Foothill FCA: Crag Darby shares the Most Important Miracle at October 19th Huddle!

With Spirit Week activities going on outside, 400+ students still made their way to the gym for pizza, games, and a speaker!

Three brave souls were willing to play the spin, jump, run, shoot-a-basket game, and yes, they were quite entertaining! (See Huddle photo album link below.)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=mduffy&target=ALBUM&id=5665438805901788193&authkey=Gv1sRgCJjn--W0866fQw&feat=email 

Engaged and intrigued, the crowd was then introduced to Huddle speaker, Creg Darby, from Free Chapel Church in Irvine. Crag recalled how tough the high school years can be, how often it seems that only a miracle can help save a grade or a relationship.

Using the story of Lazares' resurrection as an illustration, Crag pointed out that Christ alone has the power and authority to do miracles. Crag then connected Christ's ability with His desire to do a miracle in our own lives--whether it's helping students succeed in tough classes (like Crag's 3-time favorite...algebra), or restoring broken families, or most importantly, knowing God and allowing Him to change us. He asked the students, "Who needs God to work a miracle of change in their life?" Several hands went up, and Crag invited them to join him in a prayer of salvation. The gym got very quiet, and the only sounds heard were those voices repeating Crag's prayer.

The fact that Fellowship of Christian Athletes is WELCOME on Foothill's campus and can boldly share the TRUTH of the GOSPEL during lunchtime is indeed a major miracle! But the greater miracle is the lives that are touched by God at these Huddles. We don't always know who is responding to the Gospel, or what seeds are planted, or who is even hearing about Christ for the first time, but the evidence of God's blessing on these Huddles is too great for us to doubt that God is at work on our campus! We are reminded of His promise in II Peter 3:9; "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Thank you for your prayers and support. May God be glorified, and may we see everyone at Foothill come to know Him as Savior and Lord!

Humbly,
Linda and Cherie

Huddle Recap- Irvine High 10/20/2011

I hope you are all enjoying our Fall weather.  Just a quick email to share with all of you about our last FCA  Huddle went.  We had a great turnout again with over 140 students in attendance!!

We also had two youth Pastors attend... Steven from Good Shepherd Church and Jon from Mariners Church.  Please don’t forget to extend an invite to your youth pastor to come to our huddles.  We also would love to have more IHS coaches attend the Huddles, have your kids extend an offer to their coaches.

Our speaker was Vinh Nguyen.  Vinh is a junior at Irvine High School and one of the FCA student leaders.  Vinh began by telling the story of David and Goliath, and how God worked through David.  Vinh shared how God can work through us and how a year ago, he completely surrendered his life to Christ.  Vinh told the students that he didn’t immediately change and become a completely different person, but how he chose to walk each day with God and in doing so, God created in him a desire to live a different life and make different choices.  Vihn shared his story with such confidence and  in a way that the students really connected with what he was saying.  It was so awesome!Our Huddles of course could not happen with out the support of our wonderful parents:
Our Pizza sponsors for this huddle were the Proehl , Hall and Johnson families.   Their donations helped us provide plenty of pizza for all who attended.
Baked Goods were lovingly prepared by the Hankus, Michelson and Kenney families.

Water bottles were provided by the Hall and Kamai families.

Our amazing sound system is provided by the Alayra family.
Thank you, also to the moms who rolled up their sleeves during their lunch break to help serve water and pizza. We are so grateful for your help as this ministry continues to expand.

As you can see this club is growing and will only stay afloat with all of our help!    If you are able, in these tough times, to donate financially, please send a check made to IHS Athletic Boosters-FCA to:  Jodi Nordstrom, 9 Redrock, Irvine, Ca. 92604.  (Your donations are tax deductible!!) 
THANK YOU PARENTS for your support!!!    Attached are some fun pictures from the day!
Our next Huddle is Thursday, November 3rd!!!
Blessings.......
Jodi Nordstrom
Michelle Carter

Huddle Recap-Woodbridge High School 10/24/11

Hi Parents!

THANK YOU for your support and prayers ... today's Huddle was extremely well attended again with about 180 students on the first day of Homecoming Week! And this time, we were better prepared thanks to your generous donations. We had just enough pizza and cookies to go around.

The students started off with a crazy game of being human pretzels (I'm sure there's a real name for this game but I didn't hear it) and then had an amazing message by Jon McBirney from Mariner's Church. He connected with the students and it's great to see them relate with speakers like Jon!

I love seeing the smiling faces of these students. I especially love seeing the faces of those who I can tell aren't as connected as many of the kids, but instead is just coming for the pizza. I've been watching this one boy who came to each Huddle last year - at first, he only came for the pizza and then snuck out before the message started. But he still comes and now he hangs out for the message and actually participated in the game today. It's awesome!

