FCA Huddle Leader Andy Lutz Receives Hastings Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award

Tanja Hansen • March 7, 2025

Coach Andy Lutz has served as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle Leader at Hastings High School for over 25 years!

Though he comes from a long line of pastors (his grandfather, father, and three uncles), Andy chose a different mission field - his classroom and teams at Hastings High School.

At the turn of the century, there wasn't yet an FCA presence at Hastings High school so Andy partnered with FCA staff, Randy Jensen, to start their first Huddle. With humble beginnings, the huddle started with 5-6 students meeting at Perkins once a month for Bible study and fellowship. Now, as you can see from this photo, the classroom is overflowing with students who want to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus and fellowship with other believers. The first huddle of the 2024/2025 school year had 101 kids, 9 teachers/coaches, and 3 local church leaders in attendance!

At that huddle, we gave away 42 Bibles and nearly 100 “The Four” bracelets that help spread the gospel message.

The fruit that Andy's obedience has produced is immeasurable. Sure, we can count students in attendance, the number of Bibles given away, and other metrics, but the ripple effect of the love of Christ through Coach Lutz can only be known by God Himself. We are just grateful to have a front row seat and support Andy in his calling.

Others in the community have noticed, too! We are proud to share that last month, Andy was presented with the Hastings Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award "for his dedication of over two decades of leading students with the FCA." See the presentation ceremony in this video from Hastings Community TV:

"This is not my award solely - this is our huddle's award," said Andy as he fought back tears during the award presentation last week. "What we do here matters. What you guys stand for and what you live for and what you profess and what you share and how you welcome anybody in our building really matters. And, I could not be more proud to be a part of it and to serve you, so that you can do what you do here at HHS. I hope that we get to continue to do it for years and years to come."

Ministry at Hastings doesn't just stay within Lutz's classroom, though. Hastings FCA has also hosted a Fields of Faith event for many years - a night where student athletes, coaches, and community members can gather at a field to challenge their peers to read the Bible daily and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.

They typically have a large turnout and last fall was no different. "The energy in the stadium was unifying," said East Metro FCA Area Director, Brent Voight. "The entire event was an invitation. An invitation to each person in that stadium to get to know Jesus personally. An invitation for each person to experience the Hastings Huddle and learn what it's all about. An invitation to become a disciple and make disciples by being engaged, equipped, and empowered through God's word."

East Metro Area Rep, Brady Bruesewitz, began supporting Andy and the Hastings Huddle in 2023. At the start of his time with them, Brady shared, "I got a chance to hang out with the Hastings huddle the other day and it was so encouraging to witness. There are 7 adult leaders committed to supporting the students and, amazingly, 15 student leaders. It is one of the most robust FCA ministry groups I've been able to be a part of and I look forward to digging in with them this school year. I can't wait to witness how this group of 20+ people can positively influence and impact their peers and sports teams at Hastings High School. Ideally, this is what we pray to see for every single huddle. Many hands make for light work and ultimately impact for Kingdom multiplication."

Thank you for your loyalty and service to student-athletes, Coach Lutz!

< Older Post Newer Post >

Connect with us:

Subscribe to Blog: