Sunday marked the first Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meeting of the fall semester – a group that, according to their Instagram bio, aims to help “see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.”
According to Saline senior, baseball player and FCA President Ian Balint, the Albion’s men’s baseball team took the lead in reviving the organization after nearly four years of inactivity.
“We had our own bible study within the team and our assistant coach had brought up how when he went to Alma, they had an FCA,” Balint said.
After garnering “interest from different places” last semester, Balint said they arrived at the decision that campus could benefit from the revival of the FCA.
Fowlerville senior and wrestler Hannah Arledge said she joined FCA because she didn’t feel “like there’s a lot of Christian organizations or faith organizations” on campus.
“We say that we have them, but either we don’t do a good job of advertising, or no one really knows about them,” Arledge said.
On the topic of other faith-based sports organizations for Jewish and Muslim students, Balint said that it would be up to those students to organize those groups. He added that in FCA, “everyone’s welcome, regardless if you’re necessarily a Christian or not.”
Brighton sophomore and baseball player Jack Renner said he believes having a space with “like-minded people” is important to faith.
For Renner, this includes “having people that they can lean on and ask questions,” and go on their spiritual “walk” with.
Balint added that a sense of community is a big aspect of not only his faith, but also how FCA is run.
Arledge and Balint said as seniors, they hope the organization will continue to move forward after they graduate.
“I hope it helps give people a community, a faith that they will be a part of,” Balint said.
Arledge said she hopes to see “bigger events” and higher engagement, adding that as a senior, “it can be uncertain what the next executive board is going to bring forth.”
“This is a place where you can be exactly where you want to be and represent who you want to represent,” Arledge said. “I just really give a lot of kudos to Albion.”
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