Millikin FCA Provides Students with an Important Faith-Based Spiritual Community

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes provides an accessible faith journey to all Millikin students, not just athletes.

JJ Minton, the Macon County Area Representative to FCA, encourages anyone who is interested in the Gospel, not just athletes or active Christians, to give the organization a try.

“We hang out, talk about the Bible, talk to each other about what’s good and bad in our lives,” he said. “We share the topic of the day, and it usually applies to those problems. You don’t have to be an athlete to join, but most of the topics that we cover apply to athletes. Being in a sport while going to college is hard, but so is being a Christian on a college campus.”

Minton recognizes the importance of this group of believers. Not only has Minton helped students with their faith journey, but he has also benefited as a result.

“FCA has given me the opportunity to do what God has placed on my heart,” he said. “Being able to share the Gospel with other people has also led to it being shared with me every day. It’s a great daily reminder that God loves us, and that Jesus died for us even when we sinned.”

Minton has been in contact with the organization for about ten years, but he did not become actively involved until a few years ago.

“I had interviewed for the position about ten years ago, but I was not in the right spot in my life to start working for FCA,” he said. “I kept in contact with the directors from the Springfield area, and then I decided that it was the right time to reconnect with them a couple of years ago. Nobody was in the area for FCA yet, so it was a good time to start.”

FCA also provides an opportunity for students to become involved on campus, as there are several positions that students can hold within their respective sports.

Colin Griffin, a sophomore track athlete, believes that involvement in FCA can benefit any student, regardless of where they are in their faith journey.

“I started going to FCA back in high school,” he said. “My high school didn’t have an FCA while I was there, so I talked to some people in my community and reached out to some local pastors and coaches and we started it in my high school.”

Griffin became even more actively involved in FCA when he came to Millikin.

“My freshman year, me and a friend went to Young Decatur, which is a center for young adults at First Christian Church of Decatur,” he said. “We met every Thursday night, and that was greatly beneficial for me.”

Like Minton, FCA has helped Griffin grow his faith as he has continued college.

“There aren’t always a whole lot of like-minded believers around you,” he said. “Whenever you can meet with them once or twice a week, it genuinely helps. You can talk about things in your life with people who truly understand it, and that fellowship brings the whole group closer to God.”

Be sure to follow Millikin’s FCA page on Instagram @millikin_fca if you would like updates on their events. Anyone, regardless of where they may be in their faith journey, is welcome!