At the crack of dawn, students gather together in prayer while many others still lay in slumber. This routine repeats itself on the first and third Thursday of each month when members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletics gather together to have breakfast, play games and listen to a guest speaker.
Don McClanen founded FCA in 1954 and it has been on campus since coach David Barton organized it in 1994. The clubs purpose is to bring God and sports together.
“I really enjoy sports, and I love Christ,” Ericlee Gilmore, head of FCA on campus, said. “FCA brings these interests together.”
Gilmore has been involved in FCA for ten years, and involved with the campus club for four years.
“My favorite parts of FCA are the food, fellowship and Bible study,” Carson Belmont, ’05, FCA photographer and promoter, said. “Also, coach Gilmore is fun to be around.”
This year, FCA plans to coach kids in athletics while teaching them about God, go to Boomers, and take part in community service at the Poverello House.
“FCA is a great vehicle with which to grow in the knowledge of God,” Jonathon Lotz, Fresno County Area Director of FCA, said. “We can also use it as a platform to share Jesus with others.”
Forty-eight junior highs, high schools, and colleges are currently participating in FCA around the San Jouquin Valley.
Senior Michelle Nachtigall, campus student president of FCA, says FCA continues to be a positive experience for her.
“My favorite part of FCA is the fellowship with other students,” Nachtigall said. “I get to know them on a spiritual level. The summer before last I attended an FCA camp with some other leaders, and it was a great opportunity to learn more about my role as an FCA leader, and get to know other leaders.” This is Nachtigall’s third year in FCA.
FCA held a meeting in Gilmore’s trailer where participants of different ages met to pray for their fellow students and have breakfast on Sept. 18.
“We talk about our relationships with God and other people,” Jessica Berg, ’07, said.
FCA meetings are held in Gilmore’s trailer every first and third Thursday at 7:00 A.M.
For more information about FCA on campus, contact Gilmore at 297-9464, ext. 140.
For general information about FCA, visit the FCA website at www.FCA.org or call Lotz at 439-4081.
