Planting the Seeds of the Word

Elaina Erickson • May 10, 2022

Every single day, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes field staff are doing their best to see out their mission, “to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.” Each staff member works in their own respective fields, including middle school, high school, college, and coaches ministry. The mission however stays the same no matter where they are. In a way, FCA field staff are farmers, sowing the seeds of the Word into the people that they meet and work with. They do their best to cultivate those seeds, praying over them so that God may help those seeds bloom into a plentiful harvest (Mark 4: 1-20).

Many people were first introduced to FCA through the ministry at their school; either they themselves were a part of it and/or their kids were. FCA ministry focuses on student-athletes and coaches and can be a huge part of someone’s walk with Christ. There are so many different schools, full of different age groups, and each requires a different approach. Some schools hold large huddles where the students lead. Some are smaller and more intimate with the FCA volunteer leading. There are so many different ways to support students in middle school, high school, and college.

Middle School Ministry

Jackson Middle School’s huddle was hit hard by Covid and is still trying to recover. It is encouraging to see the science classroom they meet in filling up with more students each week. Some students bring friends and others come seeking friendship. Many of them come from Christian families and have just entered middle school. They go to FCA to be a part of a community that shares their values and beliefs. “I [want] to encourage the kids that are believers because they’re really alone in these buildings. Their belief system is not really embraced.” FCA Area Representative Kelly Lindell said, who leads the huddle currently. She knows a lot of kids fall away from the faith because of the lack of a foundational community of Christians their age. They are encouraged by their peers to do and think things that are contrary to values they have been taught-in church. If there is no stable community, it’s easy to fall into the ways of the world.

Kelly sports a contagious and loving smile as she leads the kids in fun activities to learn different bible verses and encourages them to participate and to interact with each other in a positive way. A few youth pastors also come in to help and to share a message with the kids. This helps them grow and form foundational skills, confidence and deepen their relationship with Christ. “They [the students] are really the missionaries. I’m just a support person,” Kelly said.

High School Ministry

She also helps with the huddle at Champlin Park High School which is just across the street from Jackson Middle School. Her role there is drastically different from her role in the middle school. The huddle is not struggling in numbers, in fact, the classroom that it’s held in can barely contain the approximately 75 student-athletes that come to listen each week.

Rules at Champlin Park High School say that all clubs must be student-led, so instead of Kelly or another FCA representative taking on the leadership role, a total of 15 student-leaders rotate lessons. Kelly supports these leaders, and other members and is available if any of them reaches out.

College Ministry

Joy Gardner and Ellie Michaletz work with the college ministry and lead CORE groups which teach young women how to lead their own huddles effectively. They meet once a week to go over lessons and different skills to teach their own huddles. Preparing the young women on how to teach the Gospel is useless if the women themselves do not follow and grow their faith. “We are helping them develop a lifestyle of living for Jesus. This includes the disciplines of making their walk with God a priority,” Joy said before she referred to Ephesians 4:12-5:21 on what walking daily with Christ looks like. Just like the middle school and high school students, college students also have their own unique obstacles to overcome as they continue to grow in faith. It can be a stressful time when students are learning how to live and know God outside of their parents' home, finding their identity and purpose, and preparing for their life after college. These, along with other things plague college students daily. Joy and Ellie provide a safe place to help young women navigate these problems and to learn “to put Jesus in everything they do and that choice will then be a foundation for the rest of their lives.”

Ellie graduated from the University of Jamestown not long ago. When she was a freshman in college, she struggled with her identity, anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. She quickly learned that her head coach for volleyball was involved with FCA and had a daughter that was a team captain. She took Ellie under her wing that year. “God completely captivated my heart. It was through a team Bible study that my life was miraculously changed. I wish I was the only one with this narrative, but unfortunately, I see this inner turmoil over and over again. If I can help even a single student to see their worth and identity rooted in Christ, everything that I have gone through would be well worth it.” she said. She goes beyond the one-on-one and small group ministry and shares the Gospel message online as the Social Media Manager for the twin cities collegiate ministry.

All of these women reach out to student-athletes, planting the seeds of the Word in them. “It might not reveal itself today but I just trust that those seeds are being planted,” Kelly said. “It’s like anything in the Christian walk. We just need to be faithful and continue planting seeds. You never know which one will grow… What we do is baked in prayer and then trusting that God will bring fruit”. Every staff member is tasked with planting seeds and so is every Christian. “For we are both God's workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building." (1 Corinthians 3:9)

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