Among many campus clubs, one group strives to be unique by encouraging athletes in Christ: Fellowship of Christian Athletics (FCA).
Ericlee Gilmore, FCA adviser, believes the group members should glorify God through the sports they play, not themselves.
?FCA has two passions,? Gilmore said, ?athletics and Christ. We honor sports programs, pray for team members and say that they?re doing a good job. I wish that more people would come to the meetings, but some people feel that FCA isn?t that important. When I was in FCA at college, the school was not a Christian school, so it was a big deal there compared to this school.?
At the Dec. 7 meeting, they all ate breakfast together at Country Waffles, and Gilmore read The Three Trees, a Christmas story.
Joshua Palmer, ?08, president of FCA, believes he can make an impact on the student body through FCA by representing Christ through his sport.
?I really had never been involved with anything at our school besides choir,? Palmer said. ?My sophomore year I was given the opportunity to become an officer and I took it.?
Palmer enjoys the breakfast meetings more than the lunches because he considers them to be more traditional and personal.
?Going to Country Waffles is an old tradition that has been going on since before I was a freshman,? Palmer said. ?I like the breakfast meetings better because I feel that it is much more personal. However, I would like to see it become a much bigger group. Over all, I really enjoyed the fellowship and I had fun in the last meeting.?
Brittany Lauber, ?08, a softball player who plans to play catcher, appreciates FCA for encouraging sports teams.
?I think that FCA does a good job encouraging sports teams,? Lauber said. ?When I was playing sports, I didn?t know about FCA, but I have come to enjoy it.?
Jordan Lowery, ?09, football quarterback, bastketball point guard and baseball pitcher and shortstop, participated in FCA at his old school, Hoover High school.
?I think that FCA is a great idea,? Lowery said. ?It is a good way for athletes to bond with other people in the meetings. I liked the last meeting because I knew many of the people there and we all joked around and had a great time. Plus, you get to eat food.?
In addition to the relationships made with people at the meetings, Palmer appreciates the relationships grown with Christ.
?I feel that it is a very good way to build relationships with others who you wouldn?t necessarily hang out with otherwise,? Palmer said. ?It is also nice because we all have the same goal, which is to represent Christ through our playing sports.?
The next FCA meeting will be at lunch on Jan. 11, in room 604.
For more information about FCA, read Alyssa Boss’ Oct. 17, 2007, article, FCA fellowship encourages passionate living.
