A Service of The Arrow           Friday December 17, 1999 7:52 PM

By: Katlyn Buffington

ARROW STAFF

When a group of athletes gets together for a common purpose, usually it's in a game setting. But a newly-formed group isn't playing any games—they are meeting for a Bible study.

About a month ago, after the varsity football team's game against Capital, a new group of athletes got started at Flathead High. Somewhere around 95 students met for a bonfire to kick off the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in the Flathead Valley.

“FCA is the largest and most common on-campus Christian group in the country,” said FHS teacher Grady Bennett. “There are thousands of them meeting all over.”

Bennett had known about FCA for quite a while and thought it would be a great program here at FHS. But he didn't want students to think that he was only interested in the athletes, so he originally got involved in Youth Alive in 1991.

“Now that Youth Alive was going strong, it was time for FCA,” says Bennett. “The potential for student leadership with some of the outstanding student athletes this year, I thought it would be a good thing.”

The title of FCA can be misleading, though; only about half of the kids that come are athletes.

“When Jesus said `Let the little children come unto me,' He wasn't just talking about the quarterbacks,” says junior Betsy McGarvey. “I'm about the least athletic person I know, but it doesn't matter to God. The Bible study is open to everyone.”

There are about 10 to 12 kids in the small groups and the study is led by student leaders. The group is split up into four groups that meet every other week.

“The leaders have done a great

job getting everyone excited about this program.” says McGarvey. “It is very evident that God is working in their lives.”

The groups meet, eat, and discuss God in their lives.

“We have about a 15-minute Bible study on issues that concern high school students–for example, goals

in school, pressures, and forgive

ness.” says senior Pete Shull.

Kids are enthusiastic about the future and over all the program is going well.

“I think there's strength in numbers,” says Shull. “It's easier to live out your faith in school when you know there's others that have the same beliefs.”

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