Every Wednesday, a cheerful sound can be heard coming from G-09: kids laughing, students talking and the aroma of pizza. They are there to participate in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a club run by senior club presidents Ava Winkle and Maria McNeilly. FCA has grown exponentially throughout its tenure at Oak Park High School, and both club presidents are very proud of the space they have developed.
FCA is a program that has been in effect for 60 years worldwide, according to McNeilly. A weekly meeting at FCA usually consists of announcements, a fun game such as “head, shoulders and water bottle” and then a sermon by a speaker. Each speaker varies from a pastor to a leader to even a staff member. To conclude the meeting, pizza is provided for those who attended.
“Our club’s original focus was to bring athletes closer to God because they have a lot of extracurriculars. But now it is open to anyone, especially at Oak Park,” McNeilly said. “[It] is an organization that focuses on teaching the Gospel and the good news of Jesus to students.”
McNeilly and Winkle were handed off the club by OPHS alumni Abby Tang.
“We were the only two freshmen that constantly showed up so we were handed the position,” Winkle said.
After taking the position of club presidents, McNeilly and Winkle set out to revamp the club and discovered many unknown benefits along the way.
“From there we found it was an amazing opportunity and at least for me something I really needed,” McNeilly said.
Despite the success of FCA today, the club faced many challenges coming back from COVID-19. Thankfully, both presidents restored the club’s popularity and even improved upon it. Furthermore, the club has allowed Winkle to meet new people like sophomore Nalini Rydman, and juniors Aimery Schrimpf and Aaron Lee. It has made her more confident.
“I have become a lot more bold. I used to be really shy, especially when sharing my faith with others and now I am proud of it,” Winkle said.
As Christians, both McNeilly and Winkle’s connection to this club has made a huge impact on their lives.
“FCA was an amazing leadership opportunity and I found out I loved public speaking,” McNeilly said. “It was a way for me to use my talents for God and give the glory to him. I have met so many cool students throughout all grade levels who will come and say ‘I am super lost right now and this club has been a great thing for me.’ Seeing those students and seeing how you can impact them is incredible.”
