Field Notes • Fall 2026
School has been back for more than a month now, FCA Huddles are meeting, students are stepping into leadership, and ministry is taking shape week after week across these campuses. Here are a few moments from September.
Posters hanging in the hallways at Wooster put a simple question in front of hundreds of students: Who is Jesus to you? The Huddle began with the same question, opening the door to share The Four and talk about who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
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Nearly 30 years after FCA was part of my own story as a student at Galena, the Huddle is still creating opportunities for students to hear the Gospel and connect with the local church. This month we introduced three local youth pastors who will serve alongside the Huddle and shared The Four with another generation of students.
A lot has changed since I was a student at Galena, but the Gospel hasn’t.
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At Damonte Ranch, senior Anika led the Huddle through a conversation about the different meanings of the word will and what they teach us about God’s will. It was a good picture of what student leadership can look like: students opening Scripture together and learning to trust God by knowing His character.
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Bishop Manogue is a little different from the other FCA Huddles we serve. They meet off campus in a home, and because we have more than an hour together, we have time for teaching and small-group discussion. This year the Huddle is working through the Gospel of Mark with Coach P (Thomas Peregrin), their adult Huddle leader.
Tonight we were in Mark 1:40–45, where a man with leprosy comes to Jesus. The question we talked about was pretty simple: Can You, or are You willing? The man believes Jesus can make him clean. His question is whether Jesus is willing. That led to a conversation about the way we approach Jesus and how easy it is to think, “If I can just get this part of my life figured out first...” then I'll come to Him.
But that's not what Jesus asks of us. He never asks you to get clean or get your life right before you come to Him. He wants you now. You don't have to fix it first. Bring it to Him now.
Visit Bishop ManogueLast week I spent several days in Kansas City at FCA Training Camp with new staff from around the country. We spent time learning the FCA Way—our vision, mission and values, how we disciple coaches and athletes through E3, and what it looks like to build ministry that lasts. But one theme kept showing up throughout the week: healthy ministers lead to healthy ministries.
I appreciated how seriously FCA takes the health of the people doing the ministry. Several of our sessions focused on Leadership of the Heart—the character, spiritual health and personal life of the leader. That same emphasis came from FCA leadership throughout the week: “You can't give what you don't have.” If we want to have maximum Gospel impact, our own relationship with Christ has to come first.
For me, that became pretty practical. Put the things that matter most on the calendar first—God, Julia and the kids—and then build the work calendar around them. I also came home and turned off almost every notification on my phone. Calls and calendar alerts stayed on. Everything else can wait.
The week also reinforced something important about FCA: we aren't just about clubs on school campuses. Huddles are an important part of what we do, but the goal is discipleship. Partnerships matter, especially with the local church.
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September has been a month of Huddles meeting, relationships growing, and students and adult leaders stepping into the work God has placed in front of them. There is a lot still being built, and we’re grateful for the doors God has already opened.