar to me (although they sang them in Canadian English!) and Pastor Tim preached a great sermon from Matthew 5:43-48. I look forward to connecting with Pastor Tim later on so we can fellowship and encourage each other. You know, both of us are pastors in resort areas with great ski mountains, bobsled tracks, etc, so we have a lot in common.
One blessing at church was meeting a few other folks who are serving in various areas during the Games. Some were local to Whistler and some were from out of town like me. Another blessing was to hear that their church is mobilizing people to pray during the Games.
In the afternoon, as many chaplains as humanly possible and our backpacks plus a bit of other luggage (one of our chaplains from Austria has been waiting for the airline to bring his lost luggage up) piled into a small van/SUV and headed to Vancouver, a 2 hour drive.
To my American friends: apparently no one informed our team leader of chaplains - a Canadian - that the Super Bowl was being played on Sunday afternoon, February 7. Our meeting began at the same time as the Super Bowl. In all fairness - he did apologize to us for the schedulig conflict!
Our meeting was great, getting to connect with all of the Christian chaplains who are serving at the two different Athletes Villages. This is the only time we will all be together, and the only time those of us serving at Whistler will meet those serving at the Vancouver Village.
Chaplains are here from Canada, Australia, Russia, Norway, Austria, Great Britain, and the USA, serving as part of the Multi-Faith Centre. We are also hearing that some other nations - Germany, for instance - are bringing chaplains with them, concentrating on ministry to their teams. As we sat around at dinner, we were sharing with each other about athletes we know who are on fire for Christ. It was powerful and encouraging to hear that many of these chaplains know a handful of winter sports athletes from various nations who are believers in Jesus. One guy remarked, "It sounds like there's a mini-revival going on among the winter sports athletes." Hmmm. That's what we are praying for!
Thanks for praying!
PS. Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl. I am a proud alumni of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary! I hear it was an exciting game to watch.
One blessing at church was meeting a few other folks who are serving in various areas during the Games. Some were local to Whistler and some were from out of town like me. Another blessing was to hear that their church is mobilizing people to pray during the Games.
In the afternoon, as many chaplains as humanly possible and our backpacks plus a bit of other luggage (one of our chaplains from Austria has been waiting for the airline to bring his lost luggage up) piled into a small van/SUV and headed to Vancouver, a 2 hour drive.
To my American friends: apparently no one informed our team leader of chaplains - a Canadian - that the Super Bowl was being played on Sunday afternoon, February 7. Our meeting began at the same time as the Super Bowl. In all fairness - he did apologize to us for the schedulig conflict!
Our meeting was great, getting to connect with all of the Christian chaplains who are serving at the two different Athletes Villages. This is the only time we will all be together, and the only time those of us serving at Whistler will meet those serving at the Vancouver Village.
Chaplains are here from Canada, Australia, Russia, Norway, Austria, Great Britain, and the USA, serving as part of the Multi-Faith Centre. We are also hearing that some other nations - Germany, for instance - are bringing chaplains with them, concentrating on ministry to their teams. As we sat around at dinner, we were sharing with each other about athletes we know who are on fire for Christ. It was powerful and encouraging to hear that many of these chaplains know a handful of winter sports athletes from various nations who are believers in Jesus. One guy remarked, "It sounds like there's a mini-revival going on among the winter sports athletes." Hmmm. That's what we are praying for!
Thanks for praying!
PS. Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl. I am a proud alumni of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary! I hear it was an exciting game to watch.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
First Day at the Village
On Friday evening, my flight arrived in Vancouver, a bit late but not too much. My friend Kevin picked me up at the airport, he in his red St. Louis Cardinals hat and me in my NY Yankees hat. Kevin drove me through Vancouver on the way to my Friday night host home. The drive went through some of the streets of the downtown areas, and people were out and about, just like most cities of the world on a Friday night. A city full of people who need to know the hope of salvation found only in Jesus Christ.
My host family on Friday night was a wonderful family who live in North Vancouver, which is separated by an inlet from Vancouver. This wonderful Christian family includes dad, mom, six daughters and one son. They hosted me and a doctor from GA on Friday night. The doctor is also in town to help out at the Whistler Village; he on the medical team. We had pancakes for breakfast, served with pure Canadian maple syrup. During the Olympics, this family will be hosting a team of folks from a church in GA one week and a team from MS the next, both of which are partnering with More Than Gold provide "Radical Hospitality" during the Olympics.
We went through the proper security/screening procedures, and then directly to the building that includes the rooms set aside for spiritual purposes, the "Multi-Faith Centre." Written into the International Olympic Committee's charter is that each Olympics will determine how to provide religious services for the five major religions of the world - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. So I am here as one of the chaplains to represent Christ and to be His ambassador. We toured the village, met various other volunteers and staff, ate dinner, followed by a time of Bible study and prayer. Some of the nations have begun arriving. The opening ceremonies are less than a week away.
