Outside the MAC, the sun begins to rise as laughter and competitiveness yell fill the room. The laughter dies as they bow their heads for a short prayer.
Members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meet Wednesday mornings to share the gospel before heading to school. Senior Savannah Stewart, president, has participated in FCA since her freshman year.
“The FCA program gives students a place to talk about their faith within the school and gives them an opportunity to meet people they can grow in their faith with. This can give students hope to be able to talk about Christianity without fear of judgment,” Stewart said. “I was looking for a community of Christian athletes in order to find friends that were like me and that is where I met a lot of my friends that I still have today at Legacy.”
Open to more than just athletes, Fellowship of Christian Athletes opens its door to any students. Football and baseball coach Cade Oliver noticed a positive impact on the school.
“We get new kids every week. It’s not always consistent, but I’ll see a new face just about every week,” Coach Oliver said. “I know that at the very least they start their day off on a positive note, having laughed and learned and had some fellowship with their peers.
In junior college, Coach Oliver created FCA at his school, then later joined FCA at Arkansas State University after transferring. He has participated at every school since.
“FCA was a big deal for me just because there are ups and downs, especially being an athlete in college. It’s tough balancing school, sports and outside life,” Coach Oliver said. “So just having that time, that grounding point with your peers. We would talk about our week and relate it back to the Bible and what it says about whatever’s going on and how it connects to everyday life.”
Guest speakers come to FCA to preach about the struggles that many of our students are going through in our school. TeJay Antone, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and class of 2012 alumni, spoke at a night huddle on Feb. 7.
“The day after I was cleared to go back to pole vaulting again after three months of not being able to do anything after a major surgery, I was feeling hopeless, as all my fellow athletes were getting better at their sport while my life was on pause, I felt like I would never be able to catch up,” Stewart said. “Tejay shared his testimony which changed my whole outlook on life that day. He shared how he suffered a UCL injury at the peak of his career. His recovery was long, but he stayed positive through the struggle because of his trust in God’s plan. From this, I learned of the hope you can find in Jesus. I had peace knowing that no matter what happened next, my life is in God’s hands, so I can trust that it will work out in my favor.”
Schools throughout Mansfield ISD host the FCA program. Legacy hosted a night huddle and invited the Lake Ridge FCA members to join.
“We had Lake Ridge athletes come last year, they came to our big Monday night huddle,” Coach Oliver said. “That was really cool to see, kids from different schools, wearing different colors, and different mascots, even different sports, all come together and be part of the same group the same organization. It was just really cool to see it happen here.”
FCA meets for Bible study every Wednesday morning in the MAC and hosts night huddles on the first Monday of every month.
“The weekly meetings are very real and open where students and guest speakers talk about God and what he has done in their lives,” Stewart said. “Personally, FCA has helped me in so many ways. FCA is the most encouraging and life-giving club I’ve ever been a part of. It has given me a community of people to surround myself with and has allowed me to make new friendships. The atmosphere is so welcoming and I would love for everyone to have the same opportunity to have the same experiences that I have had within this club.”
