Last FCA Camp Season: Nearly 100,000 Coaches and Athletes Attended 805 Camps in 42 States and 92 Nations
June 21, 2021
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The summer of 2021 is already revealing itself as a time of reopening, renewal, and refreshment for coaches and student-athletes alike as they flock to Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA, www.fca.org) Camps across America—and, indeed, around the world. For the thousands of individuals who are headed right now to FCA Camps or already there, this significant experience will become a game changer, both athletically and spiritually. FCA Camps are open and in full swing this summer.
In addition, FCA is pleased to offer Coaches Camps for single and married coaches and their families. These Camps are specially designed to minister, equip, and encourage coaches through Bible studies, small group meetings, fellowship, prayer support, and discipleship. FCA also provides weekend retreats called “Couple Getaways,” allowing coaches and their spouses to enjoy a period of refreshment and revitalization.
“Community and fellowship are so vital, especially now—and for those in key coaching and mentoring positions, these are even more critical,” said Shane Williamson, FCA’s president and CEO.
“Each summer, FCA is honored to focus on coaches for a time of ‘inspiration and perspiration,’ when they truly can be renewed,” he added. “The best part is that FCA Coaches Camps are a family affair. The life of a coach can be demanding—but when a coaching family slows down, enjoys each other’s company, strengthens their relationships, and grows in their walk with Christ at an FCA Camp, it is transformational.”
Many coaching families spend their summer vacations around FCA Camps. As an added benefit, the coaches interact with others who are in similar life stages and have parallel experiences and challenges; attendees come to understand and appreciate that they are not alone in their struggles. Plus, special guest speakers address such issues as marriage, parenting, finances, and faith.
Afterward, FCA coaches return refreshed to their teams and their communities. “I’ve been able to grow in my relationship with God by being surrounded by other Christian coaches and believers,” said one attendee. Said another, “FCA Camp not only brought me closer to my family, but closer to Jesus Christ.”
FCA’s numbers and impact are impressive. FCA welcomed a record-setting 89,323 coaches and athletes to its programs in the summer of 2019 (the most recent camp season, given the COVID pandemic). These 89,323 coaches and athletes attended 805 camps in 42 states across the country, as well as 92 nations around the globe—nearly double the number of countries that hosted FCA camps the previous year. At these FCA Camps, 20,526 individuals made faith decisions for Christ.
Notably, The Christian Post highlighted the many benefits of FCA Camps in a recent article.
Six different types of FCA Camps provide competitors with the chance to reach their potential through athletic, spiritual, and leadership training: Sports Camps (multi-sport and sport-specific camps); Leadership Camps (developing coaches and athletes to be leaders); Coaches Camps (designed to minister, equip, and encourage); Team Camps (allowing student-athletes to come together to compete); Power Camps (typically for athletes 8-12 years of age); and Partnership Camps (FCA partners with some of the best organizations).
FCA Camps allow coaches and athletes to experience an exciting, inspiring, and healthy environment in which they can pursue their passion for sport—while also clearly seeing Christ’s passion for them. And while there’s differentiation across the U.S. and the world in terms of COVID restrictions, FCA is observing the individual guidelines as closely as possible.
FCA’s theme for 2021 is Pursue, based on verse 1 of Timothy 6:11: “Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” FCA encourages its members to pursue God’s use of His Word as an anchor, grounding Christians as they look to His Kingdom.
Since 1956, the impact on coaches and athletes has been the main focus of FCA Camps, with each Camp offering fun, outstanding sports training, inspiring speakers, strong friendships, and lasting change. View the 2019 FCA Camps video here and browse camps by location, sport or date at www.fcacamps.org.
Read more about Fellowship of Christian Athletes here, visit FCA’s website at www.fca.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheFCATeam or its Twitter feed https://twitter.com/TheFCATeam.
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To interview a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Jeff Tolson, 610.584.1096, ext. 108, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
