Jimmy Westland is a brand-new staff member with The Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Several years ago, he considered joining staff but learned he would have to raise his own support and decided that with a young family and full-time job the timing wasn’t right to do that. But after being furloughed from his job in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Jimmy answered the call to join FCA.
Faith Unhindered
Shelley Pearson • March 10, 2021
“I have to do what?”
“Raise your own salary.”
“I’m not sure I want to do that.”
A similar conversation has been had by many prospective FCA staff members over the last 67 years since FCA’s inception. More than a few people have stopped pursuing a career with FCA at that point, but those who persevere have seen God move in exciting and often miraculous ways.
Faith, Family, Sports
Jimmy grew up in Ohio, met his wife and moved to Caledonia, Minnesota, where he lives today with his wife and three young daughters. His life is centered around faith, family, and sports. He played basketball, football, and baseball and has coached basketball, football, track, and cross country. While he has enjoyed winning games and seasons and sometimes even seasons upon seasons, that is not what sticks out to him most about coaching. It’s being there for the kids and teaching them life skills through sport. And the most important thing he has modeled for the kids he has coached? A life lived for Christ.
Jimmy was playing basketball in a park in one spring during high school when he was approached about attending a Christian camp. He agreed, and Jimmy placed his faith in Christ at that camp in 1991. His life verse that came out of his life transformation at camp is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!”
Faith Unhindered
Even though he has enjoyed the work he has done over the last 20 years, he felt like he was holding back the faith component, either because he was working in a public school or a secular company. “I wanted something where I could share my faith unhindered.” That is when he was first introduced to the possibility of joining staff but didn’t pursue it because of the need to fundraise his entire salary. Then the pandemic hit, Jimmy was furloughed, and he suddenly had more time on his hands.
What is your best for me?
He used some of this time to get in the Word and spend time in prayer more. One day he asked God, “What is your best for me? I want to make a difference the way you want me to. I want to be all-in with what you want me to do.” What did God impress on his heart? FCA. He contacted James Bolin, Southeast Minnesota Area Director. James said, “He reached back out to me this past summer and we talked again about him joining staff. He was fully committed now and I could tell.”
Jimmy went through tryout training where he explored
what FCA is all about, interviewed for the position of Area Representative, and attended boot camp where he learned how to fundraise.
Finally, the hard part came – the actual fundraising. “One of the scariest things is calling people and asking them. It felt like drudgery, but I had a mind shift in October where I realized these meetings WERE ministry. Every time I met with someone, one of my main priorities would be to share The Four with them. From a necessary evil to realizing this IS the ministry – it changed everything. It took all the pressure off me and the person I was meeting with.” After that, Jimmy’s funding came in quickly. James said, “He ended up joining as a prospective staff in September 2020 and raised 100% of his funding in just 4 months!"
God Always at Work
Today, Jimmy is fully funded and enthusiastic about joining staff with FCA. He loves looking back at how God orchestrated all the events of his life to bring him to where he is today. His love of sports, the camp where he put his faith in Christ, the move to Minnesota, and his opportunities to coach are just some of the ways He has seen God’s hand.
Another is a blessing he realized recently: “What’s amazing is – the 13 schools I’m working with are 13 of the many schools we’ve competed against since 2008 [through his coaching]. God was preparing me – I have connections to all of them. God orchestrated all of it. It’s just amazing to me.”
He loves that he can now share his faith unhindered with coaches and athletes through his role as an area representative, and the more he gets into the ministry of FCA, the more moved he is about the organization of FCA. “The support in FCA is amazing – from teammates to directors – just the welcome I’ve had. I got a book in the mail from Rick Isaiah [divisional vice president]. Tom Ness [state director] reached out. Brian Conklin [regional vice president] called me. New staff met monthly with Chris Anderson [regional talent advancement]. And our local team of James, Brian, Sarah, and Adrienne – it feels like we are almost a family already.” It has affirmed to Jimmy over and over that he is in the right place at the right time.
The Blessing of Obedience
Jimmy is a cancer survivor and nine-time marathoner. He knows how to persevere and seek after God’s best for him. He has learned to trust God in every aspect of his life and to recognize God’s hand, even when he doesn’t understand what God is doing. If he hadn’t been furloughed, he may not be where he is today in his journey with FCA. What may have been devastating was instead a tremendous blessing because today Jimmy is part of an organization whose mission is, “To see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.”
James is excited to have Jimmy on his team. He said, “Jimmy has a great personality and loves people, but first and foremost he loves God and desires to grow in his faith every day! I’m excited to see Jimmy grow as a leader within FCA as he serves coaches and athletes!” Pray for Jimmy as he begins his ministry with FCA, and consider who you know that may benefit from hearing Jimmy’s story of serving in “God’s best” for him.
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