FCA Leadership Camp!

Marshall FCA Student Leaders

Connect and Compete in the Georgia Heat!

May 2024

Southwest MN FCA is intentional about engaging, equipping, and empowering athletes to grow in their faith through camp. Every two years Southwest MN FCA Area Director and MHS Huddle Coach, Robin Knudson, and a crew of adult volunteers take athletes from Marshall down to St. Simons Island, GA to attend FCA Leadership Camp. This camp holds a special place in Robin’s heart as she surrendered her life to Jesus here in 1992. While FCA camp themes and routines change from year to year, the message of the Gospel never does.

Campers grew in faith, in sport, in worship, and in relationship with those around them. Let's check in with Rylee, Carter, Samuel, and Reese to hear about the impact FCA Leadership Camp has had on their lives...

RYLEE J., Senior

Leadership camp on St. Simons Island had a profound impact on my life. The Lord used my huddle teammates to help me understand what trusting Him through the good and hard of life looks like.

I was nervous to meet the girls in my huddle, but found that we truly are just one big family. As we became more comfortable with each other, many shared their testimonies. I was surprised, heartbroken, and in awe of what these girls had already experienced in life and yet they confidently praised Jesus through it all! Hearing their stories and seeing their joy encouraged me and demonstrated that our joy is not determined by our circumstances; our joy comes from the Lord!

Worship at camp was unlike anything I have ever experienced. There were hundreds of teenagers praising the Lord together! The peace I felt was indescribable.

One evening the pastor shared with us that the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you and me. These words impacted me greatly because this is the truth! The room was filled with prayer, praise, and tears of surrender. It felt like a glimpse of Heaven.

FCA Leadership Camp helped me to understand and experience the power of the Holy Spirit. It taught me that joy is not from worldly things but from God and it convicted me to start living out this truth in my life.

While I still struggle with getting caught up in worldly things I know, thanks to the way God moved in my heart at camp, that "for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28. The hard will be hard, but we are promised joy in the Lord.

CARTER P., Junior

My huddle grew together in faith over the course of the week as we dug deep into the Word and how it impacts our lives. During our small group sessions each of us had the opportunity to open up about our lives, to share the good and the hard. There was no judgment, no condemnation, no ridicule or mocking, just compassion, understanding, and encouragement. The conversations, insights, and vulnerabilities that were shared bonded us to the point that we all still keep in touch even though we are miles apart. Our huddle leader stays connected by sending us Bible verses; encouraging our continued friendships and growth in faith. Leadership Camp allowed the Lord to connect us as brothers in Christ and form friendships we otherwise would not have had.

We played many competitive games together throughout the week where we needed to communicate, think strategically, and encourage one another. This proved to be rather challenging at times as we met athletes of great ability down in Georgia. It was so encouraging to see how each used their athletic giftings to honor the Lord in how they played the game. Using our strengths and abilities to glorify God helped us all to have an immense amount of fun in the extreme heat!



Going to FCA Leadership Camp in Georgia was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I made new friends, strengthened existing friendships, and learned more about who God made me to be.

SAMUEL T., Junior

I was quite hesitant about forming solid friendships at the start of camp, but my story played out quite differently than I thought. I'm not an extrovert when it comes to social situations, so making friends was a true concern for me. To my surprise, and relief, my Huddle teammates and I found deep and meaningful connections with each other as we shared our testimonies, dug deep in conversation, and studied the Bible together.

The FCA Staff and Huddle Coaches played a big part in my Leadership Camp experience. They were intentional about the words they used and the messages they conveyed all week long. They modeled how to be intentional both in conversation with friends and in one's personal walk with the Lord.

Camp made it easy to live the way God desires us to live; in community, loving and serving others in the name of Jesus. The scheduled sermons, Bible studies, and worship services made it effortless to spend time with the Lord, but camp always ends. Now what?

Now was the time to realize that I already had a community like what I was experiencing at Leadership Camp back home in the Marshall FCA Huddle. Recognizing this, I left camp encouraged to be intentional in conversation, in relationship, in sport, and in my walk with Jesus.

REESE G., Senior

Before Leadership Camp I was living life like I thought a Christian should. I went to church on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, was an FCA student leader, went on mission trips, and attended church camps since I was little. I loved camp but always seemed to lose that "camp high" shortly after returning to a normal schedule.

I would get home and make it a priority to pray and read my Bible, but after a week or so I would lose focus and slowly drift back into some of my old habits, forgetting the new priorities I had set for myself.

FCA Leadership Camp in Georgia was different than any other camp I had experienced. Conversation was easy and comfortable with other campers, sermons were given as though they were meant for my ears to hear, and the worship songs were filled with lyrics that spoke life into my personal relationship with Jesus. All of these things together with FCA Camp Staff demonstrated how I ought to be living my life.

Candidly, camp was amazing but going back to Marshall and a regular weekly schedule was difficult. I had to work to keep focused on my relationship with Jesus and my friends. Thankfully, unlike previous camp experiences where the “camp high” would eventually fade upon returning home, my relationship with Jesus has only continued to grow. Leadership Camp helped me surrender my weaknesses and trust in the Lord's faithfulness.

FCA SUMMER CAMPS 2024

• 6/6: Southwest MN FCA Jr. Sports Camp for 3-8th graders ('23-'24) at Marshall High School & Red Baron Arena (register using the link below)

• 6/25-6/28: Northland FCA Sports Camp for athletes entering 7-12th grade at Bethel University, St. Paul (register using the link below)

• 8/1-8/4: Northland FCA Leadership Camp for athletes entering 9-12th grade at University of Northwestern, St. Paul (register using the link below)

If you're not currently giving to Southwest MN FCA and would like to be added to our team, please click the QR code above to donate!

Your support is greatly appreciated.

 ROBIN KNUDSON rknudson@fca.org

SW MN Area Director

WENDY GRAVEN  wgraven@fca.org

SW MN Administrative Assistant