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Shane Williamson Reflects on First Year as President of Fellowship of Christian Athletes

FCA is as Unified as Ever in Continual Effort to Reach More Coaches and Athletes With the Saving Message of Christ

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—When a year comes to a close, many immediately look to the next—sometimes too quickly—rather than looking back on the year that just passed. What were the successes and failures? What did we learn? Looking back on the year helps us move forward with hope, excitement and encouragement, knowing a game plan is in place.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA, www.fca.org) President and CEO Shane Williamson is also looking back on his first full year in leadership, reflecting on the amazing impact God has allowed the ministry to make on coaches and athletes around the world.

“Around this time, I always begin to ask myself specific questions, taking inventory of where I am and how the past year has impacted me,” Williamson wrote for FCA Magazine. “Mentally, what have I learned over the course of the year? How have I put those lessons into practice? Physically, how is my health? What kind of physical shape am I in, and what good or bad habits are contributing to that? Spiritually, how deep is my relationship with God? How spirit-led have my interactions with others been?

“This year, my answers to those questions will be quite unique,” he continued. “I’ll never forget starting my tenure as president and CEO of this great ministry, but what I’ll remember most fondly about my first year are the ways in which FCA came together as ‘ONE,’ based on Philippians 1:27 and right in line with our Camp theme this past summer. We were as unified as ever, intentionally bridging gaps in relationships while identifying and addressing blind spots, all in the continual effort to reach more coaches and athletes with the saving message of Christ.”

Reflection is crucial, Williamson added, but building upon it is even more essential. Life is never in neutral. It’s up to every person to decide how engaged they are with the present moment because, quite literally, it’s passing by.

“The past can be a great learning tool, but we have to be intentional in how we use what we’ve learned from past successes and failures to improve upon all that lies ahead,” Williamson said.

For instance, Joshua knew the importance of reflection in Joshua 4:21-22, when he built an altar with 12 stones from the Jordan River and told the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’”

“Reflection is an opportunity to be reminded of God’s provision in our lives,” Williamson said. “It gives us the chance to praise Him and be purposeful for the future, growing closer to Him and living more like He’s called us to live. Ultimately, He calls us to a life of freedom found only in Him as we seek to become more like Him every day.”

Williamson reminded the FCA family of nearly 1,600 staff, the thousands of donors and volunteers, and the millions of those impacted by the ministry of 2 Corinthians 3:16-18: “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

Read more about Fellowship of Christian Athletes here, visit FCA’s web site at www.fca.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fcafans or its Twitter feed @fcanews.

 

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