830 People. Four Days. One Foundation.

For four days this summer, Bethel University was filled with the sounds of competition, worship, laughter, encouragement and hundreds of athletes growing together.

The 2026 Northland FCA Sports Camp brought together 580 campers, 94 Huddle Leaders and 156 coaches, volunteers, staff and their families, for a total of 830 people gathered around sports and, more importantly, Jesus Christ.

Campers spent their days training and competing in their sports, building relationships with their teammates and Huddle Leaders, studying God's Word in Huddles and gathering each evening for worship and teaching.

Throughout the week, speaker Nobles Darby, Metro Cleveland FCA Area Director, walked campers through four challenges: Connect. Cultivate. Choose. Commit.

CONNECT: Build on the Right Foundation

On the first night, Nobles challenged campers to consider what they are building their lives upon.

Drawing from John 15:1–8 and Matthew 7:24–27, he reminded them that storms are inevitable. We are either coming out of one, walking through one or heading toward one. The difference between the wise and foolish builders wasn't the storm they encountered. It was their foundation.

Sports, relationships, success and achievements can be good gifts, but they were never meant to carry the weight of our lives. Only Jesus can do that.

"We cannot be built different if we are not built on Jesus."

Campers were reminded that God cares deeply about who they are becoming, not simply what they accomplish. Our responsibility is to trust Him and walk in obedience, leaving the results in His hands.

As Nobles put it, "Our job is obedience. God's job is outcome."

Because of what Jesus has already accomplished on the cross, we don't have to compete, perform or achieve our way to victory.

We live FROM victory, never FOR it.

CULTIVATE: Abide in the Vine

Day two went deeper into FCA's theme passage, John 15:1–8.

Jesus doesn't ask us to manufacture spiritual fruit through harder work. He asks us to remain in Him.

"Abiding is not a performance. It's a lifestyle."

To abide means to remain, continue, stay and dwell with Jesus. When we pursue a deep relationship with Christ, the fruit in our lives isn't the product of striving harder. It's the result of staying connected to the Vine.

Grace over grind.

Campers were challenged to begin their days in God's Word, lean on Him rather than themselves and allow His strength to be revealed through their weaknesses.

As Nobles reminded them, "Fruit does not come FROM our lives. It flows THROUGH our lives."

CHOOSE: Every Choice Matters

By day three, the challenge became personal.

From Deuteronomy 30:19–20, campers were reminded that the thousands of decisions we make ultimately reveal what, and Whom, we are choosing.

Nobles challenged them to make three choices that lead to life: love the Lord, obey Him and commit firmly to Him.

Following Jesus isn't simply about what we say we believe. Our choices should reflect the One we follow.

And God's Word isn't something we read merely for information. We allow it to transform us, shaping our hearts and making us more like Christ.

Nobles left campers with a question that extends far beyond Sports Camp:

COMMIT: Keep Growing

Then came the hardest part of camp: leaving.

On the final day, the focus shifted from what God had done during the week to what campers would do when they returned home.

Drawing from Jeremiah 17:7–8, Nobles challenged everyone to remain committed to growing, even when growth becomes uncomfortable.

GROW: God Reveals Our Willingness.

Challenges aren't necessarily evidence that God has left us. Often, they become the very places where He does His deepest work.

More Than a Sports Camp

The drills mattered. The competition mattered. The friendships mattered.

But Northland FCA Sports Camp has always been about something bigger than becoming a better athlete.

It's about coaches and athletes encountering Jesus Christ and learning what it looks like to follow Him in their sport, their school, their relationships and their everyday lives.

As 580 campers headed home, they carried with them a challenge that we hope lasts far beyond four days at Bethel:

Keep Jesus as your foundation. Abide in Him. Consistently choose Him. And remain committed to grow.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything.