Raceway Ministries Today

Jim Mitchell has served as part of the chaplain team at Colorado National Speedway for several years, and he and his team have fine tuned their ministry with some excellent approaches and perspectives.  The road to becoming part of the chaplain team, and serving as lead chaplain for a number of years, was not an easy one, however.  However, lots of twists and turns in Jim's life, including several years of "eventful" living apart from fellowship with God, taught him many lessons about life, people and God -- all which contributed to preparation for his calling to serve God as a race chaplain.  In this episode -- Part 1 of Jim's story and chaplain work -- Jim shares how God rescued him from a purpose-less life and put him on the road to full fellowship with God in Christ and a calling to share God's grace and love in Christ with racers and others at Colorado National Speedway.   

Insights into Effective Raceway Ministries work at Speedways across America

Having been rescued from a purposeless life and brought into fellowship with God by a resurrected faith in the Lord Jesus, Jim Mitchell began seeking God's direction for fulfilling Christ's purposes in his life.  He and his wife, Robin, living in the Denver, Colorado area, became a vital part of the chaplain team at Colorado National Speedway.  As a result, they and the team have developed some awesome and effective perspectives and approaches to chaplain ministry to the drivers, teams, staff and fans at CNS.  In this episode, Roger Marsh (Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries)  interviews Jim, quizzing him about how they have built and continue to implement a very successful ministry to the folks at the speedway.     

Insights into Effective Raceway Ministries work at Speedways across America

In this episode, Roger Marsh (director of the National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries) interviews Mark Penticuff, director of Kansas City Alliance Raceway Ministries (KCARM), which provides ministry and outreach to race fans and others at Kansas Speedway.  For a variety of reasons, KCARM hit on some hard times, after several years of maintaining a very strong ministry presence at Kansas Speedway.  Leadership changes, transition of volunteers and support churches, and (of course) COVID contributed to a significant decline in the number of volunteers and supporters of the ministry.  Through it all, however, Mark Penticuff, with the assistance of a handful of others who continued to participate in the outreach, has been able to keep the ministry alive and put it on the road to thriving once again.  Dr. Marsh and Mark discuss some of the dynamics of how it all has unfolded!

Insights into Effective Raceway Ministries work at Speedways across America

In this edition of "Raceway Ministries Today," NFRM Executive Director Roger Marsh interviews Allen Huffman, of Hickory, North Carolina.  Allen became a competitor with the South East Super Truck Series in 2023, and at the same time stepped in to fulfill duties as chaplain for the series.  Interestingly, Allen also won the championship for the series in 2023, while participating as both competitor and chaplain.  In this conversation, Roger Marsh talks with Allen about how he got into the series, how he became the chaplain for the series, and how the 2023 season transpired.  Allen describes how he was able to participate in both roles -- chaplain and racer.  He talks about the ups and downs of the season, how the challenges were overcome, and how he was able to minister to the series participants while racing with and against them throughout the 2023 season.

Insights into Effective Raceway Ministries work at Speedways across America

In this episode of "Raceway Ministries Today," Roger Marsh (director of National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries) interviews Larry Bush, who has served as chaplain at the Berlin Raceway (Michigan) for 22 years.  Obviously, having served at this premium short track for that long, Larry has learned a thing or two about effective ministry to racers, teams, fans and staff at the short track.  In addition, Larry has -- and continues to serve -- at two local churches in the Muskegon, Michigan area, serving as associate pastor at one, and senior pastor at the other.   Add to that his ongoing service to the Lord at age 77, and you have an amazing story of success, perseverance and effectiveness in racing ministry.  Throughout this interview, Larry shares insights regarding tips for getting started in chaplain work at a short track; approaches in chaplain work that perpetuate effectiveness; how to juggle a busy church schedule with an effective schedule of ministry at the speedway; the importance of providing chaplain ministry as a husband-wife teams; and more.   

