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Panhandle FCA 2011 Year-end Update
“Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy.” – Luke 1:48b-49
This is a time of great blessing. This Christmas season reminds us of how much we have to be grateful for and the many ways God has blessed Panhandle FCA this year. In 2011, approximately 3,000 coaches and athletes were directly ministered to in the Panhandle. Hundreds, maybe thousands more were touched indirectly. God continues to grow this ministry in amazing ways through the influence of coaches and athletes, the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our donors.
It’s because of “the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our donors” that I’m writing this letter. As we wrap up another year of incredible ministry, I must ask you to be “dedicated and generous” once again. FCA REALLY needs your help with an “end-of-the-year” donation. Please continue to prayerfully read to the end of this letter as I’ll explain how you can help.
Every area of FCA’s “Four C’s of Ministry”—Coaches, Campus, Camps and Community—has its share of amazing stories of impact and blessing this year. We’d like to share a few of the ways God is working through Panhandle FCA.
Coaches Ministry: Coaches are the heart of FCA. Our role is to minister to them by encouraging and equipping them to know and serve Christ. In 2011, approximately 128 coaches in the Panhandle have been directly impacted through their voluntary involvement with our campus huddles; their attendance at both local and community-wide fundraising events such as the annual Victory Banquet; their attendance and participation in community-wide ministry outreach events like our annual WTAMU Football Game Day Rally and six separate venues that hosted Fields of Faith events; and their attendance in Coaches Bible Studies.
“I’ve never attended an event that had the kind of spiritual impact that I saw at the FCA Game Day Rally this year,” said a new Middle School Huddle Coach.
Campus Ministry: Campus Ministry is initiated and led by student-athletes on middle school, high school, and college campuses through four ministry types: Huddles, Team Bible Studies, Chaplain Programs, and Coaches Bible Studies. This year, 55 FCA campus groups are active on 47 campuses, in 33 different communities, and they include all four types of FCA campus ministry!
A new, first-year huddle coach was quoted as saying, “I would have never believed that anything could unite a campus the way FCA huddle has on our campus!
Camp Ministry provides a time of “inspiration and perspiration” for athletes and coaches through comprehensive athletic, spiritual and leadership training. This past summer, 18 student campers, 12 college huddle leaders, two (2) coaches and wives, and three (3) Panhandle FCA staff attended five (5) FCA Camps around the state of Texas. Plans are underway right now to start a new Sports Camp at Texas Tech in 2012! We expect this to be an FCA camp opportunity for an additional 50 Panhandle athletes!
“It continues to amaze and encourage me to see what God can do with young men and women when they spend five days at camp focusing on their relationship with Him,” said a veteran FCA Board member.
Community Ministry: FCA has ministries that reach the community through partnerships with local churches, businesses, parents, and volunteers. This past year we assisted several churches by providing them with camper devotionals during their summer youth sports camps. We recruited coaches to help, and we helped, as instructors at several local junior golf camps. This next summer we expect to partner with these junior golf camps by providing encouraging spiritual challenges each day. However, our main community outreach event, and primary fundraising event, is our annual FCA Victory Banquet which we hold in the spring. This year our keynote speaker was Stephen McGee, backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. His message was highly motivational and spiritually challenging!
“I was in awe at the depth and impact of what Stephen McGee had to say. It is obvious God has used FCA to impact this young man’s life,” remarked a long-time banquet attendee.
God has done great things for Panhandle FCA, and we are blessed to be a part of His work! As 2011 comes to an end, we prayerfully look forward to the ministry opportunities that lie ahead in the New Year. The tasks will be great, but we know that God will continue to call volunteers and donors to join in FCA’s vision to “impact the world for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.”
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