Fellowship of Christian Athletes, known as FCA, is gaining momentum on Mercer’s campus. It is an organization that began in 1954 in Kansas and has a faith-based mission targeting coaches and athletes.
The mission of FCA is “To present to athletes and coaches, and all whom they influence, the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church.”
The ministry of FCA is categorized by the Four Cs, which are coaches, campus, camps and communities. The coaching aspect focuses on redeeming sports through the transformed coaches. The campus ministry is led by the coaches and athletes at the middle school, high school and college levels. The camp ministry involves many different camps that offer spiritual and leadership training. The community aspect revolves around partnering with local churches and business to create a community reach for Jesus Christ. The Four Cs characterize every FCA chapter nationwide.
Weekly meetings take place every Tuesday night where student-athletes and coaches congregate in fellowship, worship and testimony sharing. Justin Brown, former Mercer football coach, leads Mercer’s FCA.
Mercer’s FCA is led by students, Brown and Coach Lamb’s wife, Alyson Lamb, who have together worked to create an environment where students and coaches can worship, congregate and encourage one another in a faith based environment.
FCA allows for a community among students to bring them together in faith, and it creates a support system of people with similar beliefs.
Eli Grambling, a Mercer Football player, is a member of Mercer FCA’s leadership team and the worship leader for the weekly meetings. He has seen FCA on Mercer’s campus change and develop in the last three years and is proud to be a part of it. Just three years ago, Mercer barely had FCA at all, and Grambling is excited to be a part of it.
“FCA has changed tremendously,” said Grambling. “When I got here my freshmen year, we got it rolling and would have 50 at the most and 12 at the least; it wasn’t much of anything. After putting more into and changing our meetings to the field house, it started to grow rapidly.”
Grambling has really enjoyed being able to serve the Lord and lead weekly worship.
“My favorite part would be just the fellowship and how all the teams come together, and it’s a good way to meet people,” he said. “I love getting to do something I love in leading worship and seeing other people worship, too.”
A huge part of the of the growth of FCA on Mercer’s campus has been through the help of the adult leaders.
“Mrs. Lamb helping and Coach Brown becoming a full time FCA employee at Mercer has helped the growing process on campus,” Grambling said. “It is definitely exciting and I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do with it.”
Hannah Noon, a member of the Mercer Volleyball Team, is also on the leadership team for Mercer’s FCA. Fellowship of Christian Athletes has become an important part of Noon’s Mercer experience, and she wants others to experience all that FCA has to offer.
Noon believes that this type of organization is necessary on Mercer’s campus.
“It allows athletes to relate to playing a sport and how that really impacts a person’s faith! To me, it is another opportunity to worship and give glory to God. It has allowed me to not only meet other athletes but develop relationships with other Christians that have and continue to strengthen my relationship with God and, in turn, encouraging others,“ Noon said. “As an athlete, we are all about teams and playing together, and FCA is my team; we are all on God's team. FCA draws things out of me that I never knew I had or was capable of having. There are opportunities to grow each week as someone new brings the word each week. It's a refreshing time to relax and grow!”
Noon is excited for the future and possibility of further growth.
“I would love to see FCA become more involved with outreach work and to see more and more new faces each week,” Noon said. “We have already had a couple people dedicate and rededicate their lives to Christ, and it has been a true blessing to witness. I can't wait to see where God takes FCA.”
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