Race Track Chaplaincy
of America 
"Ministering to the horse racing 
industry since 1972"
Logo No White Background
2365 Harrodsburg Rd., Suite A120
Lexington, KY 40504
P: 859-410-7822   F: 859-219-1424
Newsletter November 2013
Craig Wiley
A Message from the 
Executive Director

Dear RTCA Supporter, 

 

You are going to enjoy this issue of our RTCA Newsletter. There are many exciting things happening at RTCA and you are a large part of our success. There is a story about our Inaugural Golf Tournament held in Lexington, Kentucky on Oct. 1st. This was a success and we had a good number of participants for our first year. We plan to hold this again next year and I invite you to be a part of it. Put it on your calendar for the first week in October 2014. As we get closer to the event we will furnish you with the exact date. 

We also had a wonderful White Horse Award Luncheon in Arcadia, California. We hold this event in conjunction with the Breeders Cup World Championships each year. This was our 11th year and many said it was our best yet. We honored some very worthy people in horse racing and our attendees participated in our silent and live auctions to help raise funds for the organization.

Another invaluable opportunity for our RTCA family is our Chaplain School. This year we will meet in Lexington, Kentucky and conduct our school beginning the evening of April 2nd through the evening of April 4th; April 5th is for General Assembly (members only). This is a special opportunity for our Chaplains and their families to get together for some encouraging teaching from God's word and
to enjoy fellowship together as part of the nationwide RTCA family.
 

Thank you for supporting RTCA. We truly appreciate your prayers, your service to our track ministries and your donations that help us provide meaningful support for chaplain programs across the United States. 

May God Bless You with a beautiful Christmas season. This is a time to rejoice and give thanks to God for His gift to us in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. "Now Serve the Lord with gladness and come before Him with joyful songs....Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and Praise His name." Psalm 100:2&4         

 

Thank you and God Bless.    

  
-Chaplain Craig
White Horse Award Luncheon 2013 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

Gary Cartwright, President RTCA

presents White Horse Award to

Dr. Michael Mason, DVM   



Race Track Chaplaincy of America held their 11th Annual White Horse Luncheon at the Derby Restaurant in Arcadia, California on October 31, 2013. The luncheon is held in conjunction with the Breeders Cup World Championships, held this year at Santa Anita. Seventy-eight year old Dr. Michael Mason, DVM received the White Horse Award for his heroic action at Emerald Downs Race Track on June 27, 2013. Dr. Mason was seriously injured while protecting track workers from a runaway horse and is making a good recovery.

Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson received the Community Service Award for their Backstretch Appreciation Program at Saratoga, New York. Peggy Whittingham, wife to the late Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham, accepted the Tribute to Excellence Award in honor of her husband's tremendous career in racing.


John Hendrickson Receiving the Community Service Award from Board Member Chaplain Michael Bingaman

Peggy Whittingham Receives Tribute to Excellence Award from Board Member Chaplain John Shumaker

Barry Irwin, Founder and CEO of Team Valor International was this year's featured speaker. He provided our attendees with an encouraging and challenging message about taking great care of, not only our beloved race horses, but also the workers and their families who toil so hard on our race tracks. Barry concluded by exhorting all of us to provide a quality life to our race track workers' children and by expressing appreciation for the wonderful support RTCA gives our race track community.   
 
Next year's White Horse Award Luncheon will be held on October 30, 2014 in Arcadia, California. If you plan to attend the Breeders Cup next year, make sure to add our White Horse Award Luncheon to your calendar. 

Barry Irwin Speaks at
White Horse Luncheon


ChapLogo 2014 RTCA Chaplain School

 

"The best-educated human being is the one who understands most about the life in which he is placed"-Helen Keller. 

 

That is the idea behind Race Track Chaplaincy of America's Annual Chaplain School. It is a time for our Chaplains to talk one with another about their experiences as race track chaplains and learn from each other. RTCA will conduct their annual Chaplain School  April 2-4, 2014 in Lexington, Kentucky. We will meet at the Doubletree Hotel on Richmond Road. 

 

This year's school will focus on spiritual refreshment and nourishment for the race track chaplain. Our

theme is "Beside Still Waters" and our special speaker/instructor will be Michael Todd Wilson, counselor and life coach. His book, Preventing Ministry Failure written with Brad Hoffman will be the basis for his instruction to our chaplains.    

 

Our race tracks chaplains and their families provide 24/7 dawn to dusk pastoral care to the men and women who work on the horse race tracks across the United States. This time away from the race track is a time to encourage, refresh and restart their spiritual motors.      

 


Race Track Chaplaincy of America's Inaugural Golf Tournament

 

October 1, 2013 was a marvelous day for Race Track Chaplaincy of America as we launched our Inaugural Golf Tournament. The day began with an early morning interview at a local news station speaking about who we are and what we do and of course our Golf Tournament. 

 

As the day progressed the RTCA team arrived at the beautiful Griffin Gate Marriott Golf Club to take care of the already excited jockeys, chaplains, horsemen and other RTCA friends who came not only to support the valuable work of RTCA, but also to have fun by playing a sport they enjoy so much... Golf. We even had a hole-in-one by one of our players. After the conclusion of the event everyone congregated for dinner. During the meal Chaplain John Shumaker delivered a stirring message of hope in Jesus our Lord and Savior.  

 

The weather was beautiful, perfect for the occasion! The food was great and the fellowship was tremendous; it really was an unforgettable day! We invite you to be part of our second Golf Tournament in 2014, as we make this an annual event. More information will be sent out as we get closer to the event. We will be expecting you! 

 

In This Issue
WHA Luncheon
Chaplain School 2014
Inaugural Golf Tournament
RTCA Apparel for Sale




 
 
 
 

Facebook   

Donate button








Share the Good News
We would love to help
 you get the word out about what your council 
or chaplaincy is doing. Please
click here to 

send us your story 

ideas and events. 

 

Do you have associates who might like to hear about RTCA? If so, 

please forward this 

email to them.


 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Daily Oats

Consume one of these 

31 devotionals each 

day for a month. Each

 has a western or horse racing theme, 

accompanied by an appropriate Bible 

Daily Oats

verse. The book features full color, fine art on a background 

of detailed leather tooling. Written 

by noted Texas Chaplain Sam Ed Spence, with contributions by Chaplain Pete Criswell, it makes 

a great gift. This 

one-of-a-kind book 

will be a welcome addition to anyone's coffee table or library.

Copies are available 

for a donation of $10 

or more and additional copies can be ordered and mailed at the 

same price. Order 

yours today by calling 

859-410-7822.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

H&J  

 

 

  "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11 

 

   

 

 

 

RTCA Shirt
RTCA Apparel for Sale

Get RTCA gear for co-workers, family, and friends by visiting our apparel store online. Choose from shirts, hats, jackets, rain gear, and more. Various colors and styles to choose from. To visit our store, click here and enter RTCA2011 in the Access Company Store block. 
 
Prayer Requests

Amazing things can happen when people come into agreement. 
Join with RTCA as we lift up these people in prayer:
  • Praying HandsSalty Roberts, Founder of RTCA
  • James Watson, Retired Chaplain for Belmont Park, Hip Surgery
  • Chaplain Brian Kahue, For recovery of his voice - lesion on vocal cords
  • Patsy Payne, Preparing for cancer treatment
  • Chaplain Sam Ed Spence (Longstar, TX), Recovering from surgery
  • Yurian Santiesteban, Former Chaplain at Churchill Downs 
  • All RTCA Chaplains, Councils, Region Directors, Board Members