As a marriage ministry, CTO is designed to support coaches and their spouses as they grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and each other.

Each CTO event aims to help coaches and their spouses to:

• Reinvest Relationally: Coaches and spouses spend time getting back to the fundamentals of marriage, focusing on quality conversations and intentional time together.

• Rest Meaningfully: Coaches and spouses step away from the pressures back home, find space to make any necessary adjustments in their relationship, and reevaluate the game plan for their marriage.

• Renew Spiritually: Coaches and spouses will be inspired to cultivate a deeper faith through Christ-centered biblical teaching.

Coach Jeremy Ische is the head baseball coach for the SMSU Mustangs. He and his wife, Eryn, have been married for eight years and are busy raising three children together. Many may be able to understand the busyness that is felt when raising a household full of kids, but coaching adds some unique challenges to home life. Coach Ische says his household is full of schedules and when he is busy with coaching duties such as recruiting events, phone calls, fundraising efforts, practices, and travel, life at home can start to feel like two ships passing in the night. CTO allowed Coach Ische and his wife time to focus on quality conversation, meaningful connection, and their relationship with Jesus.



The Isches were part of a small group huddle at CTO where they were afforded the opportunity to dig into some important marital and relational topics. Much of the content of their conversations helped Coach Ische as a husband, father, and coach, to understand the importance of slowing down and taking time to communicate, not just with his spouse, but with God too. The Isches were reminded that being in the Word together is instrumental in deepening their faith as a couple and ultimately as a family. Through CTO, the Isches gleaned many strategies and specific ways to keep God at the forefront of their marriage, no matter how chaotic life gets.

"Since being home from CTO, I feel more connected to my wife, more patient with my children, and more at peace with myself. We all need to slow down, reinvest in those we love, step back from the pressures of everyday life, and renew our relationship with the Lord. I'm thankful for CTO and the reminder that, as believers, we are called to share the light and life of Jesus with those around us, including those closest to us." -Coach Jeremy Ische

Coach Ethan Hoppe is embarking on his fifteenth year of coaching wrestling at Marshall High School. Working with kids, developing relationships, and seeing their hard work payoff is something Coach Hoppe is passionate about.

He and his wife, Emily, have been married for eleven years and have three boys together. They had the pleasure of attending CTO where they were reminded that communication is paramount in reinvesting in each other. The Hoppes are good communicators when it comes to their family's schedules, sharing the load of parental duties, and helping each other maintain and take care of their home, but they don't routinely set aside time to communicate intentionally about their marriage or each other.

Coach Hoppe shared that CTO sparked deep and honest conversation with his wife about personal and family goals, faith, and even frustrations. Coming home from CTO, it is their intention to not only put God first, but to take a break from the busyness of life and go for walks together, wake up and have coffee together, and reconnect with each other more frequently.



"CTO was an awesome experience! We enjoyed the opportunity to gather with other coaches, their spouses, and people of faith to reinvest in our marriage. CTO was valuable both relationally and spiritually. We can't wait to attend again next year!" - Coach Ethan Hoppe

Coach Scott Midtaune has a strong passion for sports and enjoys building relationships with the student athletes he coaches in both football and golf at Marshall High School. Coach Midtaune and his wife, Allison, have been married for thirteen years and together raise two boys.

The life of a coach can be daunting on a spouse and in a marriage; coaches are busy at work, then practice, then traveling for games and getting home late just to sleep and wake up and do it all over again. Coach Midtaune understands how easy it is to lose focus of what is important during the busyness of each day. That's why his family uses prayer to stay connected to God and to each other. Our striving should be for the glory of God and spouses can be such a valuable support for coaches in this area. The Midtaunes learned a lot at CTO, but being encouraged to continually invite God into their marriage was both renewing and refreshing.

CTO conversations exemplified several ways for Coach Midtaune and the other guest coaches to let God be more involved in their marriages and in their coaching. Coach Midtaune shared that no matter how long you've been married you can always draw closer to Jesus; we can pray more, listen better, and be more intentional with those around us, especially our spouse.

"CTO strengthened our marriage by providing us resources, ideas, and scriptures to implement into our relationship as husband and wife. Every coach should strongly consider attending a CTO event. Be open minded and give it a try! The wins on the field, court, and course are important, but nothing is more important than the win at home." Coach Scott Midtaune

Coach Chace Pollock is the head baseball coach for Marshall High School and also coaches football in the fall. Coach Pollock credits his former coaches for mentoring him well and, ultimately, inspiring him to become the coach he is today. Together with his wife, Emily, the Pollock's raise two children and have been married for eleven years.

Being a coach requires much time, often time away from one's family. Busy lives can leave space for the devil to start fires within a marriage, a family, or even one's own relationship with Jesus. CTO encouraged Coach Pollock to be intentional with the time spent with his wife, in prayer, and with God. To remain tethered to God one must actively strive to do so. The Lord must remain at the center of every effort as a husband, father, and coach.

Companionship and prayer can propel a marriage forward when life becomes busy, and distractions are endless. CTO reminded the Pollock's to reinvest in each other by spending quality time together, listening intently to each other, and serving each other well, all things the Pollock's left CTO committed to implement in their marriage.

CTO speaker, Greg Speck, delivered God-honoring marriage content with both humility and humor allowing the Pollocks to make meaningful connections within their own marriage and gather strategies to stay engaged in their faith. This was not only impactful for their marriage, but for their family too.

"Thank you, FCA, for the opportunity to strengthen our marriage by reinvesting in each other. Coaches Timeout was the most meaningful time that we've spent intentionally working on our marriage since we were married eleven years ago."

- Coach Chace Pollock

Zach Stelter, former girls' basketball and football coach at Marshall High School, is Lac qui Parle Valley's Athletic Director. Zach has always been drawn to positively impacting kids through teaching the rules, mechanics, and strategy of sport.

Zach has been married to his wife, Sarah, for two years and together they have a five-month-old son. CTO taught the Stelters much about reinvesting in their marriage, resting, and being renewed spiritually. This timeout reminded them of the importance of praying together, seeking God first and foremost, and finding consistency in their spiritual habits. Afterall, their marriage was founded in Christ and is to remain rooted in Christ.

Zach shared the following from CTO, "Marriage can be likened to sports; in order to find success, you have to work at it." You must invest, rest, and be renewed spiritually. As Zach engaged in intentional conversation with his wife, he heard how important spending quality time together as husband and wife is. He admits his job as Athletic Director is busy, but his commitment to family comes first. The Stelters left CTO intent on creating healthy spiritual habits in their household that allow them to be fully committed to each other and to their relationship with Jesus. As their family grows, life will get even busier. CTO gave them resources to ensure that when life gets hectic, they keep their marriage tethered to Christ.

"I highly recommend and encourage all coaches and their spouses to attend this CTO event in the future. For those who think they don't have time to attend a three-day event, it is so worth it! CTO will help reset your marriage and relationship with God. I hope all coaches involved with SWMN FCA attend this event!" -Zach Stelter, Lac qui Parle Athletic Director

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

UPCOMING SWMN FCA EVENTS:

• Fields of Faith 10/9/24
• Volleyball Tournament 11/15/24
• Coaches Banquet 2/2/25
• Jr. Sports Camp 6/5/25

If you're not currently giving to Southwest MN FCA and would like

to be added to our team, please click the QR code above to donate!

Your support is greatly appreciated.

 ROBIN KNUDSON rknudson@fca.org

SW MN Area Director

WENDY GRAVEN  wgraven@fca.org

SW MN Administrative Assistant