The Southwest Louisiana Fellowship of Christian Athletes 2019 Golf Event was held on Monday afternoon July 8 at the Lake Charles Country Club.  This was our rescheduled date to the rain out on May 10!

Great weather combined with Great people make an awesome opportunity for success!

• 24 Teams,  60 Sponsors, Successful Silent Auction....
• THANK YOU Tournament sponsors for covering all tournament expenses,
  • Lake Charles Toyota
  • Hackberry Hunting Lodge
  • Henning Guide Service
  • A J Gallagher 
  • Calcasieu Refining
  • McElveen Insurance
  • Louisiana Concrete
  • Robinson Dental Group
• THANK YOU team sponsors for entering a team
•  THANK YOU Terrell and Associates for offering Shot Insurance on Hole 16
• THANK YOU to the SWLA FCA Board and Golf Committer for serving by coming early to set up and staying late to break down the set up
• THANK YOU McNeese FB (Trey Vondenstein) and Soccer (Brooke Mallory) for being our Hole in One Witness on the Par 3 hole with the Toyota Car Give Away.

All proceeds go to SWLA FCA Ministry Resources!!!   Blessed to serve FCA MINISTRY in SWLA.

During the Louisiana State Championships Rodeo Competition SWLA FCA was honored to host a Chapel for competitors each evening prior to the competition.  Rodeo participates Kamyrn Duncan, Live Oak High School, Quincy Mudd, St. Louis Catholic High School, and Morgan Sparks, Home School, have been faithful to promote and share each night. The Lord has been moving through this week as a result of these three young ladies faithfulness and obedience to stand up and speak out for Christ.

SWLA FCA is grateful for the opportunity that LHSRA allows us to share Biblical Lessons that apply competitively and living daily for Christ.

The 2019 Louisiana College Athlete Retreat  was held January 19-20 at Camp Bethany outside of Shreveport, LA.  Over 300 athletes from Universities in Louisiana attended the event with 25 athletes and 7 adult staff from McNeese attending.  FCA staff from around the state challenged the heart of the  athletes to be compete with Christ likeness on their fields, course, or  court of competition.

The weekend was 36 hours of Inspiration + Motivation + Competition + Perspiration = the most epic weekend of the collegiate experience. Mo Isom, former LSU Soccer All American, shared her powerful story and challenged everyone with the straight up truth of the Gospel.

The Win... God always shows up and lives are changed!
Just withing our McNeese Athletic family we had 3 Baptisms, 5 first time commitments to Christ, 6 Rededication’s!

During the month of September and October schools in Southwest Louisiana have, or will host, a Fields of Faith on their football field or in their gymnasium. Fields of Faith, which began in 2004, is an student lead community event. Students invite, pray for,  share with, and challenge their peers to read the Bible and follow Christ.  The challenge comes from 2 Chronicles 34 where King Josiah, an influential teenage King, gathered his people and challenged them to read God's. As a result, they change their culture.  

Schools that held a Fields of Faith on their football field or in their gym were:  A M Barbe, DeQuincy, Kaplan, LaGrange, Sam Houston, and South Beauregard. 

Below are pictures from the Fields of Faith that sent in pictures of their event.

On October 7, 2018 SWLA FCA hosted its 13th annual Night of Champions event in Burton Coliseum.  600+  athletes and coaches from  SWLA schools attended the event.  Our Guest speaker/artist this year was Vernon Fox.  

Vernon Fox is probably most known for his tenure in the NFL for 8 seasons (2002-2009). Playing for the San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, & Denver Broncos all 2 seasons. He graduated from Cimarron-Memorial HS, where his jersey was retired. He then went on to Fresno State University where he received a bachelors degree in Sociology, while excelling in both athletics as a 2-time All WAC Conference Defensive Back and academically as a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame post graduate award finalist (Academic Heisman) & Academic All American. Aside from athletics, Vernon has served in ministry for over a decade and is ordained as a licensed elder. He works as a youth leader and associate minister at the City of Refuge Church of God in Christ (Las Vegas, NV). He serves as a motivational speaker throughout the country, is a youth advocate, and lends his support to numerous charities. In 2013 he accepted the position as head football coach at Faith Lutheran High School and helped lead them to their first state championship. He has since received two Coach of the Year honors and his teams have earned 6 championships in 5 seasons, including 2 academic state championships. He has been married to wife Tai for 13 years and they have two children, Tailynn and Treylon.

Vernon shared a message from his experience as an athlete and coach: 

1.Your goal to be successful must be INTENTIONAL. 

2. Struggle is INVEVITABLE, understand this and be prepared for it.

3. Faith in Lord first, and your self second IS ESSENTIAL.

SWLA FCA wants to THANK the coaches who brought their athletes, McNeese Baseball,  Softball, Volleyball, and  Women's Basketball  teams who welcomed the High School athletes as they arrived, the sponsors who make the event possible, and the SWLA FCA Adult Advisory boards for making the Night of Champions a success!

The 2018 Louisiana Coaches Time Out event (Co-Sponsored by Louisiana FCA and Professional Athlete Outreach)  was held June 22-24 in Baton Rouge at the Renaissance Hotel.  Over 60 Coaches and spouses attended this years event with 15 coming from Southwest Louisiana.  The sole purpose of this event is to give coaches and their spouse a needed "time out" before "next season" begins.

The comment heard repeatedly from SWLA couples was, "this was just what we needed, a perfect Time Out for us to refocus on our relationship, our family, and our calling as a coaching couple.  We cannot wait to bring a couple back with us next year.  We were able to rest, relax, refocus, and be re-energized to get back in the game" 

Featured speakers this year were Vernon Fox, 9 year NFL veteran,  and Current Head Football Coach at Faith Lutheran, who served as our Coaches Coach, Eddie and Rene' Taubensee, 11 year MLB veteran, served as our Relationship Coaches, Breaux Nadar served as our Financial Fitness Coach, and LA FCA's own Avery Martin lead worship for the weekend.

In addition, two of our Louisiana Coaches lead the devotion times.  Jeremiah Williams from Bossier City lead the Saturday morning devotion while Gordy Glaser from East Beauregard High School lead the Sunday morning devotion time.

Breakouts included a session for single coaches led by Eunice Mayo, SWLA FCA, Coaches Session, led by Vernon Fox, and a coaches wives session led by a panel of Coaches wives...  Kelly Orgeron,  Amy Ensminger, Tia Fox, Colleen Glaser, and Amanda Davis.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association gives the Fellowship of Christian Athletes the opportunity to pray before each State Championship game throughout the year during the State Football, Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball Championship weekends.

Eunice Mayo, SWLA FCA minister to  High School Coaches and Athletes, was on site April 26-29 and May 10-13 as SWLA FCA was honored to pray before the Louisiana State Softball and Baseball games at the respective complex's in Sulphur, LA.  

On Thursday May 3 at the National Day of Prayer event hosted by Profit and Loss, Southwest Louisiana Fellowship of Christian Athletes along with Profit and Loss, recognized the 4 annual recipients of the Kyle Broussard Memorial FCA Scholarship.  

The winners of this years FCA / Profit and Loss Kyle Broussard Memorial Scholarship are:

 Baylie Burkes, DeRidder High School

Jacqueline London, Iowa High School

Bradley LeJeune, Bell City High School

Bradey Levine, Sulphur High School

Each of the recipients will receive $1,000 payable in their freshmen year of college

The 2018 FCA Day of Champions was held on Saturday March 3 prior to the McNeese Men's and Women's Basketball games.

Tristan Baggett, a Senior Soccer player at Sulphur High School, served as the Master of Ceremony's.  Walker Forsyth, SJ Welsh Middle School Athlete opened in prayer, McNeese Football Player Jammerio Gross, shared his story about how God has used FCA to strengthen his relationship with Chirst during his collegiate career, and Madi Fontenot shared her experience about how FCA Sports Camp impacted her life and encouraged the athletes to not miss the opportunity to attend during their high school days.  

Special Guest Sports Motivation Music Artist Tyrone Powell motivated those in attendance to compete and live life with "Clear Eye and a Full Heart  / Can't Lose" mentality .... when Christ is the reason why we compete with the gifts and talents the Lord has blessed us with.  Then guest speaker, Myron Guillory, inspired everyone to live life with the Power of ONE  from Philippians 1:27... One Purpose, One Power, One Pain, One Passion.

SWLA FCA would like to THANK YOU to Chad Pousson and Ronnie Breaux for providing the jambalaya for the event.

Athletes from the following schools attended the Day of Champions: Barbe, DeRidder Jr High School, East Beauregard, Kaplan,  Lacassine, Merryville,  Sam Houston, Starks, Sulphur, and Washington Marion.
 

The 2016 Coaches/Spouse Appreciation Crawfish Boil was held Saturday April 30th at Sale Street Baptist Church.  Even though the rain in the morning may have dampened the attendance we still boiled and served 400 lbs of Crawfish.  SWLA FCA holds this annual event to express our appreciation to coaches and their spouse for the impact and influence they have on your young people as well as the time they sacrifice from their own families.

In addtion, SWLA FCA would like to say a special THANK YOU to Sale Street Baptist Church for hosting the event inside and provided the day care so that our coaching couples could enjoy some time with other adults!

The 2019 SWLA FCA Night of Champions will be held Sunday afternoon September 29 at Burton Coliseum.  Doors open at 2:00 an the event begins at 3:00

Our speaker for this years Night of Champions is Jennie Finch.

Jennie is a former collegiate All-American and medal winning Olympian, retired 2-time pro All-Star, right-handed hitting softball pitcher and first baseman originally from La Mirada, California. She pitched for the Arizona Wildcats, the USA national softball team and the Chicago Bandits.  Finch won the 2001 Women's College World Series and helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. 

Finch is a Christian Athlete and has turned down large financial offers to appear in magazines because of her Christian faith, saying she wanted to be a role model for young women. Finch has spoken about her faith, saying: "It's so important to find hope in Jesus and live for a higher purpose: to share about Him.

Coaches and FCA Huddle Leaders have been notified and ask to email the number of student athletes attending to ssanford@fca.org by Friday September 20.

This training is for 4-6 of your student leaders.  Lunch will be provided.

DATE:  Thursday October 24

TIME:  9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

PLACE:  Trinity Baptist Church / 1800 Country Club / Lake Charles, LA                       (Take Nelson Road Exit off I 210 and go South. Trinity Baptist will be on your left after you pass McDonald's, Johnnies Pizza, and Lakeside Bank)

Please email me by October 17 with the number of students and adults that will be attending from your school.

 Click here to Register

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