2014 FCA in S.C. and the Shooting Sports

FCA shooting team with youth shooters and observers

On March 12 the Fellowship of Christian Athletes held the third annual Hank Parker Invitational Shoot. The Foothills Coordinator for FCA is Alan Welch and the event is held on the S.C. / N.C. border near Charlotte in order to draw Christians from both Carolinas. The fundraising is directed towards the unique purpose of Christian outreach into schools, exposing students to God’s plan and the fun derived from the outdoors.

            

ACTION awaits at the FLURRY station - Notice FIVE targets in the air !

Hank Parker is a well known fishing celebrity, having won the Bassmaster Classic twice and now producing two popular TV shows. Parker has a strong Christian faith that led him to be the title sponsor for this FCA event, and he witnesses to the crowd after lunch about how the tribulations of his immediate family shaped him. His message about the slippery footing in life is powerful, especially where it concerns today’s youth.

            

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a national organization and celebrates 60 years of existence this year. Since 1954, FCA has been challenging coaches and athletes to utilize the powerful vehicle of sports to impact the world in the name of Jesus Christ. This outreach is already practiced in high school, college and professional sports, and FCA in South Carolina wants to continue to recognize team sports as important, but also to introduce outdoor options such as the shooting sports.

            

B-Ball's Phil Ford, FCA' s Alan Welch, and Michell Hicks

Shooting a shotgun at clay targets is good clean fun, and several rounds of sporting clays were shot on March 12. Several students were in attendance with their teacher and I was fortunate to be a part of this shooting team. The high school male made the breaking of the targets look easy, while the female needed more coaching about how to put one’s chin against the gun stock for better accuracy.

I guarantee that they both had an excellent experience and will tell their friends about it, and another young lady came along simply to observe our activities. No doubt she will pick a shotgun and shoot when she is ready, but this is a perfect example of how some positive exposure to shooting may be the first step towards her taking a long term commitment to the outdoor sports.


“FCA can help save children in the school system from mistakes, simply by sharing the hope provided by Jesus Christ,” said Hank Parker. “I am not 99-percent committed to this, rather I am ALL IN. We are challenged to give our all to God since he gave his all to us. Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing any of us can do.” 

Hutch Eckerson shoots clays for FCA 

Other celebrities attend the Hank Parker Shoot to help bolster the FCA message, and NFL kicker and former Gamecock Ryan Succop is one of those leaders. Succop tells how his days at Carolina transitioned easily to joining the Kansas City Chiefs since he was involved with FCA at both locations. Succop told me that their Super Bowl run ended one game too early this year, but that he is excited for future competition. Succop brought Hutch Eckerson to the shoot this year, an ex-Chiefs teammate and former Gamecock, and we hope he will bring the Lombardi trophy with him next year!

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click Colletonian.

To view past blog entries from the FCA Hank Parker Invitational click 2014 or 2013 or 2012