The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is returning to Western turf.

Legendary football coach Jimmy Feix began the group in 1975, but it left the Hill ten years ago, after membership shrank.

Now there is renewed interest. Feix returned as the spotlight speaker at the group’s first meeting in the DUC Theatre.

“I’m thrilled that FCA is being brought back, I know how important it is, and it seems like a huge in hole in student life,” Feix said. “I’m very excited and it’s a wonderful blessing.”

At the beginning of the meeting, only about 30 people filled the front rows of the auditorium, as minutes passed about 40 showed.

Considering the first FCA meeting in 1975 consisted of only four football players, the 40 students in attendance was a great feat, organizers said.

“It’s our first meeting, we’re just seeing what the turnout is going to be,” said Elizabethtown sophomore Andrea Doogs, a member of the women’s soccer team.

“As the weeks pass, hopefully more and more people will attend.”

Doogs is a team leader of FCA and plans on staying involved as a part of the social huddle. The social huddle is in charge of bringing people to athletic events and showing support.

Other huddles of FCA include praise and worship, outreach and community service, prayer, small groups with men and women Bible studies, and a skits and games huddle to our student athletes.

“I feel like FCA is going to be a good place for people to come each week to get in the spirit, that’s kind of how I look at church,” said Doogs.

Donald Spann, the men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, is the new Director of FCA. He describes FCA as a ministry organization for students and athletes to hear the word of Christ.

“This year God is definitely blessing us and there are many people willing to work, which is one of the main reasons FCA is able to start back up,” Spann said.

FCA differs in comparison to the Baptist Student Union and Campus Crusade for Christ, in the sense that Christian student athletes will be running the entire show. FCA welcomes everyone and Spann said that FCA is going to be a fun time this year.

“We’re hoping to bring in not just student athletes, but bring in every form of student life,” Spann said.

Feix said FCA is going to be an exciting mission of athletes as a great ministry of inspiration and perspiration.

“I hope that we will be able to minister the challenge of excepting Jesus Christ,” he said.