Each Thursday, FCA huddles at LCHS during the third period of the day. FCA is a ministry that stands for “The Fellowship of Christian Athletes”. It is an impactful group that connects students (9)-(12) in the hopes of sharing the zealous love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Many schools around the United States, and abroad, promote a joined group once a week to worship and learn more about God. FCA has been a scheduled event for quite a long time at LCHS, however with the hectic reality of school and work, this ministry somewhat fell off last school year. Coach and teacher Mr. Hardin shares his heart and assistance in the restoration of FCA.
“When I started teaching here last year, I immediately sought out last year’s sponsor and asked what I could do to be involved. I’ve been involved with FCA for a long time and it’s something that, when last year’s sponsor left, I was eager to step in and help out as the teacher sponsor,” Hardin said.
Every club or organization has a set goal in mind to help propel the students in which it benefits. FCA has had a great deal of recourse and newfound passion as administrator, Mr. Hardin, works to improve the ministry every week.
“Our goal as a group is to establish a group of young people that love Jesus and help to foster and send those people into the world and reach people who might not know Jesus. We have an awesome student leadership team that has really facilitated and taken ownership of the weekly meetings, and I think the students who attend take notice of other young people owning their faith. The enthusiasm the students bring each week to our huddles is infectious, and it makes Thursdays something to look forward to,” Hardin said.
Junior, Naomi Lambdin, is one of the students who has stepped into a continual role for the weekly assembly and is stationed as one of the worship leaders. Lamdin got her start in music at a young age and picked up the guitar in her 8th-grade year. From there, she was taught harmony, rhythm, and beat. She is a member of the Singers program at LCHS and when she attended a recent FCA meeting this school year, she saw an outlet and a need for worship at the gathering.
“I started going to FCA freshman year, and I became more involved near the end of my sophomore year. After our first meeting this year, I thought worship would be a cool idea so I reached out to Sawyer Simmons. She told me they had wanted to start it but they didn’t have an instrumentalist. I offered, and some friends of mine in Singers help put our first team together. I think as time goes on, the [worship] team itself will develop a rhythm and schedule. I’d also love for others to reach out if they’d like to be on the team! I hope members of FCA can feel comfortable worshipping God despite different churches or denominations,” Lambin said.
FCA is such an important ministry as it allows students to hear the voice of God and grow in fellowship with friends alike. School, for some, can be an intimidating and rough time in an individual’s life. There are so many distractions, daunting assignments, and diversions that take place in our lives. It’s great to be able to escape that for a short while and attend a group where you are welcome and encouraged to drop all of your worries and discover Jesus’ love.
“We started this year in the cafe because last year we averaged about 10-15 students for our meetings. We struggled to find consistency last year with a meeting time that allowed for a lot of students to come, and this year we were able to make it work for a better time slot and we’ve seen tremendous growth. We’re averaging around 75-80 students each week, but we really want the auditorium packed out. Each week we challenge students to bring 1-2 new people with them each Thursday, and if that starts happening regularly we can fill up the auditorium quickly. I don’t want to put a number on it because I don’t want to put a cap on how many students God can reach through this, so I’ll just say this: once we fill up the auditorium, the football stadium might have to be our next option!” Hardin said.
This newfound spirit and zeal for the FCA gatherings has made all the difference and it is clearly shown through the attendance and impact on the lives of the students at LCHS. Students are highly encouraged to sit in on the meetings and enjoy time with friends. Fellowship is a blessing.
