Early in the morning, the football team loads the bus with sleep in their eyes. The loud sound of boys yelling and joking around fills the bus. Coach Tracy Burke calls for the boys to be quiet so he can check attendance. The bus pulls out of the parking lot and make their way to Texas A&M for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) event.
The whole thing was amazing,” senior Malik Babaa said. “We had two a days with other schools, competed, and had chapel at the end of the day.”
Athletics requires athletes to meet during school and participate in after-school practices. The coaches focus on teaching their players about the sport, leadership and in some cases, about faith. FCA meets every week on Friday mornings. During meetings, an athlete will lead a lesson and the group will discuss what they learned from the lesson as well as different subjects that have been on their hearts and minds. At the end of each meeting, the students end with a prayer.
“Coach Burke really inspired me to join the meetings on Friday mornings,” senior Joey Milburn said. “I love being a part of FCA.”
Coach Burke leads the FCA program and encourages all of his athletes to come to the meetings and become a part of the group. The group is open to non athletes as well. The purpose of the group is to bring people together through a common belief. FCA gives Coach Burke a chance to share his faith with the students and have an impact on their life.
“We live in a world with a lot of temptations that can distract us from our walk with Christ,” Coach Burke said. “FCA is an avenue to surround ourselves with people with good character and like beliefs.”
The program focuses on how student athletes can incorporate their faith into other parts of their lives, specifically how they can use it in the sports they play. Coaches encourage their players to show their faith in the locker room and on the field. The students athletes that participate in the program believe that FCA helps them bring their teams together.
“It’s better to be together than to be an individual,” Milburn said. FCA teaches us to be in a group and play for the glorification of Christ.”
