These days, FCA International has now expanded to include a collection of between 19 and 30 nations (depending on which organization is defining its makeup) of the Middle East and North Africa and is often referred to as MENA.
In 2015, FCA conducted 24 camps that served 755 basketball, swimming, and soccer athletes in several iconic biblical cities.
“God has blessed us with many great friends and relationships and folks who look out for our teams,” James Allen* says. “They will tell us to avoid a specific location in a certain time if tensions are high. One of the biggest challenges at first was trying to figure out who you are working with, but our main objective is to just be the face of Christ to whomever we are teaching.”
FCA MENA has made notable strides over the past 16-18 months. Ministry is strongly discouraged within many of those Muslim nations, therefore, many details aren't able to be discussed about exactly where they actively support and conduct sports ministry. But that hasn’t stopped FCA from partnering with pre-existing organizations and working with national and local influencers to develop sports ministry strategies to serve the local communities.
“Our long term goal is to resource, train, equip, and encourage these coaches and athletes to impact their countries,” Allen says. “The challenges are obvious, but we believe that God is opening the door for transformational ministry to take place in that region through the powerful vehicle of sport.”
Learn more about FCA MENA at: www.fca.org/mena
*Name has been changed due to security concerns.