My wife, Tricia, and I were invited by Jill and John Settle to join them at the Lowcountry Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) fundraising dinner held at Trident Technical College on Monday, May 1. Along with many other community members and St. Philippians, we enjoyed a wonderful evening learning about the overview mission of the FCA in great detail. Keynote speaker Marcellus Casey, Chaplain for 2023 Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs, gave an inspiring talk that elicited laughter and some tears, reminding us all humility is essential in our walk with Christ.

All of this had a very special meaning to me, as it took me back to my first association with FCA as the head football coach at Gardner-Webb University, where I served for a time as the FCA faculty representative. I have been able to maintain a warm and enduring relationship with so many of my former players over the last 40 years, which I attribute to our mutual faith. One of my most prized possessions is the Bible I was given by our FCA group when I left Gardner-Webb to become the head football coach at The Citadel, my alma mater.

That period of time with the FCA impressed on me––and continues to impress on me––the importance of bringing Jesus into the lives of our young people. This couldn’t have been more evident on Monday evening, when a group of the FCA kids in attendance mixed and mingled with each table and explained how FCA had changed their lives by bringing Christ to them on a regular basis at school. Imagine a 12-year-old giving a testimony to a group of eight adults sitting at a table. Even when these girls and boys had nervous moments, their confidence in their faith shined brighter, and those testimonials were the highlight of the evening. It truly wowed us all!

FCA’s sole aim is to bring young people to Christ. Children are our future, and FCA, one of the largest Christian Ministries in the world, is a viable vehicle that helps unite our coaches, players, managers, trainers, and many non-athletes, both locally and nationally, in one large family under the banner of Christ. I am so happy that the St. Philip’s leadership team has chosen FCA as one of our Home Missions, and I look forward to again being involved and working with our young people so that they can be positioned to make a difference and bring Jesus Christ to the awareness of their peers.

What a blessing it is in the circle of life when God brings me back some 40 years later to where my faith-based involvement with students began. Please consider joining us in this Home Mission to bring the good news back to our community schools.