As we move from celebrating Thanksgiving toward Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is taking a moment to acknowledge the impact of their mission to reach coaches and athletes with the truth of the Gospel and a greater purpose through athletics.
“Every year, I am blown away by how God is using FCA to reach coaches and athletes in every generation. The times may change, but the Gospel is the same. We stand on truth as a ministry, and we’re seeing God continue to use FCA as we share His Word and serve coaches and athletes,” said FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson.
“There’s a greater purpose to what we’re doing at FCA, and our mission goes beyond sports. While athletic competition is the vehicle for our message, we’re laser-focused on sharing Jesus and discipling coaches and athletes.”
For FCA, the work they do with coaches and athletes has shown a massive impact over the past year alone. For FCA’s fiscal year (September 2022-August 2023), FCA reports:
- 51,730 total faith decisions for Christ through a variety of FCA events, including Huddles, Camps, Fields of Faith and more.
- 20,297 certified Huddles.
- 1,042 camps with 110,676 campers – a new FCA record.
- 317 registered Fields of Faith events where thousands of student-athletes, coaches, parents and community members worshiped together, heard from inspiring speakers, prayed and committed to read their Bible on athletic fields in the U.S. and globally.
Through these various avenues, FCA has also distributed 230,247 bibles. This month, FCA is marking 69 years of staying true to the mission of leading every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.
In this time of thankfulness, FCA is pleased to encourage coaches and athletes to reflect on what they might have to be thankful for this year. Partnering with the Bible app, FCA has an eight-day devotional titled “The Thankful Competitor.” The devotional follows the eight stages of being a thankful competitor, both on the athletic field and off.
“Whether winning or losing or competing or coaching, the thankful competitor always gives thanks to God — without Him, our lives, our teams, and our sport, lack purpose,” the devotional declares.
FCA’s theme for 2023 is “Greater,” based on John 3:30: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” FCA reminds Christian coaches and athletes that their identity and value is in Christ rather than their sport.