When anyone asks Eric Simpson how he got to be a chaplain for the Indianapolis Colts, his only explanation is “the Lord put me in a certain setting at a certain time.”
At that time, the start-up church was fairly close to the Colts’ practice facility, so several of the players, coaches, and staff worshiped at Eagle in the off-season. Eric’s path eventually intersected with Ken Johnson, the Colts’ chaplain who invited Eric to help give pastoral leadership to the team.
Now in his 20th season with the Colts and third year as lead pastor of Eagle, Eric continues to pour out his life for the sake of others.
At a Colts Bible study earlier this fall, a young man named Brian came. Eric noticed when everyone left, Brian stayed at the table and wanted to talk. He told Eric he grew up Catholic, but he had never seen a group read the Bible and actually discuss how to apply it. “I’m going to put into practice the stuff we just talked about,” Brian said.
Forty-eight hours after his first Bible study and his first chapel service, Brian was cut from the team. “Now he is in another part of the country, and I don’t know that we will ever be in the same room again,” Eric said. “So I pray that maybe the seeds that were planted in our brief time together will grow. Who knows—that’s maybe why the Lord brought him for the few weeks he was here.”
Learn More
Read the entire interview with Eric Simpson in the November/December issue of Alliance Life. If you regularly attend a U.S. Alliance church, you can sign up to receive Alliance Life, delivered to your home at no cost.