A Local FCA Success Story: From High School Huddle to Community of Leaders

When Jake first joined Fellowship of Christian Athletes in 2010 as a sophomore at River Falls (WI) High School, FCA gave him more than a place to meet. It gave him a community and a vision for the kind of person he hoped to become.

He remembers Monday night huddles at his parents’ home, where students from different grades, sports, and churches gathered together, shared food, and found a place to belong. The group initially sometimes drew close to 100 students and later averaged around 50. Some were not athletes. What mattered was that they felt welcome.

One of the highlights for Jake were the faith nights at the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball games where they’d bring a busload of students from River Falls - the highlight was hearing Steph Curry sharing his testimony early in his career.

Jake credits FCA for shaping culture at River Falls High School. FCA student athletes attended from various sports and grades, which brought unity and eliminated several divisions that can exist at high schools.

FCA camps helped deepen that experience. Serving as a huddle leader at FCA camps -Sports, Leadership, and Golf - gave Jake lasting friendships, role models, and practical tools for starting an athlete's huddle at the University of Northwestern. One former student, he says, is now an associate pastor.

Jake grew up in a family of faith, but FCA helped give that faith an outlet. “It really gave me vision for who I wanted to be,” he reflected, remembering the leaders who invested in him during his formative years. He hopes to offer that same encouragement to the next generation.

Now, Jake is a husband and a father of two daughters, and as he returns to the St. Croix River Valley to open a new Chick-fil-A store in Stillwater, Minnesota, he sees an opportunity to put those values into practice in his local community. He describes the business as “a people business masquerading as a chicken sandwich business”- a place to serve customers, help employees grow, and develop leaders. His vision is to care for people in a way that makes the restaurant “a beacon of light” in the community.

Jake’s story is one example of FCA’s lasting impact: relationships and experiences that begin in a huddle can continue shaping how someone serves others years later.

For donors and future supporters, that is the promise of local ministry - not just an event or a season, but an investment in people who carry what they’ve learned into their families, workplaces, and communities.