Demon Dispatch
Club of the Month: FCA helps students grow in their faith, has ‘positive impact’ on everyday lifeWednesday, January 23, 2008 By Carly Price
Most clubs can’t say they gain members with each gathering; however, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club (FCA) has grown in number from 10 students to over 90 in just three years. FCA sponsor Jeff Cox said that this increase was due to the kids’ desire to reach out to other people. “The purpose of FCA is threefold: win people to a relationship with God, grow in that relationship and send the members out to help others and teach them about God,” said Jeff Cox, FCA sponsor. This is his third year as sponsor, and he said his favorite part of the club is being around teenagers and helping them grow. One of those teens includes Junior leader Tara Oldenburg. “Not only is FCA about learning about God, but you make good friends. I met a lot of people I didn’t even know existed,” Oldenburg said, smiling. She added that attending FCA has improved her spiritual life, taught her so much about God and her faith and has had a huge, positive impact on her day-to-day life in general. The meetings are held every Tuesday during lunch in the multi-purpose room, and Cox provides pizza and beverages, free for those attending. Each gathering commences with an ice-breaker activity, prayer and announcements. “As an MC and leader of FCA, I enjoy being able to come together and worship with friends and bring others closer to God,” Sophomore Julie Redus said. “I can see the impact the club has on campus because we’ve grown from filling a small classroom to filling the multi-purpose room.” After announcements of upcoming events and reminders of special days, Cox will either teach an interactive lesson or host a guest speaker. The topic for the past month has been prayer, and he has been encouraging students to lead others on their own. “My expectations throughout the year are to get more and more students involved and create at least 50 small student-led groups by the end of the year,” Cox said. On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays Cox meets with several students so they have the opportunity to learn how to be a leader and to lead others in their faith. He wishes to expand the club even more through this method, having already seen it grow over the past three years as sponsor. “We went from 10 kids to over 90 in the time I’ve been here, and it’s because the students are talking to other people. I’ve seen a lot of kids’ lives change,” Cox said proudly. Besides the other weekly gatherings, Cox also holds a night study group every Monday where the leaders plan for the next days’ events. He calls this “Malignant Monday.” Senior Ben Cox, president, aids Cox with the planning meetings and other club responsibilities. Ben Cox said that he “loves getting the opportunity to tell others about God that may not otherwise have the chance.” Ben Cox was appointed president his freshman year by Brian Beltramo, the coaches ministry director of the Arizona section of FCA. The father-son team said they enjoy running “a club for students about helping students,” and they welcome anyone who is interested in joining. Oldenburg added, “It’s life changing. Join the club!” |