Tomorrow I am worshiping with the Lams at their church, then off to Vancouver to meet up with all of the other chaplains (from both the Vancouver Olympic Village and the Whistler Olympic Village) for a big orientation/training meeting.
Thanks for praying!
My host family on Friday night was a wonderful family who live in North Vancouver, which is separated by an inlet from Vancouver. This wonderful Christian family includes dad, mom, six daughters and one son. They hosted me and a doctor from GA on Friday night. The doctor is also in town to help out at the Whistler Village; he on the medical team. We had pancakes for breakfast, served with pure Canadian maple syrup. During the Olympics, this family will be hosting a team of folks from a church in GA one week and a team from MS the next, both of which are partnering with More Than Gold provide "Radical Hospitality" during the Olympics.
I had a chance to talk with Kim, Emma Grace and Maria (Kim's sister) on the phone today. It was wonderful to talk with them!
After breakfast, I was driven to the building where I picked up my accredidation/credentials. There I also connected with three other chaplains - one from Canada, one from Australia, and one from Austria - and we headed up to Whistler, about a 2-hour drive on the "Sea to Sky" highway. The skies were clear, so we had beautiful views along the winding road. When we arrived in Whistler, we met my host family for the next week, a delightful couple (the Lam's). We had a quick bite to eat, and then we chaplains went to the Whistler Olympic Village to begin serving.We went through the proper security/screening procedures, and then directly to the building that includes the rooms set aside for spiritual purposes, the "Multi-Faith Centre." Written into the International Olympic Committee's charter is that each Olympics will determine how to provide religious services for the five major religions of the world - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. So I am here as one of the chaplains to represent Christ and to be His ambassador. We toured the village, met various other volunteers and staff, ate dinner, followed by a time of Bible study and prayer. Some of the nations have begun arriving. The opening ceremonies are less than a week away.
Tomorrow I am worshiping with the Lams at their church, then off to Vancouver to meet up with all of the other chaplains (from both the Vancouver Olympic Village and the Whistler Olympic Village) for a big orientation/training meeting.
Thanks for praying!
Friday, February 5, 2010
On the Road to the Olympics
Today I am leaving for a three-week (plus a couple of days) trip to the Vancouver Olympics to serve as a chaplain at the Whistler Village. My flights today go from Saranac Lake to Boston to Dallas to Vancouver. May this day of travel be a blessed day indeed, and may I have many opportunities to make God famous. Here are some of my prayer requests related to ministry to the Olympics:
* Safety for everyone (athletes, spectators, coaches, officials, volunteers, mission teams, everyone)
* For Christians to display the love of Christ in everything we do and everything we say
* For the good news of Jesus to be shared with people from all over the world
* For people to be receptive to the gospel
* For local churches in Vancouver and Whistler to be blessed and to be a blessing to athletes and others (starting now, and for years to come!)
* For God to keep watch over my family while I am away
* For God to bless our church family while I am away
Here are some stories in various media about my oppportunity to serve as a chaplain at the Olympics.
"Local Pastors to Help Out at the Olympics" -- http://bit.ly/7OsPyR
"Derek Spain ministers to Winter Sports Athletes" -- http://bit.ly/97M9qW
"Life in the Fast Lane" -- see video in yesterday's blog
I will keep you updated via Facebook and Twitter on how I see God at work each day, and how you can pray. Thanks for praying!
* Safety for everyone (athletes, spectators, coaches, officials, volunteers, mission teams, everyone)
* For Christians to display the love of Christ in everything we do and everything we say
* For the good news of Jesus to be shared with people from all over the world
* For people to be receptive to the gospel
* For local churches in Vancouver and Whistler to be blessed and to be a blessing to athletes and others (starting now, and for years to come!)
* For God to keep watch over my family while I am away
* For God to bless our church family while I am away
Here are some stories in various media about my oppportunity to serve as a chaplain at the Olympics.
"Local Pastors to Help Out at the Olympics" -- http://bit.ly/7OsPyR
"Derek Spain ministers to Winter Sports Athletes" -- http://bit.ly/97M9qW
"Life in the Fast Lane" -- see video in yesterday's blog
I will keep you updated via Facebook and Twitter on how I see God at work each day, and how you can pray. Thanks for praying!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
North Country Ministries FAQ's
“Why are you volunteering at this event?”
We get asked this question at just about every event at which we serve. The short answer is this: Jesus Christ came on this earth as a servant, and we want to serve people as well. Jesus showed love, compassion, hope and joy in all that He did, and we want to do that as well. Jesus has changed our lives, giving us eternal life and abundant life, and we want other people to know Him. To put it simply: we love God, we love people, and we love sports. Go to this link to learn more about having a personal relationship with Jesus: www.thekristo.com.
“Why are you guys having such a great time?”
Our ministry volunteers are often found serving with smiles on their faces and with great attitudes. Like everyone else, our ministry volunteers have tough days, tragedies in life, problems big and small, and other issues, not to mention the challenges they face while serving at events. The difference between our volunteers and many people is this: we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and He has changed our lives! As the Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, old things are passed away, behold all things become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In other words, knowing Jesus personally will so radically change your life that even on your bad days you can still smile, knowing that He has your life under control. Your old self can become brand new in Christ.
