Built on a Strong Foundation – The Story of FCA at Mahtomedi High School

Before their kids were even freshmen, John and Shelly  Rock had a vision for starting an FCA huddle at Mahtomedi High School. Having been involved with FCA in college and at a school in Iowa where John worked as a teacher after graduating, both John and Shelly had seen how FCA could be a valuable tool on high school and middle school campuses. With their kids in 6th and 7th grade transitioning from a private Christian school to public school, they wanted to ensure that there were programs in place as a way for the kids continue to grow in their faith. 

In 2011, the Rocks connected with Tim and Suzanne Lindquist. With five kids, the Lindquists got to know many parents and families as their kids grew up playing sports. They intentionally decided to spend some of this relationship capital they’d built up to garner support for starting an FCA huddle at Mahtomedi. At the time, their oldest son, Andrew, was a senior captain of the football and basketball teams, Zach was a junior, and Katie was a sophomore. The Lindquists were the perfect family to lead the launch of FCA. 

The Rocks and the Lindquists connected with Ron Backes, the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff representative . Ron helped them navigate the many challenges of starting a Christian group at a public high school. Their first meeting was an “FCA Open House” at the Lindquist home, drawing in nearly 100 students and parents who wanted to learn more. Ron modeled an FCA huddle for the parents upstairs while Andrew shared a short video from a sermon and his own testimony to the kids downstairs.  This meeting officially launched FCA at Mahtomedi and the huddle grew from there. 

The first four years were challenging as not many people knew what FCA was. As is often the case with teens, food was the answer. Suzanne woke up early one morning to make homemade muffins for Andrew, Zach, and Katie to take to school with them. They were a hit, and soon Suzanne was baking monthly. As other parents got on board and joined her, they began a monthly pancake breakfast for FCA which has been a hit every month of every school year since.

Along with the parents, coaches have played an instrumental part in the growth of FCA at Mahtomedi. Back when they were first casting vision for a huddle at the high school, the Rocks knew they needed the support of a coach, so they connected with Keith Newman, the head boys varsity basketball coach. Coaches Matt Oswald and Angie Vedders (now Helle) got involved too. The three of them formed a great team and together set a foundation of student leadership for the huddle. These coaches worked hard to teach and train students who would then be able and confident to lead their peers. The leaders hold themselves to higher standards at all times knowing they represent not only Mahtomedi but FCA as well.

The diligence and hard work of all the parents, coaches, and students paid off as the huddle really took hold when the Lindquist’s third son, Timmy, was in high school. By the time he graduated in 2018, there were over 140 students participating in the semiannual FCA volleyball tournament. This event is a highlight each semester as kids gather in the school gym on a Friday night to hear a message and engage in some friendly competition. The Lindquist children remember that it was after the first volleyball tournament—coupled with the monthly pancake breakfasts—where the huddle really took off. 

Conversations at FCA got deeper and dripped out into the hallways, classrooms and onto their sports teams. Zach recalls, “I think a lot of those first students who came were interested in FCA because it was a way they could bring faith into the school.” Many who were not believers came to FCA not realizing it was a Christian group but continued to come back because of what they experienced.

Over the years, the coaches, students, and parents have never taken for granted their being able to be present and conduct their club at the school. They have made it a priority to be generous and act as good stewards of the time and space they have at the high school. Shelly remembers thinking, “We need this to be such a positive thing that the school doesn’t ever want us to go away.” They are intentional in serving the staff, faculty, and other students at the school. At the end of each monthly morning pancake breakfast, Coach Oswald brings the leftovers around to the custodial and office staff and then through the commons for any students that want any before school. FCA student leaders make sure the places they gather get left better than they find them, and they’ve adopted a hallway in the school to keep it clean throughout the week. “Those little things have allowed us to gain favor within the school and show kids that they can serve their school and do it in the name of Jesus,” says Shelly.