Called to More

Author: Moriah Levering

My friend invited me to attend a club at school called FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)—a weekly, student-led Bible study held before school for athletes. He knew I was a Christian and, as a “leader” in FCA, believed that based on how I lived out my faith, I should not only attend but also consider becoming a leader.

I finally started attending at the beginning of my junior year. At first, I turned down the invitation to lead—I didn’t feel right jumping into a leadership role after just showing up. But one morning, a leader wasn’t available to guide one of the small groups. Without warning, my friend tossed me the discussion questions and said, “You got this.” I led the group as best I could. After the meeting, another leader who had joined my group told me they were impressed and offered me a leadership position. This time, I accepted.

But it quickly became clear that I wasn’t the only one added to leadership without much preparation. Some leaders didn’t consistently attend, and others weren’t actively walking with the Lord. Due to poor communication and eager recruiting, nearly a third of the group ended up being labeled “leaders.” This concerned me deeply.

In FCA, leaders aren’t just helpers—they’re spiritual examples. Many students who attend don’t go to church or know much about the Bible, so their impression of Christianity often comes from the FCA leaders. Yet some leaders lacked basic biblical understanding and, at times, were unknowingly sharing false ideas about the Gospel. The studies themselves were inconsistent—often pulled from a website the night before, rarely aligned in theme, and difficult to understand for those new to Scripture.

I felt strongly that something needed to change. So I prayed about it and then shared an idea in our leaders’ group chat: What if we held a weekly leader meeting earlier in the week—just for the leaders—to study the Gospel together, sharpen one another, and better equip ourselves to lead FCA with clarity and purpose?

The response was encouraging. After more conversations, we developed a plan: we’d go through One-to-One Bible Reading by David Helm, focusing on an eight-week study through Mark. Each week, a different leader would prepare to guide the study using the book’s questions. At our first meeting, I explained the plan and emphasized the importance of prayer and preparation. We’d also spend time discussing how to apply what we learned to our FCA group, keeping in mind the variety of spiritual backgrounds represented.

The idea of waking up early for meetings twice a week led to a few less-committed leaders stepping back—but the result was a more unified, passionate group. These meetings created stronger community among the leaders, a deeper understanding of the Gospel, and a more focused, accessible message for all FCA attendees—especially those unfamiliar with church or Scripture.

By God’s grace and with the help of faithful, Christ-loving students, FCA began to grow—not just in numbers, but in depth. Next year, the plan is to continue this structure and train new leaders to carry it forward after I graduate.

This experience has been an incredible gift from God. It’s helped me grow in my own faith and reminded me that He placed me in my school for a purpose. Working alongside other students through FCA within the school is the most important thing I can do. It helps equip and guide students toward an eternity with God, and this refinement of my perspective has allowed not only for growth within the FCA, but in my own faith as well, and I thank God for it.