UCA/FCA MISSISSIPPI CHEER CAMP 2010
This year was our third year for the Mississippi Cheer Camp. As these camps continue to expand across the country, more and more cheerleaders are being impacted through FCA. Jasmine Cochran was the chaplain this year and spoke about Integrity, Serving, Teamwork and Excellence, the FCA Core Values and the theme for this year.
The goal of these camps is to spread Christ in schools through the influence of cheerleaders. FCA has a partnership with Universal Cheer Association (UCA), so at these camps, Christian UCA cheerleaders spend the day instructing the athletes. Throughout the day, FCA has testimonies and group Bible study and at night, FCA holds chapel.
At this year's camp, three girls gave their lives to Christ and 17 renewed their comittment to Him.
One cheerleader from Pillow Academy states, "I really enjoyed the FCA chapel each night. I have already accepted Christ but I started to stray from my walk. This week reunited me with God and I am back on track!"
The first year we held this camp at Southern, a UCA cheerleader attended. She was sent to the camp from UCA at the last minute. Read her story:
I will start by saying two summers ago I was doing a regular UCA residence camp at Mississippi State University. It was the FIRST day and I was pretty excited to be there. Well, when classes were about to begin, there was news that our state director was about to send one of us to Hattiesburg for a Christian camp. This was my first year on staff, so I had no idea what a Christian camp would be like, but the "talk" didn't make it sound very fun. My state director walked up to ME and said she needed me to go to Southern Miss for this camp, soooo I was really upset because I had just settled in with everyone on that camp, and now I had to leave and drive to another one. I was panicking because I didn't know the directions from Starkville to Hattiesburg, but thank goodness for my GPS. I made it to Hattiesburg and we started demo practice as soon as I got there. I didn't really feel too comfortable at first, but that changed once I started getting to know the other staff! Well, to make a long story short..... I received Christ that week and I was immediately changed. Watching girls in junior high and high school take so much interest in the Lord really made me realize that I needed to start taking that same interest seeing as I was older than these girls, and I began to notice I wasn't as close to the Lord as I needed to be. It was absolutely amazing watching and taking part in kneeling before God and giving my life to Him. I did nothing but thank God after that, and Mrs. Marilou helped me tremendously to understand that this was God's purpose for choosing me to be on this camp. Many people really don't realize the good of this camp until they go and experience it first hand and then they see that it is honestly EXACTLY like a regular UCA camp except you are cheering for God and worshiping God (so it might be longer days and more tiring) BUT that is needless to say, we are young and an extra hour or two a day is well worth what you take home individually and as a squad! I don't see why every UCA camp shouldn't join in with FCA and make every camp both fun and spiritual all at the same time. No one needs to cheer without God in their life anyway, and these camps teach you that so much!
Praise God always, Jennifer!
This incredible story is what FCA is all about! It is such a blessing that the campers influenced the UCA cheerleader, and through that, she became a Christian!
Pleaes pray with us as we lift up the FCA Cheer Ministry and all who are being reached through it.
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