artwork courtesy of FCA
Fellowship of Christian Athletes engages students to grow in their faith and athletics.
When Thomas Jefferson High School sports are entrenched in their seasons, student athletes become involved with their peers and community. TJ has implemented a club called Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a main driving force which has allowed athletes to gain exposure to their religions while actively participating in sports.
The FCA program is designed to unite both factors of religion and sports. Though FCA has been around since 1954, TJ Varsity softball and JV basketball head coach Kyler Jackson established the program here at TJ several years ago. “It was created to allow Christian teenage athletes to have an outlet to express their Christianity and positively influence their schools and sports teams,” Jackson explained. “I came across fellow Christians who were interested in learning more about Christ and interacting with classmates who felt the same.” Jackson’s primary goal was to help Spartans with similar values develop a connection with one another by opening up to new perspectives and environments while learning about God.
Members of the group attend weekly meetings and have specific routines each day they meet. “We discuss scriptures and ways to apply the bible to their lives as young teenagers,” said Jackson. Sophomore Zoya Robbins stated, “We start off and end with a prayer. In between that, we individually go around and talk about how we are blessed.” Students and staff also sing a song of worship. Many Spartans have developed positive mindsets and mentalities after being involved with the program. Junior Galen Street said, “I think it’s great to get together and learn about God with others who have common interests.” Robbins added, “It allows us to get closer with God. It really brings us together as a community.” Having passions for both religion and sports, students are easily able to bond on personal levels.
FCA members have taken part in generous acts of kindness in order to impact the TJ community positively. “We have done a clothing drive for two consecutive years where we give clothing away to students in need at TJ,” stated Jackson. FCA takes the best attributes of an athletic-focused and a spiritual-focused environment and combines them into an athletic and spiritual experience like no other. It separates athletes and coaches from their basic team routines and places them into a setting which allows them to pursue their passion for their sports and clearly reach out to their faiths. Students involved with FCA have encountered life changing situations within the entire process, and hope to continue influencing the school community in the future.
