Chaska Volunteer Impact

Lisa, Huddle Coach and Teacher

Lisa is an assistant volleyball coach at Chaska, and Danny is a youth pastor at a local church. They share the desire to see students grow in relationship with Christ and share Christ with their peers. Neither gets paid for the many hours they pour into the student leaders or attending huddle meetings and yet they are both willing to sacrifice their time because of what God is doing through FCA in Chaska. 

Lisa teaches English at Chaska and has been the FCA huddle coach for five years. Serving as the huddle coach brings together two of her greatest passions: sports and Jesus. She says, “It’s part of being fruitful toward youth. I want to make an impact spiritually. I want kids to feel comfortable talking about faith but also feeling the love of Christ through what I’m doing in the classroom and through what I’m doing in FCA.”

Danny, Pastor and Encourager

Pastor Danny serves because, he says, “I’m in a season of life where I feel like the Lord has called me to disciple students. He gave me a phrase this summer: ‘My life for their life.’ I know God has called me to this in this season.” Danny sees the tremendous pressures on kids today as well as the changing culture and knows FCA is a place where young people can meet Jesus and grow in relationship with Him. He says, “I’ve always had such a spot in my heart for FCA because it brings students together who love Jesus from different churches.” It is a huge encouragement for students to know, “Who in the hallways also loves Jesus, even if they’re not part of my youth group or part of my church?”

We are in a time in our nation where many churches seem to have pulled back and are not working together, but Pastor Danny says, “That’s a place where FCA can stand in the gap. They are on the campus. It’s a uniting force among churches in America. We need to band together.” If we take a step back and remember it’s really about getting the Gospel out to those who need to hear, we can come together more easily. FCA is a place that can happen.

Lisa is grateful that Pastor Danny has come alongside the huddle. She says, “I could not do this without him – 100%. He is one of the most genuine, transparent, real pastors out there for youth. He’s great at connecting with students. He’s great at connecting students with the Word. I’m so incredibly thankful for him and I hope he never says he can’t do this. He pours the Word into the leaders so well. I’m so incredibly thankful.”

The Chaska Huddle

As they have served the huddle over the years, Pastor Danny and Lisa noticed something else was needed. Danny said, “We were all about the big gathering: get all the people into the room and bring in a speaker, but it wasn’t moving the needle in the way I would see as effective. I started having conversations with Lisa about, ‘What would it look like to do more sitting in circles, Bibles open, Bible study format?’” So with the help of the student leaders, Chaska FCA did an overhaul in format. 

The overhaul kept some of the same elements and introduced new pieces. They didn’t want to get rid of the large huddle because there is something powerful in knowing who the Christian students are on campus. Mondays are still “FCA Night,” but over four weeks, they have one large group meeting and three Bible studies. The student leaders meet for planning and deeper study two Sunday afternoons each month so they are ready to lead their peers in Bible study during the FCA meeting.

FCA Meeting Real Needs

Danny has noticed a concerning trend among youth. He says, “The data is not super encouraging. Everything is very post Christian, even value systems. The foundational Biblical knowledge isn’t there.” Even some of the student leaders struggle with the basic knowledge of the Word, and that is where Danny can make a huge difference through the Sunday leaders’ training and Monday Bible studies. 

Another alarming trend has to do with the pandemic. It has taken a physical, academic, emotional, and social toll on everyone, especially kids whose education and social lives were disrupted for well over a year. Experts are finding that students are behind in academics and maturity level, and many are feeling depressed and hopeless. 

Lisa says, “Because there’s so much darkness, I’ve been trying to make sure the leaders are okay and pouring into them because if they’re not okay, how are they going to be leading their peers to come to FCA?” This wisdom is paying off. Lisa says, “This leadership group has been leading well in the sense of knowing that their peers are hurting. I’m proud of how they’re doing things.”