Earlier this month two Maryland FCA lacrosse teams traveled to Chapel Hill to play in a tournament. Their last evening in town, FCA Lacrosse co-founder Frank Kelly hosted a dinner at UNC Chapel Hill's University Club for all 40 players, their families and siblings. I had the great privilege of partnering with Frank to facilitate the ministry component of the event by bringing eight current lacrosse players from Duke and UNC to join us that evening. The players participated in a panel where Frank posed different questions to the players about their involvement with FCA. The guys candidly discussed living out their faith while playing Division 1 lacrosse as well as the difficulties of playing lacrosse at such a high level. You could say that in this case FCA Lacrosse is the great unifier - allowing storied rivals to share a meal and their testimonies about what FCA has meant to them over the years. We were deeply grateful to these young men for sacrificing a Saturday night to make this evening so special for these young players and families.
Another highlight of the night was a visit from UNC's Football Chaplain, Mitch Mason. Mitch is a gifted speaker and shared a powerful message with everyone before the Maryland teammates broke into huddles that were each led by the Duke and UNC players.
Andy Droney, a Duke lacrosse alum and current head coach of the 2021 Maryland FCA team, shared his thoughts about the event: "
I began my involvement with FCA at Calvert Hall in 1987 and have been involved with the program as a player and coach on and off for nearly 30 years. I can honestly say this was one of the best FCA events I have ever been a part of."
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