“@CalebHunton luvs @Jesus. He is gr8. #FCA #PauldingHS #GA”
For those of us not too tech savvy, the above Twitter-like statement translates to: Caleb Hunton loves Jesus. He is great. Shout out hashtag to FCA at Paulding High School in Paulding, Ga.
The recent high school graduate loves social media and has set his course to build others up in the truth of Jesus electronically.
“He has a huge heart for people,” Paulding/Douglas County Area Director Robbie Finley said about Hunton. “I know he’s got a heart towards missions and outreach, and to love other people.”
Hunton serving children on a mission trip to Nicaragua.
Hunton acknowledged FCA’s role in the mindset he’s developed. “FCA taught me that even though God says to dream big, sometimes you have to start small. I had heard a sermon about how one person can make a difference regardless of age, and I was like ‘I want to do that.’”
It took a few years of discovery for him to reach that mindset, however. Middle school for Hunton was a dark and confusing time.
Though he grew up in a church environment, in sixth grade he cracked a vertebrae on an errant bat swing and began a downward spiritual spiral. “I found my identity in baseball and not Jesus, so after that I went into a season of depression,” he said. “I didn’t know who I was, didn’t like church or Jesus and was confused- if God was so good, why did He let that happen to me?” Tension stirred at home, and Hunton fought to keep from going to church for years.
In December of eighth grade, an old youth pastor invited Hunton and his parents to a Christmas service at his church. Hunton observed people on stage singing and rejoicing with surprise. “I had never seen church before where people look like they are genuinely happy to be there,” realized Hunton. “I loved it. I literally talked about that church service two hours after we went.”
Finding friends who built him up among his self-destruction showed Hunton the continuous love of God, and a mission trip to Nicaragua his freshman year at Paulding High School further solidified his heart’s prodding. “It clicked with me that the Bible is real and what can happen right now is true- that God is faithful, that God does provide. On that trip I rededicated my life.”
Hunton joined Paulding FCA and developed a passion for guiding younger kids through sticky stages of life. He leads various youth small groups at his church and speaks at the Paulding Middle School FCA Huddle. “Getting to invest in kids and making sure they don’t even come close to getting towards those mistakes and areas I was in is important. It’s fun seeing their enthusiasm and having fun at church because I never had that when I was a kid.”
Ginger Corley, Choral Director and FCA Sponsor at Paulding High School, noted Hunton stepped up and into a larger role in the ministry: “This year he’s really taken a leadership role being our social media outreach person. He really gets into the behind the scenes. He’s very humble; he’s not looking to be in the spotlight or take a lot of credit, he’s just a hard worker.”
"FCA taught me that even though God says to dream big, sometimes you have to start small."
Hunton added, “I look at it like being a Twitter addict for Jesus. There’s not a single teenager that doesn’t have some sort of social media account. I know the Bible says that if God is lifted up He’ll draw all men to Himself, but we have a part to play in that, and social media is one of the best ways to get word out about what God’s doing in the church and FCA Huddles.”
Hunton organized an FCA Bash, a worship event involving all the FCA Huddles in the county, and everyone who attended brought a pair of shoes for a local ministry. A little over a hundred students were in attendance, with two people accepting Jesus by the end of the night.
“That is kind of rare to find a teenage boy who is that passionate about church and ministering to people,” Corley said.
Revealed Hunton, “I like seeing a new Christian get excited about reading the Bible, excited about going to church, excited about coming to FCA. Christians should be the most enthusiastic people on the planet because Jesus died on the cross not just to give us assurance from Hell but to give us abundant life, and I think we should live in that abundant life and joy and enthusiasm.”
Originally published July 2014