Last week, ThrottleNet sponsored a hole at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Ozark Gateway Golf Classic. It was a great day on the course with good company. But the bigger story is what that day makes possible: a ministry that meets students and coaches where they already are, in schools across our region.
Here is a closer look at the work FCA does, why this tournament matters so much to it, and why we were glad to be part of it.
What the Fellowship of Christian Athletes does
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes exists to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
What makes FCA different from most student ministries is where the work happens. Rather than asking students to come to a building, FCA goes to them: on campus, in locker rooms, and at practice. The ministry works through the coaches and student leaders who are already there, so faith shows up in the places students spend their time.
The reach of that model is easy to see in the numbers. Across the Ozark Gateway region alone, FCA’s past year included:
- 37 high schools reached
- 740 students in weekly huddles
- 53 coaches serving
- 147 campus visits
- 27 athletes sent to leadership camp
Behind every one of those numbers is a student who heard about faith somewhere they wouldn’t otherwise have encountered it.
Why the Golf Classic matters
The Ozark Gateway Golf Classic, held October 12 at Franklin County Country Club in Washington, Missouri, is one of the primary ways FCA’s local ministry gets funded.
A single day of golf goes a long way. Funds raised at the tournament pay for:
- Bibles and curriculum for weekly huddles
- Scholarships that send students to leadership camps
- Support for the staff and volunteer coaches who show up on campuses week after week
This year’s tournament brought together business leaders from across the region, along with special guests including former Cardinals pitchers Ricky Horton and Andy Benes and former Blues forward Reed Low. For a lot of us, sharing a course with a few St. Louis sports names was a highlight. But the real draw was knowing every foursome on the course was helping keep that campus work going for another year.
Why ThrottleNet is part of it
ThrottleNet partnered with the tournament at the Gold level, sponsoring a hole and bringing two foursomes out for the day.
Supporting FCA reflects something we believe about business in general: the relationships you build in your community matter as much as the transactions. We spend our days helping local businesses run better, and many of the people we work with live in, work in, and send their kids to schools across this region.
A day on the course with other local business owners, raising money that lands directly in schools near where our clients and employees live, is time well spent. We’re grateful to FCA and the Ozark Gateway team for the work they do all year, and to everyone who came out to support it. We’re already looking forward to next year. To see what other Nonprofits and Charities we work with click here!
