Good News - August 2021

COVER STORY 20 AUGUST 2021 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition F or more than 60 years, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) has been on a mission “to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.” Based in Kansas City, FCA has chapters in 107 countries and leads 20,948 certified huddles worldwide. It’s influence in South Florida has grown in recent years with the establishment of an FCA Campus Director at The University of Miami (UM), a program at FloridaAtlantic University (FAU) and increased staff through- out the tri-county area. “We are truly excited about what God is doing in South Florida through FCA!” said FCAPresident ShaneWilliamson. “Our ministry has really grown through the leadership we now have in place, and thanks to the generosity of our supporters we have even bigger plans for reaching every coach and athlete in this part of the country. The South Florida team – Mike Blanc, Jerry Beverly, Desmond Cook and Greg Anderson – have all made a significant impact in their respective areas, and now more than ever they are collabo- rating to maximize the ministry opportunities we have in that region! So we are pumped for the future!” FCA Palm Beach County Board Member Steve Scalici is Senior VP of UBS and Pastor at Family Church Jupiter. A self-described “rapscallion” as a teen, Scalici has de- veloped a real affinity for young people. “Less than five percent of people in our county attend a gospel based church, so the idea that we’re just going to have church and hope the kids just show up – it’s a pipe dream. So we want to bring the gospel to the schools. One of the beauties of FCA as a club is as long as it has a student and staff sponsor, we have a better chance of getting in the school because they cannot say no to any club.” FCA primarily reaches out to high school and middle school athletes and coaches through campus huddles. And since South Florida is home to some of the largest school districts in the country (Dade is #2, Broward #6 and Palm Beach County #11), it faces the daunting task of establishing FCA programs in every school. DesmondCook, FCAMulti-AreaDirector for the SouthAtlantic Region, which includes Broward County, and Team Chaplain for the FAU Football Team, said, “When I came on in 2017, I was the only FCAmissionary in Broward, but by the grace of God we’re up to six local missionaries with boots on the ground, andwe have a pretty nice volunteer base as well.” A Broward native who played defensive tackle and center/guard for Stanford Uni- versity in California, Cook formerly operated a tech company before becoming an FCA volunteer and ultimately coming on staff in 2017. Discussing his transition to full-time ministry, Cook said, “There is nothing more re- warding in my life than what we get to do… Just since I’ve been here, we’ve seen 2,400 students, athletes and coaches come to Christ, and not just be a hand that was raised but be a life that’s been changed, and to see how that manifests….Some of my guys at FAU are not just team leaders, but they’re the team spiritual leaders as well, which is amazing.” Jeffte Joseph, a wide receiver at FAU, was introduced to FCAas a student at Deerfield Beach High School and now leads huddles as a student athlete at FAU. “FCAhas helped me out in the sense of my spiritual growth. Many athletes deal with mental health, but FCA helped with that balance of body, mind and the spiritual side… and knowing my identify in Christ helped me have confidence both on the field and as a person.” To And Through The Coach GregAnderson, FCAMetro-Director for PalmBeach County, said, “One of the high- lights of FCA for me is ministry to coaches. FCA has a mantra that is frequently heard and that’s ‘to and through the coach,’ and I think God’s put on my heart coaching the coaches on how to coach.” A pastor for 25 years, Greg Anderson served at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for 13 years before joining FCA. AUniversity of South Carolina graduate, Anderson was the football team’s student manager and coached college football at East Carolina and Liberty University in the eighties, and most recently coached the offensive line for Calvary Chris- tian Academy. In April FCA hosted a coaches clinic using the 3Dimensional Coaching program. “The concept is not just a coach telling a kid physically what to do – most coaches can Fellowship of Christian Athletes Takes The Gospel To The Field Shelly Pond Good News Editor Pictured from left to right: Fellowship of Christian Athletes directors Jerry Beverly, Mike Blanc, Greg Anderson and Desmond Cook at University of Miami's Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility. Photo by Justus Martin www.justusmartinphoto.com