Shining light through FCA

Since the start of Rider, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been holding meetings in an attempt to share the gospel. 

This year, the student-run FCA has grown significantly through outreach. There are meetings held every other Thursday at 7:15 a.m. in Room 115 filled with interactive games, a message, community and donuts. 

FCA leaders Bella Groves and Harley Ferguson have high hopes for this success to continue. In the midst of growth, they still stay focused on their main goal — to spread the gospel. 

“In reality, (the numbers) don’t matter because whenever or wherever the gospel is preached,  it’s heard by somebody,” Groves said. 

Groves said anyone — not just athletes — are welcome to attend the meetings. The senior said the biggest challenge FCA faces is pressing forward despite having obstacles.

“School most of the time is a dark place, and with this access to light nobody wants to take advantage of it,” Groves said. “I think the hardest thing is continuing what we do faithfully even though we might not see the fruit of it all with the numbers and kids that come in and the recognition.”

Ferguson got involved in FCA after a difficult summer in 2020 and he wanted to accept God’s call on his life. 

“I felt like God was calling me to step up as a leader,” Ferguson said. “That way I could talk to more people about God and hopefully bring them to Christ.” 

As for Groves, she found FCA because her brother took her during her freshman year and it was meant to be. 

“I knew from the first day that I wanted to be a part of something that gave me a platform that allowed me to share my faith and encourage and be encouraged in a school where you don’t normally see Christians,” Groves said. 

Through joining FCA, these leaders have learned many things about themselves. Groves has learned that your title does not matter as much as who you are serving. 

 “FCA has taught me that it doesn’t matter if I am the star of my soccer team, in regular P.E., in chess club or in anything really,” Groves said. “It’s the fact that we as students and people as humans can come together under one name and the name is Jesus. Have common beliefs and share and have fun and laugh and eat donuts and just do life together.”

Ferguson has overcome his challenges with public speaking and he points his success to leaning on God. 

“As long as I lean on God, I can usually figure it out through His strength, not mine,” Ferguson said. 

Groves and Ferguson did not do this all on their own, they had the gracious help of other team leaders and from an important influence in their lives. Kenzi Renfro and Bella Kelleher are other on-campus FCA leaders. 

“It’s definitely the Lord, I can’t give credit to anyone else,” Groves said. “I don’t think I could do or want to do these kinds of things if it wasn’t for Him.”

The main goal Groves and Ferguson share beside their common beliefs is they do not want FCA to die out; they want it to progress and supply students with a safe space. 

FCA is not limited to just meetings, they also have a decorated prayer locker by the library where students can submit any prayer requests. Their next meeting will be Nov. 4. 

“Life is hard so being able to realize that it doesn’t matter the kind of people we are as long as we’re coming together with one common denominator,” Groves said. 

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