The Mission of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes:
To see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.
Vision:
To lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.
Strategy:
To and through the coach.
Does the coach’s wife fit into that mission, vision, and strategy somewhere? Spoiler alert: the answer is yes. Read on to find out how.
The life of a coach’s wife is sometimes lonely and challenging as her husband is often away for hours each day at games and practice. She often assumes more of the responsibility at home which can become overwhelming and frustrating. Also, athletes often become like a part of the family which can take a lot of physical and emotional energy. If FCA can encourage and pour into these coaches’ wives, their husbands will be blessed and encouraged as well, which will then impact the athletes they coach.
Reaching the Hearts of the Coaches’ Wives
Emily noticed the tremendous impact the study had on her personal life. “I especially loved reading the real-life stories in the devotion, then digging into the Bible and connecting how God truly should be the center of our marriages. I learned more about my role in our family - how to be encouraging, patient, trusting, and forgiving to God and my husband and felt I was able to get through my husband’s nine months of coaching (cut just a BIT short this year thanks to Covid) less stressed and more encouraged than I’ve ever been.”
Once the group had to move to Zoom because of the pandemic, Robin took the opportunity to call on three of her college friends who are coach’s wives in different parts of the country. They shared with the coaches’ wives over Zoom. One of these friends had even written one of the chapters from the book. Rachel-Ruth shared with the women about the experiences she wrote about. Robin said, “The coaches’ wives love hearing from other women who can speak their language.”
Building Camaraderie
Robin hoped the women would be encouraged by other women in similar circumstances and grow in their faith through this study, and they did. Emily’s husband coaches high school baseball and football. She was nervous to do a study with college coaches’ wives. “At first I thought, ‘Oh goodness, I can’t relate to these college coaches’ wives and the expectations their husbands have—we have it easy compared to them,’ but as it went on I realized we had so much more in common and that I could learn so much from them.”
Nancy, whose husband coaches baseball at the college level, said, “Being the wife of a coach is unique, and it’s nice to share our experiences with each other. The highlight of the study is sharing God’s love with each other, and of course Robin. She is so inviting and keeps it light. I am learning a lot!”
Encouraging Hearts
Robin is excited about the impact the study is having on the women who attend. “I love hearing their stories and getting to walk alongside them, support them, and encourage them. I love when they can make connection to God’s Word. It’s awesome when they go home and have a discussion with their family about what they’ve learned at Bible Study.”
Coaches’ wives studies are gaining momentum in FCA as others notice the impact in coming alongside these women who are standing by their husbands.
Please pray for the spouses of Christian coaches in Minnesota and for more of these studies to pop up around the state and country so that more people can be impacted with the Gospel and the
mission and vision of FCA can be fulfilled.