Insights into Effective Raceway Ministries work at Speedways across America

Roger Marsh, director of National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries, converses with Travis Kahlstorf, of Minnesota.  Throughout the discussion, Kahlstorf shares his experiences of coming to know Christ as Savior, getting involved in church ministry, discovering opportunity to participate in chaplain ministry at local short tracks, and becoming actively involved in radio work, broadcasting local sports events and hosting his own program, "On the Track."  Travis also elaborates on the opportunities and challenges of Raceway Ministries in the Northern United States -- opportunities because of the large quantity of racing venues and needs in the region; challenges because of the difficulty in finding enough folks available and willing to get involved in chaplain and Raceway Ministries work.  During the conversation, Marsh and Kahlstorf also talk about the value of the "On the Track" radio program, which airs on Northwoods Radio each Tuesday evening during race season, providing opportunity to interview racers, promoters, track owners, race chaplains and more.  Kahlstorf also shares great insights and wise advice based on his years of experience as a race chaplain.

Insights into Raceway Ministries up north in Minnesota and on the radio with Travis Kahlstorf's "On the Track" program

Roger Marsh, executive director of the National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries, interviews Tim Bozarth of St. Louis, Missouri.  Tim currently serves as chaplain at Tri-Cities Speedway and Federated Auto Parts Speedway at I-55 -- both short tracks in the St. Louis area.  Tim also currently is serving as director of Gateway Racing Ministries, a newly created Raceway Ministries team that will be focusing on outreach to fans at World Wide Technology Raceway.  In this interview, Tim shares insights from his vast experience as a short track chaplain; discusses with Marsh the beginnings and future plans for ministry at World Wide Technology Raceway; and shares his excitement about serving once again this year as chaplain for the Gateway Dirt Nationals, slated for December 1 - 3 inside the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.  

Insights into Raceway Ministries up north in Minnesota and on the radio with Travis Kahlstorf's "On the Track" program

In this episode, Dr. Roger Marsh, director of the National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries interviews Jeff Sheffield, currently serving as chaplain at Southern National Motorsports Park in North Carolina.  In the dialogue, Sheffield shares how God changed his life following some medical issues, getting his attention and attracting him to do more to serve the Lord.  That resulted in his involvement as chaplain at two speedways in Georgia -- Lanier and Gresham Motorsports Park -- and several short tracks in Texas.  Last year, Jeff moved to North Carolina and immediately began serving at Southern National Motorsports Park, where he continues to provide chaplain services.  Through the years, Sheffield has accumulated lots of experience in ministry at short tracks, and as a result, has much to share in the way of stories, insights and advice.  In this episode, he and Dr. Marsh talk about all that, providing listeners with some significant information about what makes for effective short track chaplain ministry.  

As the 2022 racing season was about to begin in Wisconsin, Todd Christopherson gathered more than a dozen chaplains and Raceway Ministries workers for a time of fellowship, prayer, prioritizing, idea-swapping and brainstorming to make sure hearts and minds are prepared for sharing God's grace in Christ with racers and others at short tracks in the Badger State.  In this interview, National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries director Roger Marsh converses with Todd Christopherson about the purpose, content and dynamics of the "gathering of chaplains."  Christopherson himself is founder and director of Team Jesus Racing Ministries, and serves as chaplain at the Milwaukee Mile and Madison International Speedway, as well as providing chaplain services for several touring series in that region.  Marsh and Christopherson exchange lots of ideas and thoughts related to effective Raceway Ministries work, and they explore the value of getting chaplains and Raceway Ministries folks together for prayer and to encourage and sharpen one another. 

Roger Marsh, director of the National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries, interviews Brian Nagy, chaplain at Salina High Banks Speedway and Arrowhead Speedway, both in Oklahoma.  Nagy, who has been involved in Raceway Ministries work for over 20 years, shares how he began his relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ, and then describes how God opened the door for him to begin Raceway Ministries work at Texas Motor Speedway in the year 2000.  As Marsh and Nagy dialogue, several experiences and lessons learned about Raceway Ministries work are shared -- lessons that are applicable at the super speedways, as well as qualities and characteristics that contribute to effective outreach at short tracks.  Listeners will gain insights into how to build effective relationships with motor sports people, relationships that can result in people coming to know Christ, and relationships that can result in great ministry opportunities at the speedways.