A special thank you to the following families for helping make this week's pizza lunch happen:

Pizza Money Donation: Kennedys, Greenbergs, Gibbs', Coyles, Mellors, Haneys, and van Perseums

Water: Councils, Werdermans and Van Horns

Cookies: Babbs, Guests, Clausens, Gaultieres and Escalantes

Plates: Griffins

Set up, serve & clean up: Cheri Babb, Lisa Guest, Kris Gibbs and Kim Coyle

We are so grateful to you and we also thank everyone for their continued prayers. And as always, we are so thankful for Anne Walton, our teacher Advisor for FCA! It was great to see as many students at this second Huddle, even after we had to turn so many away last time. God is great!

Our next Huddle will be on November 7!

 

Yukie Meyers

FCA Huddle Recap! Irvine High School October 6th 2011

                                  Good Evening FCA Families!!
I just wanted to share with all of you how awesome our first IHS Huddle of the year was.  It was a huge success with over 140 students in attendance!! Luckily, we had extra pizza and everyone had a great time.

Your continued generosity will make it possible for us to be continue to provide the students with hot pizza, homemade treats and a drink... all while hearing an inspirational message.

Our guest speaker was Barry Martinez as he typically is our kick-off speaker for the new school year.  Barry spoke of his experience in high school, and how he had a coach you would yell at him.  He shared about the dejection and humiliation he felt and how he wrestled with feelings of not wanting to return to school due to the embarrassment. He shared how his faith in Jesus helped him.  He then told the kids the story of the prodigal son, and how the parable depicts God's amazing availability to forgive and restore us, and His great love that accepts us independently of our status and past.  It was very inspiring!
Our Huddles of course could not happen with out the support of our wonderful parents:
Our Pizza sponsor for this huddle was the Nordstrom family.   
Baked Goods were lovingly prepared by the Hobbs and Kenney families.

Water bottles were provided by the Johnson and Kamai families.

Our amazing sound system is provided by the Alayra family.
Thank you, also to the dads and moms who rolled up their sleeves during their lunch break to help serve water and pizza. We are so grateful for your help as this ministry continues to expand.

As you can see this club is growing and will only stay afloat with all of our help!    If you are able, in these tough times, to donate financially, please send a check made to IHS Athletic Boosters-FCA to:  Jodi Nordstrom, 9 Redrock, Irvine, Ca. 92604.  (Your donations are tax deductible!!) 
If you are able to donate waters or baked good on the day of the Huddle, please email me.  You can either drop them off at the school gym the day of the huddle or beforehand at my house.  If you are able to help serve these hungry students, please show up at the gym at 11:30 on the day of the Huddle.   And most of all, we ask that everyone please pray for this ministry as kids continue to come with a curiosity and a hunger for meaningful inspiration!

THANK YOU PARENTS for your support!!!    Attached are some fun pictures from the day!
Our next Huddle is Thursday, October 20th!!!
Blessings.......
Jodi Nordstrom
Michelle Carter

Foothill FCA: Rain Brings 'Em in Droves to October 5th Huddle 2011

Dear FCA Parents,

With the sun blazing outside right now, it's difficult to believe that it rained in torrents just a few days ago--on Wednesday, the day of the first FCA Huddle for the school year--to be exact!

If you think the way I do, you were praying hard against the rain, and if you learn as slowly as I do you were disappointed when the wet weather refused to let up.
Thankfully, GOD's ways are not our ways! (Isaiah 55:8-9)

I may be a slow learner, but I certainly couldn't miss GOD's hand in Wednesday's events! I know now that GOD used that steady, soggy rain to make it just miserable enough for hundreds of students to seek the warm dry shelter of the gym where Fellowship of Christian Athletes was holding its first Huddle!

Many who came had no idea what a Huddle was, but intrigued by the smell of pizza and wanting to know what would draw so many students into one place, they joined the students packed onto the bleachers. 500+ students heard Barry Martinez, FCA's Western Regional Director and former multi-sport athlete, ask the question, "What does GOD think of you?" Using the parable of the Prodigal Son in Matthew chapter 7, Barry illustrated how much--in spite of our sin and rebellion--GOD values and loves us! In a crowd that size, this was certainly new revelation for many!

See pictures at: https://picasaweb.google.com/mduffy/FCAHuddleOct5th2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2Rltnanvi0kgE&feat=directlink or http://tinyurl.com/3tn6x7j

Thank you, LORD, for the rain! YOU always have a plan!
Thank you, Barry, for sharing this Good News with our kids! This basic truth is unknown by so many!
Thank you, Trinity, for supplying the pizza! It drew kids in who were then able to hear about GOD's love.
Thank you, moms, for baking all those cookies! We were able to give out cookies long after we ran out of pizza!
Thank you to the 20 parents who helped set up, serve, and clean up! What a great example you were to those kids!
Thank you, parents, for your support and prayers! We know that no good think happens without GOD!
Thank you, LORD, for loving us and our children so much that YOU provide a way for YOUR TRUTH to be shared on our campus!

Humbly,
Linda and Cherie
FCA Parent Volunteers