Joe’s Story: Reaching Youth Through Hockey
Joe Fischer has loved the game of hockey since childhood, dating back to the games of outdoor hockey that he started playing on rinks and ponds at the age of 10 — “some of my greatest childhood memories,” he remembers.
He still plays twice a week.
He’s a proud Gopher Hockey season ticket holder, he loves the State High School Hockey Tournament (he thinks it should be a state holiday), and—in his words—”Nothing beats NHL playoff hockey.”
Joe is also a proud dad to two hockey-loving sons. His youngest son, Chris, played in the 2010 high school state tournament for Apple Valley, played three years of NAHL Junior Hockey—two years at D3—and still plays competitive ice and roller hockey. His oldest son, David, was Mr. Hockey in 2006, was a four-year starter for the Gophers, had an eleven-year professional career (including three championships,) and is now a professional hockey coach in Austria.
So it’s safe to say that a passion for hockey runs in the family.
Joe has attended Hillside since 2004, and he and his wife, Jill, are active members. Several years ago, former Hillside pastor Dr. Bakke started talking with Joe about using that love of hockey to deliver the Gospel message to youth. It was something they pondered and prayed about for a few years—then when Hillside attender Bernie McBain entered the picture, things started moving quickly. “Bernie had the experience and facility for us to host a hockey day camp,” explains Joe. Katie Schmidt and others jumped in to put together some age-appropriate devotional content, Brad Peterson took on head coaching responsibilities, and along with the support of several other dedicated volunteers, the first annual Hillside Hockey Youth Day Camp was born in August of 2021.
For three days each summer, kids from ages 8-11 have the opportunity to have fun sharpening their hockey skills, with time built into the schedule for age-appropriate devotionals, which include the Gospel message. Each child also receives a special Hillside Hockey jersey, along with their very own Bible.
Luci, age 9, is looking forward to attending her third summer of Hockey Camp this coming August. “l get to learn about God, hockey, and I get to see friends. It is also a good opportunity to help them and teach them to learn more about God,” Luci tells us.
Luci’s mom, Lisa, appreciates the camp as well. “As a mom, there are not many opportunities to combine hockey and God. The hockey culture can get a pretty bad rap, so anything that can fuse the two is pretty awesome and definitely worth supporting!”
Joe is also excited about the outreach aspect of the Hockey camp. “Most of our campers are not church-goers. The feedback from parents has been that their children heard the Gospel while having a great time.”
He also shares one of his visions for Hockey camp, which sums up the ultimate purpose of it all: “Seeds planted; decisions made.”
Hillside Hockey Day Camp will take place August 21-23 from 8:30AM-3:30PM at Minnesota Made Hockey in Edina. There are still several spots available for hockey players (goalies are especially needed). Register here!
We are building a team of volunteers to help make this year’s Hockey camp successful. Opportunities are available for those both with and without hockey experience. Can you help? Go here to learn more and sign up to help!