FCA Partnership with UNWSP

For most of the last twenty-four years, Northland FCA’s sports camp has been held at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Thousands of athletes have attended the camp. Many have met God, others have recommitted their lives to Christ, and everyone has made amazing memories as they have built lasting relationships with other campers and their huddle leaders. 

After Covid canceled camp in 2020, Luther made the decision not to allow outside groups to rent their facilities this year either. Because of the deep impact of camp in the lives of the young people who attend, it wasn’t an option to cancel camp a second year so they would have to take the camp elsewhere. But the question arose then, where? The logistics required to provide a high-quality multi-sport camp for several hundred young people cannot be met just anywhere.

Andrew Draper, who serves as the director of sports camp, attended camp in Decorah in 1998 as a high school freshman and has never looked back (literally, he has not missed a camp since). So when it came to needing to find a new location, it was hard to imagine the camp anywhere else. As Draper and other staff began to pray about where to go, he thought, “I’ve got a guy.”

While sports camp has been at Luther College for most of the last two decades, Leadership Camp has been held at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul (UNWSP) for nearly as long. Draper said, “My past experiences working with UNWSP’s Scott Hvistendahl at Leadership Camp has been so smooth. We felt truly feeling valued, and I hoped we could make it work even if we had to get creative.” Draper reached out to Scott, and he was immediately on board. He said, “We love our partnership with FCA for Leadership Camp. Having another opportunity to host an FCA camp on campus was a great opportunity to support FCA and host great Christian students and coaches on our campus.”

In addition to the partnership the two organizations have enjoyed in the past, their shared missions made it an easy decision on both ends. Scott said, “It’s all about mission. Raising up and impacting the next generation for Christ is important for both of our organizations, and our athletic director, Matt Hill, always mentions three core values of our athletic department: 1. Place Christ First, 2. Invest in relationships, 3. Pursue our best. That is what FCA camps are about.”

For Draper, an added benefit was the FCA connection with university staff. He said, “It is extra special to share the same values as the school and motivations as UNWSP staff. I spoke with multiple coaches on campus, along with their athletic director, and they all have some sort of FCA faith impact story from their past.” That provides campers with a broader experience as they rub shoulders with others who were impacted by the same organization and speak the same language of discipleship.

It took some creative maneuvering, a slight date change, and some help from nearby Bethel University for additional gym space, but all the logistical needs were met, and the campers had an amazing time as usual. An added benefit to the camp was proximity. The Northland Region covers North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (correct, not Iowa where sports camp has been located for years). UNWSP is easily accessible from the interstate making travel easier for many. In addition, a number of staff reside in or near the metro area opposed to no Northland staff near the campus in Iowa. This allowed for more to get involved in teaching, leading, or just experiencing camp.

If Luther College had not decided to cancel facility rentals this summer, FCA probably wouldn’t have looked to move camp anytime soon. But God had other plans, and we are so blessed by the partnership between the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and FCA. We look forward to continuing to work together in the future as we strive to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ.