Pacific University offers many clubs for students and athletes to be a part of. One club that has had a lot of success on campus is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). FCA is a bible study among athletes on campus but is open to anybody to come and join.
One of the leaders of the club is football player Bobby Ulrich, who leads many of the meetings and organizes events that the group participates in.
“In college it’s a little harder to always go to church or read your bible and it creates an atmosphere that allows us to do those things,” Ulrich said.
The group meets every Monday in the Boxer Learning Center (BLC) at Stoller Center. The meetings consist of prayer and discussion of different topics concerning being a Christian student athlete.
“After we address the topic of the week, we break up into small groups and talk about bible verses. It’s very conversation based, it’s not like a lecture,” Ulrich said.
Another FCA leader, football player Xavier Harvey, said the meetings are very free flowing and open. At the meetings, nobody was forced to talk or participate. Their goal is to get people to come back, not feel awkward, shamed or uncomfortable.
“We gather as a group of friends and have a laid back hour of bible study,” Harvey said. “It’s less of vigorously going through the Bible and more of just talking about our experiences in hopes that we can help others have the same experiences.”
Along with the weekly meetings, the group participates and hosts events such as a lip sync battle every Halloween and ‘Friendsgiving’ every Thanksgiving, where students and student athletes gather for a large potluck and talk about what they are thankful for. The group also goes on planned hikes and concert trips throughout the year.
“You can find us every Monday at 8:15 p.m. in the BLC,” Harvey said. “Or if you see one of the leaders around campus you can always come up and ask any questions!”
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