"5 Yard Penalty, Third Down"

"Booooooo" could be heard throughout the crowd at FCA on Wednesday as the referee made his entrance. Isn't that always what happens when a referee walks by? Normally we expect better of our Heiskell students, but this morning was an exception. SEC referee and sideline judge Chris Conley asked the students to "boo" him.

He shared with us the meaning of every detail on his uniform and how the ways in which it serves a purpose in his role as a referee. He pointed out that we all immediately recognized who he was as soon as he walked into the room.

Then, he challenged us. Do others know exactly who we are when we walk into a room? Do they know we belong to Christ? Every part of our uniform (body) serves a purpose for Christ. Do we recognize that and honor Him in that way? What a great reminder of how the Lord designed us and that we need to consciously put on the full armor of God every day.

Aw, Come On Ref...

If you've ever wondered what the terms "personal foul", "offsides", or "illegal block" mean, then come to our next FCA meeting on Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 a.m. We will be welcoming SEC official Chris Conley as our speaker. It's going to be great, so we can't wait to see you there (even if you don't want to know what those terms mean : ).

Wide Receiver for Jesus

Walter Payton, Steve Bartkowski, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Roger Staubach, Ahmad Rashad...If you know anything about pro football in the late 70s and early 80s, these names mean something to you. They represent the very best the NFL had to offer and still hold legendary status to this day. Wallace Francis rattled off these names and many more this morning because he had the privilege of playing with or against them during his tenure in the sport.

However impressive it might be that Mr. Francis knows these sports legends, it should mean far more to us that he knows the real superstar, Jesus Christ. Mr. Francis shared his testimony this morning about how he came to know the Lord while playing for the Atlanta Falcons because of the witness of two of his teammates. He reminded us that being on Christ's team is a privilege far beyond being a member of any other team no matter how great. He also charged us with remembering that religion, in any form, does not "get us to God"; it's only through salvation of Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Mr. Francis, for spending your morning with us.

"Falcons Rise Up!"

"Falcons rise up" may not have been heard much in 1973 when they still played at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, but the name Wallace Francis was definitely heard.

Mr. Francis attended the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff and was drafted as a wide receiver by the Buffalo Bills in 1973. In 1975, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons where he continued in the receiver position. Named Falcons Player of the Year in 1979, Mr. Francis continued to have success with the Falcons, but was called by God in to full time ministry. The 1981 season would be his last in the NFL.

By 1990, he had finished bible college and is now the national director of Ambassadors for Christ International, an organization that works with local churches to equip believers for evangelism. 

Don't miss this opportunity Wednesday morning, November 2 at 7:30 a.m. to meet an Atlanta sports legend and hear his testimony about Jesus!

Fields of Faith

Just a reminder to everyone that the Northwest Metro Atlanta FCA is hosting "Fields of Faith" on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 from 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Lovett's gymnasium.

 Heiskell Huddle and Pitcher Andrew Kown

What do you get when you mix 30 junior high students, a whole bunch of sausage biscuits and hashbrowns, and one professional baseball player? A fantastic FCA meeting, that's what!
 Andrew Kown, pitcher in the San Francisco Giants minor league system, joined us this morning. Not only did he share about his 96 mile per hour fastball, but also that our relationship with Christ is our own and cannot be inherited from our parents. Being raised in a Christian home, Andrew grew up going to church every time the doors were open, but it wasn't until his sophomore year at Gerogia Tech that a friend reminded him that knowing Christ is personal, no one can do it for you. Andrew realized he did not know if he was saved and followed that conversation by surrendering his life totally to Jesus.

Many times the only news we hear about professional athletes is when they have done something wrong or are in trouble. Andrew's goal is to change that perception by continuing to be the type of athlete young people should look up to and one who continually glorifies the Lord.

Thanks so much to Andrew Kown for sharing part of his morning with us as well as his testimony. We wish him all the best as he moves up to the majors and joins the Giants at spring training this February. We will hold on to the baseballs he signed for us and someday say "we knew him when...".

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game..."

FCA begins our regular meeting schedule (1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month) this week on Wednesday, October 5 at 7:30 a.m. 

Robert Mitchell's mom is bringing breakfast, so make sure you tell her how much you appreciate it ('cause I know you do!). 

Our guest speaker will be Andrew Kown (pictured above). Andrew graduated from The Walker School and earned a baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech. He was picked in the 5th round of the 2004 major league baseball draft by the Detroit Tigers. He now pitches for the Fresno Grizzlies, the AAA minor league team for the San Francisco Giants. He made the Pacific Coast League's All-Star Team in 2011 and will report to the Giants major league spring training camp this coming February.

