June 22, 2026
FCA coaches in Venezuela transform community through Christ-centered sports ministry
Rick Isaiah, FCA Chief Field Officer: ‘The ability to bring a community together through the love of sport and God’s Word is the central mission of FCA’
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In Valle de la Pascua, in the central plains of Venezuela, coach and ministry leader Maria Castro saw how sports can influence others in so many ways. But one key area was missing. She began praying for ways to shift her youth program to align with her God-given desire to share the Gospel while creating a welcoming and quality space to play.
Castro recognized how children in her community craved a safe and stable environment, as many come from dysfunctional home lives and are plagued by trauma, low self-esteem and mental health struggles.
Understanding the importance of sports and wanting to find a way to share the Good News with local youth, Castro, her daughters and a young man named Carlos Medina, one of the athletes she had discipled, planned a project called Fumplus. This after-school program equips youth to play futsal, which is a soccer variant played with a smaller ball and on a smaller, harder court or in the street.
They started with one ball and a Bible and planned to serve 12 kids on Saturdays — a true volunteer-based, grassroots program. At the first meeting, 100 kids showed up.
One community over, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Leader Gustavo Jose Rivero Diaz was leading a Coaches Huddle — a certified small group bible study/devotion for coaches and athletes. Castro heard about the Huddle and began attending; she then received an FCA Athlete’s Bible and learned about FCA’s vision.
Rivero worked with Castro and her volunteers to create a vision plan to develop the ministry through sports and set up a structure that would create sustainability and support. And what once began as a small grassroots program has now turned into a thriving sports ministry with 25 coaches and 650 athletes part of Fumplus.
“The ability to bring a community together through the love of sport and God’s Word is the central mission of FCA,” remarked Rick Isaiah, FCA Chief Field Officer. “Castro’s calling to share the Gospel while fostering a neighborhood hub is all part of the Lord’s invitation to live for a greater purpose and connection.”
Rivero and his team of coaches and volunteers continue to walk together with Castro and the Fumplus team, discipling and providing tools and resources to further empower their ministry. “My transformational purpose links with the FCA vision to see the world transformed by Jesus through the influence of coaches and athletes,” Rivero said. “It means to pour ourselves into others. And that’s what Jesus did; He gave Himself for us.”
This empowerment has led to transformed lives, such as that of a 12-year-old boy who is now making friends, improving his grades and attending a weekly Huddle.
Fumplus has since developed into a sports academy for soccer leagues and young athletes to compete while learning about the God who loves them.
Castro believes FCA came at a strategic time not only in her life, but also in the lives of those in Valle de la Pascua. “God used FCA to unite us with a family of coaches and athletes with the same calling, and to tell us that we are not alone,” she said.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ vision is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. Its mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. FCA’s guiding values are integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence.
Since 1954, FCA has used the powerful medium of sports and building relationships to reach the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is cultivating Christian principles by engaging, equipping and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same so that lives are changed for current and future generations.
Visit Fellowship of Christian Athletes at fca.org and on Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).
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To interview a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096 ext. 105, or Jeff Tolson, ext. 108.
