BY JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Contrary to its name, the FHSU Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is not an athlete-exclusive organization. Although the name of the association includes the title “athletes,” Drew Gannon, FCA Advisor/ Sponsor, wants to invite any and all students to join FCA if they are interested in building faith-based relationships.
“Everyone is always welcome,” Gannon said. “We, of course, have athletes who come, but we also have non-athletes who join us each week.”
He goes on to describe the way that FCA is constructed, saying they like to think of the group as individuals who want to have fun, share fellowship with other young adults, and who want to grow in their faith.
“Each of us is individually loved by God and we want everyone to experience God’s love,” Gannon said.
According to the FHSU Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Tigerlink, the main focus of the all-inclusive group is to “serve local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ.”
Jaida Felix, a member of FCA, builds off of that mission statement with her own evaluation of FCA’s purpose.
“The purpose of FCA is to provide a space where students can learn about God and grow in their faith,” Felix said. “The leaders of our organization encourage us all to build a relationship with God and realize the importance of fellowship and being around others who share the same faith as one another.”
She goes on to share her favorite aspect of being a part of FCA, saying one of her most memorable moments from FCA is meeting new people.
“I look forward to every Monday evening seeing who is coming,” she said. “It truly is a special place and because of this, I am able to meet so many new people and create long-lasting friendships.”
Felix then walks readers through what a typical weekly FCA meeting looks like.
According to Felix, most meetings start with a fun game that anyone can participate in, such as minute to win it style games. Following the game, the group comes back together and a volunteer leads the group in a prayer, which is followed by a message from Drew or Katelyn.
“Once the message is over, we will get a bible plan that we can do over the week,” Felix said. “The bible plan is usually a set of devotionals that we can follow throughout the week.”
Gannon adds to Felix’s explanation by describing one of the more favored ‘end-of-semester activities’ that has become FCA tradition.
“At the end of each semester, we play ‘hula-hoop-rock-paper-scissors’ and it turns into a fun 20 to 30 minutes of just laughing and enjoying each other,” Gannon said. “We also close out the semester with a huge family-style meal and it is an extremely fun evening of hanging out before the stress finals for the students hits.”
He continues by giving a sneak peek into one of the more exciting activities that students can be looking forward to this semester.
“We are excited to be having Jan Berringer coming to campus this semester to talk with us.”
Jan Berringer is the mother of the late Brook Berringer, who was a standout Quarterback at the University of Nebraska when they won back-to-back National Championships in the mid ’90s. Brook was tragically killed days before he was expected to be drafted in the NFL. The Berringers were natives of Goodland.
“We (FCA) will be watching the story of Brook Berringer on Feb. 27 and Jan will be speaking at FCA on April 3, 2023,” Gannon said.
Both of these events are currently planned to take place in Albertson Hall, Room 169.
Gannon summarizes FCA in a touching pass of adoration for the group and the support it provides for all involved.
“We all are learning about life, even us as leaders of FCA. As students, college is a time to go through life with others and provides an opportunity to learn and grow as individuals,” he said. “FCA just provides a place to have a group of people that you know love you and are there to support you through anything.”
FCA meets each Monday of the semester from 7-8:00 p.m. in the Indoor Training Facility Team Meeting Room.
More information about the organization can be found on its Tigerlink page.