“How can I know that I am going to heaven?”
This question is the most important question a person will ever ask here on earth. The answer is found in Jesus Christ. It is not found in being religious, doing good things, or even just believing facts about God or Jesus. The answer is found in having a personal relationship with Jesus. You can begin a relationship with Jesus right now. Click HERE to find out how.
“Can the Bible help me with this situation I am going through?”
The Bible has answers to deal with every issue you face in life. No problem or decision is too big or too small for God. If you would like to know what the Bible says about a particular situation you are facing, click on this link: www.biblegateway.com.
“How can I be part of the North Country Ministries team?”
You can serve with us through North Country Ministries at any of our events, whether you are an individual or part of a mission team, whether you live in the Adirondacks or anywhere else in the world. You can even serve with us whether you belong to a church or not. To get involved, send us an email or call us to get signed up.
“What kind of training does NCM provide?”
Before all of our ministry events, we provide a time of training. We want you to be prepared for what you will be doing, to learn from those who have served at previous events, and to be able to ask any pertinent questions. The training is usually the day before the event, although sometimes the training comes on the day of the event. There is also more extensive training that NCM provides at various workshops throughout the year. Contact us for more information on these.
How can we do similar ministry events in our area?”
If you served with us at NCM (or even if you didn’t), you can impact your community in similar ways. We would love to help you share Christ’s love wherever you live. If you live in New York, Derek Spain is the contact person who can help you to develop similar ministries through your church or association in your area, so contact him directly at 518-523-2008 or dgspain@msn.com. He is the resort evangelism strategist for the Baptist Convention of New York, serving in the Evangelism Division.
If you live in another state, then he can help to get in touch with the right people to organize, equip and train you to lead these types of ministry events. We can even provide you with training materials, ideas and other helpful information. There is a wonderful national organization known as the Association of Resort & Leisure Ministers to that can help. We are part of this group. Their website is www.arlm.org.
We get asked this question at just about every event at which we serve. The short answer is this: Jesus Christ came on this earth as a servant, and we want to serve people as well. Jesus showed love, compassion, hope and joy in all that He did, and we want to do that as well. Jesus has changed our lives, giving us eternal life and abundant life, and we want other people to know Him. To put it simply: we love God, we love people, and we love sports. Go to this link to learn more about having a personal relationship with Jesus: www.thekristo.com.
“Why are you guys having such a great time?”
Our ministry volunteers are often found serving with smiles on their faces and with great attitudes. Like everyone else, our ministry volunteers have tough days, tragedies in life, problems big and small, and other issues, not to mention the challenges they face while serving at events. The difference between our volunteers and many people is this: we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and He has changed our lives! As the Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, old things are passed away, behold all things become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In other words, knowing Jesus personally will so radically change your life that even on your bad days you can still smile, knowing that He has your life under control. Your old self can become brand new in Christ.
“How can I know that I am going to heaven?”
This question is the most important question a person will ever ask here on earth. The answer is found in Jesus Christ. It is not found in being religious, doing good things, or even just believing facts about God or Jesus. The answer is found in having a personal relationship with Jesus. You can begin a relationship with Jesus right now. Click HERE to find out how.
“Can the Bible help me with this situation I am going through?”
The Bible has answers to deal with every issue you face in life. No problem or decision is too big or too small for God. If you would like to know what the Bible says about a particular situation you are facing, click on this link: www.biblegateway.com.
“How can I be part of the North Country Ministries team?”
You can serve with us through North Country Ministries at any of our events, whether you are an individual or part of a mission team, whether you live in the Adirondacks or anywhere else in the world. You can even serve with us whether you belong to a church or not. To get involved, send us an email or call us to get signed up.
“What kind of training does NCM provide?”
Before all of our ministry events, we provide a time of training. We want you to be prepared for what you will be doing, to learn from those who have served at previous events, and to be able to ask any pertinent questions. The training is usually the day before the event, although sometimes the training comes on the day of the event. There is also more extensive training that NCM provides at various workshops throughout the year. Contact us for more information on these.
How can we do similar ministry events in our area?”
If you served with us at NCM (or even if you didn’t), you can impact your community in similar ways. We would love to help you share Christ’s love wherever you live. If you live in New York, Derek Spain is the contact person who can help you to develop similar ministries through your church or association in your area, so contact him directly at 518-523-2008 or dgspain@msn.com. He is the resort evangelism strategist for the Baptist Convention of New York, serving in the Evangelism Division.
If you live in another state, then he can help to get in touch with the right people to organize, equip and train you to lead these types of ministry events. We can even provide you with training materials, ideas and other helpful information. There is a wonderful national organization known as the Association of Resort & Leisure Ministers to that can help. We are part of this group. Their website is www.arlm.org.
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