Please be there early to meet him and tell him how grateful we are to have him visit Heiskell's FCA.

Also, don't forget to congratulate our Lady Eagles volleyball team B on a great season. They finished today with a loss in the semi-finals at Atlanta International School, but it took them three games to do so. Way to fight for it, girls!

Our Lady Eagles volleyball team A plays their semi-final games on Tuesday, October 4 at AIS and we wish them all the best.

Congratulations is also due to the boys' cross-country team for placing first on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at the Heritage Invitational. Whoo hoo!! I'm proud to be an Eagle!

Lady Eagles Volleyball

FCA's Heiskell Huddle is so proud of our girls' volleyball team in their inaugural season. Cheer them on this Thursday at their last home game as they take on Heritage Preparatory School at 4:30 p.m. 

Go Lady Eagles!

I WANT YOU! (to be an FCA leader)

It is time for The Heiskell School FCA to step it up! FCA is a student-led campus ministry, so our students met today to discuss what those leaders will look like and what their responsibilities will be in FCA. Attached is the link to the FCA Student Leadership Application that must be filled out and turned in so the adult leaders can prayerfully consider where you can best serve. Please sit down with mom and dad to discuss this commitment because they have to commit to doing this along with you. Return the application by our meeting on Wednesday, September 28. 2011. I've also attached an outline of the leadership opportunities available this year, so answer the call and step up to lead!

FCA Student Leadership Application

2011-2012 Leadership Responsibilities

2 Co-Presidents (8th grade only):        

                                    Announcements

                                    Keeping up with prayer requests and praises

                                    Coordinate with speakers

                                    Reminder call to speakers

                                    Personal thank you note to speakers

                                    Check in with other “officers”

                                    Help with our blog and newsletter articles

                                    Remind others about FCA meetings (email, text,

                                                                                    word-of-mouth)

1 Vice President:       Support presidents and their responsibilities

                                    Support other officers

                                    Help with blog and newsletter article

1 Social Director:       Make sure breakfast is covered

                                    Make sure paper products are in supply

                                    Prepare a game/ice breaker

                                    Greeter at meetings

2 Service Coordinators:        Design and coordinate service projects throughout the

                                                            Year

3 Leadership Team:  Be of service to other officers

                                    Commit to getting volunteers for service projects, write cards                                       Prayer warriors

Don't forget...next week we will NOT meet due to "See You at the Pole".

A few pictures from this morning's (unsuccessful) Human Knot Competition:

In the beginning we thought it would be so easy.

We obviously thought wrong!

SALT!

Our first FCA meeting of the year was a huge success with 24 junior high students in attendance. We had a great time getting to know each other again and fellowshipping over some yummy Chick-Fil-A biscuits. That must be why there is an image of a salt shaker on this page, right? Actually, no, salt was our topic of conversation for our morning devotion led by Marist Athletic Director, Tommy Marshall.

Coach Marshall explained that salt does four things:

• It flavors. Sprinkle a little salt into your conversations and flavor them with Christ.
• It heals. When you're hurting, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, sprinkle the salt that is Christ onto your situation and begin to watch it heal.
• It preserves. Think country ham with this one. Not only does Christ preserve us until the day of His return, but when we taste what He has to offer (salty, of course, like the ham) we desire water, in this case living water through Christ.
• It uplifts. When you swim in the Great Salt Lake what happens? You float. Christ lifts us up in any situation in life. 

The next time you're in a restaurant, grab an extra salt packet and keep it in your Bible as a reminder that "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless." Matthew 5:13 NLT

Coach Tommy Marshall (right)

Coach Marshall has been the A.D. at Marist School for over ten years now and is their adult leader of FCA. A native of Atlanta and graduate of and former football player, coach, and assistant Athletic Director at Furman University, Coach Marshall tells us he was raised to be the "best alter boy around". In his junior year of high school through FCA, however, he was saved finding out what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He and his wife, Dana, reside in Dunwoody, Georgia.

On a personal note, he was also Miss Gretchen's Sunday school teacher in college back home in Greenville, South Carolina where he once taught this same lesson on salt. She still carries her salt packet in her Bible today.

"Let's Get It Started"

Do you recognize these athletes who were wondering the Heiskell halls?

It is time for FCA to begin again and we are so excited! Coach Tommy Marshall from Marist is returning as our inaugural speaker again this year and you know there will be biscuits there! 

Join us at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 in the cafeteria and be ready for an awesome time!