By Chloe Oliver
He didn’t go to Fellowship of Christian Athletes in sixth or seventh grade, but in eighth grade he began attending after his grades started slipping. After two weeks, he saw a noticeable change in his grades and his life at school.
Freshman Cohen Williams credited those FCA meetings with giving him an increased focus and maturity compared to middle school.
“Being with Christ really helps you out a lot,” Cohen said. “If you’re depressed or struggling and you just pray, get involved with Christ, and read your Bible, it really helps your life out.”
Many people are longing for purpose, identity and reason. Right now, Christians are being bold in their faith.
FCA is a student-led club in high schools all over the world. This is a faith-based club where students can meet to talk about Christ.
“It’s FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, but we like to say Fellowship of Christian Anyones because it’s really for anyone,” senior leader Grier Backus said.
In East Central Indiana, there are 56 middle school and high school FCA huddles across 11 counties.
At Delta’s first meeting of the year, the headcount was 95 people. At the third meeting, there were 103 people. This is the highest number of attendance in years.
This sparks the question, why is the revival of faith in this generation so high?
“I think that people are searching,” club sponsor and chemistry teacher Mr. Terry Summers said. “Kids are searching for something. They maybe sense an emptiness in the world and to fill that emptiness is through God.”
In Summers’ recent years of being a club sponsor for FCA, he hasn’t seen numbers this high. Until last year, FCA met in his room.
However last year, they started in the study hall room, but shortly after, moved out to the auditorium because of the large number of attendees. It has been in the auditorium since.
The main goal of the student leaders in FCA is to grow the number of students to fill the auditorium.
Summers said that seeing students mature in their walk with God, begin showing up at weekly meetings, and seeing their lives change are things that are meaningful to him.
Summers also said that being a sponsor helps him relate to other students outside of the classroom and keeps him biblically in check.
Math teacher Mrs. Lorie Crouch, also a sponsor for FCA, was surprised there were not even more people there. She attends church at Union Chapel and sees many Delta students participate in Serve week and other youth-related activities.
Crouch also sees many people wearing faith-based clothing around the school, which is why she is not surprised at the higher numbers so far this year.
Crouch thinks that many students are not able to show up to FCA because they don’t have a ride or they get to school too late. She said there are also students who are probably too nervous to show up, don’t have a friend in the club, or have not been invited.
Being a club sponsor gives Crouch an opportunity to share her faith and invite other students to FCA. She enjoys this opportunity to let kids know that they have Jesus as a support in school.
Crouch believes that the revival of faith within the current generation is an outcome of the Covid 19 pandemic.
“I think Covid was a rock bottom moment,” Crouch said. “I think that there was a lot of fear and anxiety and isolation, and that just caused a lot of kids to bottom out emotionally. They’re realizing that the internet and Instagram is not going to fix that for them. There isn’t anything in life that can cure that other than Jesus.”
A song that Crouch enjoys is ‘Breakdown’ by Andrew Ripp. There are lyrics in it that say “This is not a breakdown, it’s a breakthrough,” and “rock bottom is a firm foundation.”
FCA meets at 8:03 a.m. every Tuesday morning. There is breakfast food along with chocolate milk and orange juice. The message starts around 8:15, and after the lesson, there are discussion questions at the end. If there is extra time, they play a game.
Grier Backus is one of the six student leaders who run the weekly meetings. She was not expecting the large number of people at the first few meetings.
The student leaders have talked about bringing in more student speakers and having some pastors come in to speak as well. They also want to do more with worship and hope to incorporate that more during weekly meetings.
Grier said it is impactful for her to hear how her messages affect people and relate to their lives.
Another student leader is senior Ruth Sherck. Coming into the new school year, she was expecting to see most of the same people that she saw at the meetings last year. But she noticed more freshmen than she did last year.
Going forward with this year, Ruth’s goal is to see more people around the school getting to know Jesus.
“I know people in new ways now because someone shared their testimony in FCA,” Ruth said. “I wouldn’t have known them if they wouldn’t have gotten up and told me that they’ve seen God work in their lives.”
Ruth believes that social media is a big part of the revival of faith in the current generation because of podcasts like Bryce Crawford and others, as well as seeing Christian music hit top charts.
Ruth says that impactful moments in her time as a leader in FCA include going to events like See You At The Pole and seeing her friends and peers worship God in a way she hasn’t seen them worship before. She said she enjoys seeing people in a new light.
Junior Camry Hensley is another student leader for FCA. It is her first year being a leader, but she has been attending since seventh grade.
Through FCA, Camry has met people who help her grow in her faith. She said that because of this club she has been introduced to things like Saturday Night Jam, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leadership camp, and Fields of Faith.
Camry describes the environment inside of FCA as easy-going.
“It’s changed my mindset a lot,” Camry said. “Instead of stressing over tests and freaking out about them, I will pray and give all my stress to God and just trust that I’ll make it through.”
Going forward, she would like to incorporate more outside of school activities with FCA, like volunteering, or a worship night bonfire.
Senior Cameron Deckman enjoys inviting and taking friends who wouldn’t otherwise go to FCA because it is earlier in the morning. He says that instead of being intimidating, it feels laid back.
“You wouldn’t just eat on a Sunday, you would eat every day, and that’s how I see it with Christ,” Cameron said. “I think it’s just a great way to stay rooted in your faith every day.”
Since going to FCA, Cameron has met more people than he expected.
Sophomore Joel Keys described the high school FCA as a safe space for him. He said it helps discipline him and gives him more of a solid foundation for his week.
Molly Webber attended middle school FCA and is continuing to attend at the high school as a freshman. She said that going to this club gives her another reason to pray in the mornings.
She thinks that the sense of community within FCA is secure and comforting. At the high school FCA, Molly has noticed a difference in maturity and how immersed people are in the weekly messages.
Molly said being a part of this club impacts her because it makes her feel like God is with her throughout her school day.
There are some student-led events that spring from FCA. One of those events is See You At The Pole.
This is a yearly event where schools all around the country have a day of prayer. They pray for the school, community, government, teachers, and everyone before school. There is usually worship and a short message.
This year, See You At The Pole is Sept. 24. FCA will meet at the flagpole at the south side of the school or the front office entrance.
Fields of Faith is another student-led event put on yearly. It is Oct. 1 this year at the Muncie Central Fieldhouse.
It gathers youth and adults from East Central Indiana to worship and listen to various messages. There are student speakers and an adult speaker.
Each year, a couple thousand people go to Fields of Faith. The whole goal is to win souls for Christ.
“If you’re going to be involved with something, you should be involved with God,” Summers said. “It’s the main way to do it. Because that is the way, the truth, and the life.”
