South Gym was filled with the sounds of basketball games and volleyball passes on club day, as dozens of students came together for some time to play and gather as a community. However, this was not just another physical education class. This was one of the largest clubs in all of Lincoln Southeast (LSE), the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
Headquartered in Kansas City, FCA has been dedicated to two major goals; sports and Christianity, since 1954. This organization has made an impact not only for athletic teams nationwide, but for teams around the world.
FCA has brought athletes together in 115 countries, according to their website. Just in Nebraska, FCA has had a presence in 305 high schools, 20 colleges, and rostered more than 7,000 coaches. And one of those 305 high schools is, of course, LSE.
Physical education teacher Jacob Kuesel has been one of the FCA club leaders at LSE for three years now, and says that the group is still growing. It started out with 30 to 40 members at most, but has now grown to almost 100 members, according to Kuesel.
“We’re growing, but obviously it’s for good reasons.”
With a group as large as FCA, it doesn’t only have club sponsors, but Student Leaders as well. One of those leaders is senior Trent Townsend, who has been involved in FCA since his freshman year. FCA has grown significantly every school year, about a 30% annual increase according to Townsend, to where it is now. Townsend says this increase has been a result of students inviting their friends, as they had been enjoying FCA so much themselves.
“Everyone was outreaching, and we were very proud of that,” Townsend said. There are also several other Student Leaders in FCA, such as senior Emma Von Scheliha and sophomore Reese Agena.
Every club day during 4th period, the many FCA members meet in the South Gym, where they participate in various sport activities. FCA also offers a meeting after school, known as “Overtime,” where students can discuss their faith and sometimes listen to a guest speaker. While the sports aspect of the club may be a main factor, Townsend says that the conversations they have inbetween games is important too.
“What’s probably attractive to a lot of people is the game time and just getting to fellowship with one another, but we still have a lot of genuine believers who wanna be there for the good we can do, and those leaders have often stood out in the past.”
Besides athletics, FCA’s other main topic is the messages of Christianity. After competing in a game, the group comes together at the end of the meeting to have a discussion relating to Jesus Christ and his teachings. Then there is a closing prayer to end the day before students return to their classes.
“We talk about the gospel a lot, that is like, the big focus, but we try to make a message where it ties into: how does this tie into your life as an athlete?” Townsend said.
While religious beliefs vary from person to person, according to Kuesel, FCA has managed to become a unifying factor in more ways than one. With FCA being open for players of any sport, it allows students with completely different backgrounds to come together in a single group.
“You have some football players, you have some baseball players… basketball players, that don’t know each other… it’s good to see them be able to bond over one belief that they [have],” Kuesel said.
While Christianity is a major focus in FCA, there is still an emphasis on students being competitive, yet good sports.
“Me being a follower of Jesus doesn’t mean that I can’t be competitive and get after it and try to win… through the stories and the passages we go through, we have a chance to understand that no matter what happens in the game, it doesn’t change our standing with God. But, it also changes the perspective of that all people are loved and that it can change the way we look at the game and how we treat others on the court/field/etc.” Kuesel said.
Along with promoting the message of the gospel and good sportsmanship, FCA has also been an opportunity for members like Townsend to become more involved at Southeast.
“I’d say, if anything, [FCA] impacted me more as a leader… it’s something that I took a sort of passion in,” Townsend said. “It helped me develop my sense of self in a manner, sort of like, ‘where do I fit here at Southeast?’”
For students wanting to join FCA, they can contact Coach Kuesel or Coach Isaiah Dell, or go through the club sign up process. Students are allowed to join in the second semester, if there is room, according to the LSE club website. Membership is encouraged by sponsors and Student Leaders alike.
“We don’t close anyone off, anyone that wants the opportunity to come join our club, we want them there,” Kuesel said.
