How does a local school benefit from having available and engaged FCA staff?

Ministry to all Coaches– Every high school has 20-25 coaches on staff. FCA staff ministers to the coaches through:

• Encouragement, Discipleship, Evangelism, and Bible Studies
• Ministry strategy for incorporating faith based coaching into their plans
• Care ministry to coaches and families
• Resources specific to their needs
• Access to camps and ministry opportunities for coaches and families

Ministry to Athletes – Every high school has 3-400 athletes.  FCA staff ministers to the students by:

• Developing team specific Huddles led by coaches and volunteers
• Providing resource materials, speakers, and tools to use for ministry
• Creating evangelistic opportunities to share the gospel with the athletes
• Providing relational and discipleship ministry to student leaders
• Facilitating ministry to athletes and their families in times of crisis and need

Ministry to the Student Body – Every high school culture is influenced heavily by the athletes and coaches who are on the campus. FCA staff ministers to the total student body through:

• Campus-wide Huddles
• Evangelism to share the gospel with the students
• Ministry services to the athletes and from the athletes
• Development of student leaders
• Development of volunteer leaders
• Resources for devotionals, worship, services, and discipleship
• Missions opportunities for serving their community

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Understanding the Need for FCA Charlotte

There are over 100 public and private High schools in the Greater Charlotte Metro Area.  There are 8 universities with athletic teams and there are thousands of off-campus sports teams playing and practicing every year.  In order to bring FCA resources to full capacity, there must be a staff member assigned to every 4-5 high schools and at least one to every major off-campus sport such as volleyball, soccer, baseball, and basketball.

Adding new staff members requires finding individuals who are equipped and called to the ministry of FCA.  New staff members will need training, resources, and financial support. Additionally, they will need prayers and volunteer leadership willing to step up and use their influence, gifts, and financial means. In order to fulfill the opportunity for ministry, we must add over 50 FCA staff members over the next 5 years. In order to accomplish this, we need your support.

FCA Staff in Nicaragua last week!

Lincoln Lawing is FCA Charlotte’s newest staff member working in Gaston County.  Lincoln has a huge heart for those who need Christ got to experience the power of Jesus in his recent trip to Nicaragua with his church.  One of the blessings of the trip for Lincoln was getting to share the journey with his DAd.  Here is Lincoln’s summary of what he saw God doing.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with a group from my church. During our time there, we had the opportunity to be a part of a church, help build houses in the community, and spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ. This was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever been a part of. The power of God was so evident during our trip that it completely overwhelmed us. It is absolutely amazing to see such a powerful and wonderful God at work.

I spent the majority of my time building relationships with the families in the community, especially the young men. The majority of homes in Nicaragua are without a father. Most of the young men there have to learn how to be a man on their own, because there is no one around to guide them on the right path. I built a special bond with one particular young man. He and I spent the afternoons tossing around a baseball. It’s amazing that no matter where you may be, sports can be a way to bond with others. My friend and I shared a common bond through our love of baseball. After we finished throwing, we would sit outside and talk. I could see how much he enjoyed the quality time we spent together.

One day during our trip, we took a trip to the local hospital to share the gospel with sick patients. It was amazing to see God working in those hospital rooms. His presence was so thick that it took my breath away on a few occasions. A few of us shared our testimony in the hospital, and we witnessed over ten people give their life to Christ. It was such a powerful time, watching God work the way He did.

These are just two examples of what God was doing during our stay in Nicaragua. Like John 21:25 says “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.”  That is how I feel about our time in Nicaragua. God was so active that it would take weeks to write about everything He did. I’m just glad that I had an opportunity to watch our Mighty God at work.

FCA attends the Bronko Nagurski awards

On December 12, 2011 the Charlotte TD Club hosted the annual Bronko Nagurski award given to the most outstanding defensive college football player in the nation.  Thanks to Baucom Press and the Charlotte TD Club, FCA Charlotte was able to fill a table and enjoy the fellowship of many friends and new acquaintances.

Mark Richt, Head Football Coach at the University of Georgia, was the keynote speaker and brought a bold message reflecting his faith and confidence in Jesus Christ.  He declared Jer. 17:7  and proclaimed that “What I do is not who I am”.  The message was that we all have things that we do but our identity should be in who God made us and what He did for us on the cross.  Thanks Coach Richt for your boldness and tremendous example to everyone who heard your message.

