District One FCA recognizes student leaders on and off the field
Night of Champions honors students who are standing strong for their faith
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – As President of the Tupelo High School FCA, Andrew Keen leads the weekly meetings, or huddles. But Keen led more than 1,500 people in prayer for the Night of Champions.
Keen said his past four years in FCA have encouraged him and prepared him to take his faith to college.
“It is neat to be able to make that change, and so in college, FCA continues; at Mississippi State, I know there are several other campus ministries, BSU, RUF, Wesley and all that stuff and that is another way I can get involved there,” Keen said.
Each week, FCA reaches more than 3,000 students. The student-led bible studies are called huddles, and the Night of Champions honors those students, coaches, and sponsors who model integrity, service, teamwork, and excellence, on and off the field.
“We use athletics as a platform, but we accept all. We want to be able to witness, inspire, help, and encourage all students, no matter if they are an athlete or not, but we use athletics as a platform to reach them,” said Grant Smallwood, FCA District One Metro Director.
FCA Champions say the weekly huddles and close friendships they have made help them realize they aren’t alone as they live out their faith.
“FCA encourages me because I not only get to pour into others and talk about how the Lord has poured into my life, but see how others are also being poured into and how the Lord is working in theirs,” said Channing Lane, a senior at Pontotoc High School.
“Our generation takes a bad rap, and it is amazing to see all these kids planting seeds in their schools and communities. It is so encouraging to see that and to know people are making a difference in their school and reaching others,” said Macie Phifer, a senior at Ingomar High School.
This is the first time the FCA awards have been held at the Cadence Bank Arena, and the event was a sellout. Staff and volunteers are hoping the momentum and support continue so more students can be reached with the gospel.
Nearly one hundred students were recognized as FCA Champions at the event.
