Alumni Impact - Isaiah Minnich

Shelley Pearson • Jul 31, 2020
His love for kids began when he served as a huddle leader for the Rochester FCA Sports Camp. Now he’s a teacher back in his hometown and loves working with the students who have special needs, especially those who struggle with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD). He also loves giving back to his community and sharing God’s love with everyone he can.

As we continue our series on the impact of FCA in the lives of alumni, a common theme keeps emerging. God uses FCA to impact the hearts and lives of students that lasts far beyond the high school years. 

Isaiah Minnich got involved with FCA his sophomore year at John Marshall High School in Rochester. Though he grew up in a Christian home, his faith was not his own until he became part of FCA. “I grew up in a Christian household, and when you do, you kind of do what your parents do and you know God is real, but you don’t feel like you have your own connection with God but are living through your parents’ faith . . . I didn’t have my own identity in Christ. I didn’t know Him or how to connect to him. I didn’t have that deeper understanding. Through James [Southeast Minnesota FCA Area Director] and FCA, I never felt so close to God. I understood it wasn’t my parents’ faith, but it was mine.”


Isaiah spent those years in FCA leaning into his relationship with God and learning all he could. He faced several challenges his junior and senior years of high school that God used to teach Isaiah how to trust Him even when Isaiah couldn’t see or understand what God was doing. He learned that God allows challenges to bring us closer to Him and build our faith. Especially in times of anxiety about the future, God used FCA and the people there to encourage Isaiah and help him turn his focus from his circumstances back to God.

A Love for Kids

After high school, Isaiah returned to Rochester to serve as a huddle leader at Sports Camp. Near the end of the week he had the opportunity to share with the campers about his heart and how God had helped him through numerous struggles. As he interacted with the campers, he realized that these middle school students admired him and looked to him for answers to their questions about God and life. He loved being able to pour truth into them. Even when they had questions he couldn’t answer, he always sought the answers so he could bring them back to the campers. It helped him grow in his faith and helped them learn to trust him and what he was saying about God.


Isaiah returned the following summer as an intern and served at all Rochester FCA camps. One of his assigned tasks was to help other huddle leaders move from a surface level to a deeper spiritual level with the kids during their huddle time. It was a great feeling hearing these huddle leaders talk about how God was moving in the hearts of kids in their huddles and that God had used Isaiah to play a role in that growth. Isaiah understood that he could have a deep impact on young people. This influenced his decision to become a teacher.

Trusting God in Good and Bad

Not only did FCA influence his initial spiritual growth and future career, but more importantly, Isaiah learned how to fully rely on God and walk in obedience to Him even when it was difficult. At one point in his life, he sensed that God may be calling him to quit football. He remembers praying one night after practice, “God, you know I’m stubborn, and you know I love football. Truthfully, I think I’d have to get hurt to really quit. The next day at practice, I fell and hurt my knee pretty bad . . . That day I quit football. It was clear that wasn’t where I was supposed to be. It was a crazy experience, and if it hadn’t happened, I never would have quit.” Isaiah understands the hard truth that sometimes God allows difficult things to get our attention and bring us toward obedience.


At times throughout high school, college, and even recently, Isaiah has struggled with depression and anxiety. He used to keep his struggles to himself and shield himself from others. God is teaching him that he will continue to grow closer to Jesus as he surrenders the hard things to God. During these moments of depression or anxiety, Isaiah learned through FCA that he can turn to God and seek godly counsel and encouragement from others, including James, his parents, and others. 

A Changed Life

Isaiah can’t imagine where he would be today if he hadn’t been part of FCA. “I hope you can tell that I truly love FCA and it has helped shift my life in a more positive direction. If I hadn’t had FCA to build a strong foundation, who knows how I would have handled different trials and tribulations.” 


James has been part of Isaiah’s growth from the beginning of his time with FCA. “I have seen Isaiah grow in his faith immensely over the years! I first met him when he was a sophomore at John Marshall High School when he started attending the FCA huddle there. After one of our huddle meetings, he asked me for an FCA Bible. Over the next few years, he became a strong contributor for the growing John Marshall FCA huddle. Our friendship continued to grow in his years after high school as we kept in touch, and his faith has continued to blossom since then. He is now using his faith and leadership as a teacher and is loving his students as Jesus loves us. I’m very proud of Isaiah!”


His faith. His career. His whole life. God has used the ministry of FCA to do amazing work in and through Isaiah, and He’s not done yet. Isaiah said this about where he’s at right now: “FCA helped me to not be afraid to talk about my faith and to be open about spreading God’s love. I truly believe I am on this earth to spread His love to everyone. Just because I don’t see eye to eye with someone on some issue doesn’t mean I should treat them any differently . . . I truly believe through studying the Bible and through FCA that I was put on the earth to love people with my whole heart and to help people with their spiritual lives and physical lives.”


We are so thankful for how God has used the ministry of FCA to reach hearts like Isaiah’s for Christ and then to watch as that faith is multiplied time and time again in so many others. We have said it a thousand times, but we will keep saying it because it is true. FCA changes lives
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