Congratulations to Luke Kuechley as the 2011 winner of the Bronko Nagurski Award.  191 tackles is pretty awesome!!!

FCA Staff in the Schools

How does a local school benefit from having available and engaged staff?

Ministry to all Coaches – Every high school has 20-25 coaches on staff. FCA staff ministers to the coaches through:

• Encouragement, Discipleship, Evangelism, and Bible Studies
• Ministry strategy for incorporating faith based coaching into their plans
• Care ministry to coaches and families
• Resources specific to their needs
• Access to camps and ministry opportunities for coaches and families

Ministry to Athletes – Every high school has 3-400 athletes. FCA staff ministers to the students by:

• Developing team specific Huddles led by coaches and volunteers
• Providing resource materials, speakers, and tools to use for ministry
• Creating evangelistic opportunities to share the gospel with the athletes
• Providing relational and discipleship ministry to student leaders
• Facilitating ministry to athletes and their families in times of crisis and need
• Encouraging enrollment in camps and mission opportunities

Student Body – Every high school culture is influenced heavily by the athletes and coaches who are on the campus. FCA staff ministers to the total student body through:

• Campus-wide Huddles
• Evangelism to share the gospel with the students
• Ministry services to the athletes and from the athletes
• Development of student leaders
• Development of volunteer leaders
• Resources for devotionals, worship, services, and discipleship
• Missions opportunities for serving their community

Why FCA?

Middle and high school students are growing up in a world of uncertainty and turmoil like America has never experienced. Family structures are failing, values and beliefs are vague, and students have generally lost their hope and identity. The most influential element of student life today is athletics. On most campuses, at least 30% of students participate in athletics and most of the others are highly interested in the activities surrounding school sports.

Coaches are the most influential element to the athletic department of each campus. How those coaches conduct themselves and the values they express are seen and heard by the athletes and the student body. This makes ministering to these groups of utmost importance in order to affect the present generation positively and spiritually.

FCA has the unique ability to exist in the public and private school system. By operating just like a school club and focusing on empowering coaches, there are very few boundaries to FCA’s ability to engage in the campus life. This alone represents a huge opportunity to affect the spiritual climate of a campus.

FCA Worship Night at Davidson College

On Monday November 28th Ryan Gloer(UNCC FCA Director) and I visited the Davidson College FCA worship night.  What an inspiration it was to see 30+ students gathering together for worship, encouragment, and their own mission projects.  Many students have been involved and contributed to their success through team bible studies, weekly huddles, and service projects including partnering with Samaritan’s Purse.

Two of the leaders were kind enough to let us take them out for pizza and hear more of the story of how FCA was conceived and has thrived at Davidson.  Andrew Barna(Baseball) and Chad Harper(Football) shared their stories of how they desired to see spiritual growth among the student athletes.  They recognize the impact that this group has and the special challenges they face.

Andrew and Chad leading prayer

As we shared our vision to see ministry on every college campus in the Charlotte area they were excited to participate in helping others to get started and joining with them for joint fellowship, missions, and camps.  We can’t wait to see what is next for Davidson FCA and many other college campuses like them.

Thanks Andrew and Chad !!

Mark Talbot,  FCA Charlotte Director

Coach Les Steckel Visits Charlotte FCA

Les Steckel is currently the President and CEO of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  On Nov. 12th and 13th Les and his wife Chris came to Charlotte to see first hand the momentum and excitement that is building for FCA in the Greater Charlotte area.  Having left behind an NFL coaching career in order to pursue God’s call on his life, Coach Steckel is now travelling 250 nights a year all over the world sharing the vision and purpose of FCA.  Their personal story and their passion to see young people turn to Jesus is an inspiration to anyone who is around them.  You can read their story in the book “One Yard Short” which tells of how God has molded them and used them over the years through trials and struggles that are everyday challenges in the NFL world.

Coach Steckel visits with FCA Charlotte Staff

On Saturday night we enjoyed a reception for our staff where Coach Steckel shared his story and we all shared our own story of how God had called us into FCA and for His Kingdom work.  This was a powerful and encouraging time for all of us to see what God is doing through each unique story.  Spouses were encouraged too by seeing what is happening in the Charlotte area.

On Sunday we all enjoyed the Panthers / Titans game where Coach Steckel visited with many of our Charlotte FCA supporters along with many old friends from the Titans.

The Little's, The Gloer's, and the Lawing's

Thanks to Les and Chris for taking the time to visit with us!