This story appears in FCA Magazine’s September/October 2015 issue. Subscribe today!
College is the springboard into adulthood.
An array of choices are spread before students on where they can further their education and, once they decide on a school, an endless web of possibilities awaits. It’s the edge of awakening, the exploration of a new world far away from family and childhood.
Most, if not all, freshmen enter college with an overwhelming sense to find their place or “fit in.” Somewhere. Sometimes anywhere. Whether those choices lead to spiritual growth or demise, however, depends on what they seek.
This past spring, Sandy Thomas—FCA Area Representative in Eastern Maine, including the University of Maine—took a phone call from the father of an incoming freshman. He wanted to know how his son could get involved with FCA.
“To hear this dad’s heart was profound,” Thomas said. “He so badly wanted to make sure his son got connected to something like FCA because he was almost fearful for what college would be like if he didn’t.”
Parents like this aren’t unique. College is such a pivotal point in faith exploration, and parents can only do so much. At college, students carve out a faith of their own—or steer in the opposite direction and dismiss faith.
“A lot of kids coming into college think, ‘Wow, this is my break away from family religion, and I can start on my own,’” Thomas said. “They’re either going to come in and get plugged in quickly to some kind of campus ministry, or they’re going to walk away from it and say, ‘I want to experience all I can of the college life without anything holding me back.’”
Young adults will try every avenue possible to find their fit, ready to tip the scales in either direction until they receive what they’re looking for. It’s critical to get connected, and that’s where the ministry of FCA steps in, serving as the backdrop of life change for decades of student-athletes.
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Courtney Anderson, a recent University of Maine graduate and basketball player, came into college with a family faith that wasn’t quite yet her own. She heard about FCA at open gym her freshman year and tried it out.
The interactive, open environment relaxed Anderson while piquing her interest. Her faith solidified and stretched as she sat in the Huddle listening to lessons and conversations. Being able to just sit and listen, Anderson said, was “a cool beginning for me. I learned something new every time I went.”
Soon, Anderson noticed a difference in her days when she didn’t attend, and how the pleasures of this world dimmed when she did.
“People are living minute by minute, not really worried about eternity at this point,” she said. “If you had a relationship with God before, it’s easy to lose it once you get here.
“When I would miss, my weeks wouldn’t be very good. I’d struggle to get things done and wouldn’t be very happy throughout the week. I found that the worldly view of college didn’t bring me joy.”
FCA swooped in when Anderson needed community and teaching, which she was “in desperate need of as an 18-year-old kid.” It was the perfect place during a tough and often lonely freshman year.
Anderson was one of the numerous athletes who met with Thomas after Huddles to simply talk about life. Many of the athletes expressed gratitude for getting plugged into FCA quickly because it’s helped them stay focused on walking straight ahead with their eyes on the Lord.
“To see young people really beginning to pursue who they are, not by their athletic performance, but as children of God—it’s just a blessing to me,” Thomas said.
And, as Anderson continued to delve into FCA, she found herself contributing more.
“She shared a lot this year,” Thomas said. “She started to be confident in who she was and become more open. Courtney really began to know who she was in Christ.”
• • •
Miles away, at the University of South Florida, Daniel Lopez avoided anything God-related. Ever since high school, the former soccer and baseball player preferred to keep his own life locked without handing over the key. His social calendar was filled with a steady stream of partying, and that didn’t change when he went off to college.
Why stop?
“I just never wanted to live for Him because I wanted to do what I wanted to do and control what I wanted to control,” Lopez said.
During his sophomore year, Daniel met Keila Lopez, the daughter of Florida FCA Area Representative Ben Lopez. Daniel and Keila became friends, but Daniel still kept his distance from the God Keila so often spoke about.
One day after class, Daniel noticed a blue and yellow book amongst Keila’s things. It was an FCA Bible. The next day, she handed Daniel his very own copy. With no history with the ministry and little-to-no faith during his youth, Daniel started reading the Bible and researching FCA—out of curiosity more than anything.
“I was so lost,” Daniel admitted, but he kept reading and soon began attending church with his girlfriend. Still, things weren’t clicking yet. He felt as if he was living two lives. He’d go to church on Sundays but be right back at the parties on Friday night.
“But I would always feel bad for some reason,” Daniel said. “It was a conviction. I felt guilt.”
By junior year, Keila approached Daniel with a desire to start FCA on campus. Much to his surprise, she wanted him to be the Huddle Vice President.
“On the outside I was really nice and I read that Bible, but on my own time I was still lukewarm,” Daniel said.
But several months later, when the Huddle met for the first time with six staff and students, Daniel’s turn to share came. It was then that he saw how God had been at work in his life long before he even came to campus.
His heart craved the community of believers at FCA, despite fighting desperately to keep it at bay. Daniel felt the presence of God, a holy stirring bubbling inside.
“I’m sitting right here in FCA,” he said. “God’s got me this far, so that means I’m saved already. I just have to accept that.”
Daniel gave his testimony and began digging deeper into God’s Word. He attended FCA Leadership Camp the following summer as a Huddle Leader and speaker. There, he “felt the Spirit and knew my calling: to be a leader in all purposes in life, wherever I go.”
Through FCA, Daniel recognized the benefit of representing Christ in a fun and honorable way. Now, he doesn’t shy away from his beliefs. A current competitive bodybuilder, his weight belt sports the acronym GOE (“God Over Everything”) and Philippians 4:13. When others ask about it, he’s quick to explain the meaning.
Daniel never expected the young boy wild in his ways to end up where he is today: a medical student married to his college sweetheart, speaking out for his faith, living for Jesus. When God came knocking through FCA, Daniel couldn’t help but open the door and discover the life He longed for him to see.
His story, similar to many others at that stage of exploration, proves how FCA can speak truth and life into a desperately seeking world. Students explore, and they may choose the world over Jesus, but FCA will continue to be there to shine that beacon of light to point students directly to Christ.
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–This article appears in the September/October 2015 issue of FCA Magazine. To view the issue digitally, click here: September/October 2015 FCA Mag Digital
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Header photo courtesy of Daniel Lopez