Two Minnesota FCA Athletes Named to 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

L’Shawn Taylor: Helping Athletes Find Their Identity

When LT talks about why he became involved with FCA, he starts with something he understands personally: the struggle athletes can face when their identity becomes intertwined with their performance.

“I chose to volunteer my time with FCA because I love Jesus and have a heart for athletes who may join me in the identity struggle of how to be a true disciple and compete at a high level that honors the one and only true, holy, triune God,” LT said.

In 2024, Northwest Minnesota FCA Area Representative Derek Thompson encouraged LT to step into a student leadership role with FCA at Bemidji State. What began with an invitation to lead grew into a relationship that LT says has continued to shape him.

“Derek Thompson, the Northwest Minnesota Area Representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, encouraged me to lean into a student leader position with FCA at Bemidji State back in 2024 and since then has invested in me and encouraged me in so many ways,” LT said.

As Derek invested in LT, LT began investing in the athletes around him.

“LT has been crucial to the growth of the FCA ministry at Bemidji State since he came to campus,” Derek said. “He has introduced so many of his teammates to Jesus and been a prime example of someone who loves God and lives out the gospel.”

That investment has extended beyond his own team. LT served as a Huddle Leader at Northland FCA Sports Camp in both 2024 and 2025, spending those weeks alongside younger athletes and helping them grow in both their sport and their faith.

His commitment to serving others reaches throughout the Bemidji community and beyond as well. LT has served through vacation Bible school at Calvary Chapel, participated in mission trips with el Refugio in Mexico, volunteered with Special Olympics and Unified Basketball programs and served through youth football camps, Ruby’s Pantry and the National Marrow Donor Program registry.

But for Derek, some of LT’s most significant impact can be seen in the young men closest to him.

“I am so grateful that God brought LT to BSU and his impact will be felt for years to come through those young men he has had influence over,” Derek said. “I pray that God would continue to raise up student leaders that are as excited to reach their teammates for Christ as LT was in his time at BSU!”

It is a picture of multiplication at the heart of FCA. Someone invested in LT and encouraged him to lead. LT, in turn, began investing in others, helping his teammates discover what it means to follow Jesus in the middle of the pressures, opportunities and identity struggles that come with being an athlete.

Jaegar Ash: Building Relationships Through Sports

For Jaegar, the connection between faith and sports was what first drew him to serve with FCA.

“I chose to volunteer with FCA because it incorporated two major things in my life, God and sports,” Jaegar said.

He quickly discovered that a shared love of sports could provide common ground for relationships that went much deeper.

“Knowing I could connect with others who had the same love for sports as I did, it opened up a lane to build relationships and created an atmosphere to share the Gospel with others,” he said. “Volunteering with FCA allowed me to use something I am passionate about to serve others and help create a positive impact both on and off the field!”

In 2024, Jaegar put that into practice as a Minnesota FCA summer intern. Throughout the summer, he used sports to connect with coaches and athletes, build relationships and share the Gospel in both his words and his actions.

He also served as a Huddle Leader at Northland FCA Sports Camp and Northland FCA LEADership Camp that summer, investing in younger athletes and student leaders.

But Jaegar’s involvement with FCA was not limited to a summer internship or a week at camp. For the past couple of years, he has continued volunteering alongside Minneapolis Urban FCA Area Representative Luke Gustafson, mentoring football players at Edison High School in Minneapolis.

For Twin Cities FCA Collegiate Representative and Internship Coordinator Tim Elrod, that continued willingness to serve reflects the same character he saw in Jaegar during his time as an FCA intern.

“He loved the Lord, loved people, and used the platform of sports to share the gospel with coaches and athletes in both word and action,” Tim said.

Now, others across the country are recognizing those same qualities.

“That same servant’s heart is why we are so proud to congratulate him on being named to the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team as a Bethel University senior offensive lineman, the 14th straight Royal so honored,” Tim said.

Jaegar’s selection continues a remarkable tradition at Bethel, where a Royal has now been named to the Good Works Team for 14 consecutive years!

For Tim, though, the significance of seeing Jaegar receive the honor is personal.

“God used Jaegar powerfully during his internship, and it is a joy to watch a former FCA intern recognized for the kind of young man we knew he already was.”