John Finlayson Keith Tyler

September 19, 2006

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes changed his life when he was a standout athlete at the University of Charleston, Keith Tyler told Putnam Rotarians today. And in the eight years he has been FCA area director serving 42 schools in southern West Virginia, "It's been an incredible ride," he said.

Visibility to eight to 10,000 middle and high school students represents a "structure in place that works well with school systems," said FCA board member John Finlayson.

The program is student-led -- which avoids church/state separation problems.

The program began in 1954, and came to West Virginia five years later. Today it reaches over 1.3 million students through a campus ministry, camps, and community activities.

The organization recognizes that athletes and coaches are powerful role models for teen-agers, and its programs include athletic models. A meeting of an FCA group is a "huddle." And a typical huddle begins with a warm-up, moves into a work-out, and ends with a wrap-up.

Some of the FCA groups in sothern West Virginia include more than 200 students. In Putnam County, about 120 students are active in FCA at Winfield High and a similar number at Winfield Middle School. At Hurricane, about 45 students participate in the FCA club.

Summer camps in multi-sport, sport-specific and team formats number about 200. They are described as "a week of prespiration and inspiration."

One of the fastest growing is the Leadership Camps which teach Christian leadership skills to students to enable them to lead through a scriptural foundation.

Prayer and financial support for the FCA ministry are provided by "Home Teams." Members of Home Teams may be churches, businesses, and foundations, in addition to individual volunteers who support the ministry through financial support, promotion and prayer.

The community ministry includes partnerships with local churches, businesses, parents and volunteers. Many of these non-school-based programs include golf, lacrosse, baseball, motocross, fitness and endurance.

John Finlayson is a member and past president of the St. Albans Rotary.