In the quiet halls before school every Tuesday morning, about 6:45 am, you hear a discussion coming from another room, and not just one conversation, but a bunch of conversations, all grouped into a sort of noise, but not just a normal or annoying noise, rather, a friendly, welcoming, warm noise. Out of curiosity, you slowly walk towards the noise, trying to track where it’s coming from or why it’s so inviting.
Then, at last, you stumble upon the source, a small room with a surprising number of people in it. All together talking happily, you’re surprised to see so many people at such an early time for a minute, but then someone asks, “Hey, are you new?” to which you answer, and they tell you to grab a donut and sit down.
When you do so, you sit at a table with people whom you don’t know, but somehow they feel like friends, the way they invite you. Though you are new, in a way, this place feels like home for people, and for you.
This sense of belonging is the standard of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Floyd, a place where, athlete or not, you feel like you belong.
Junior Grace Bretthauer experienced this firsthand, the very first time she attended the club.
“When I was invited to this place, everyone was so kind. We were all looking towards the same thing, so there was no difference between anyone; we were all just equal people,” said Bretthauer.
For her, the initial welcome turned a room full of strangers into a familiar place. Junior Taylor Watson shared a similar opinion.
“The first time I came, everyone was really nice and welcoming because everyone else loves Jesus,” said Watson.
In the eyes of its participants, FCA brought together those who had never known each other through faith. This sense of first-time belonging can cause some to invite friends to share the experience.
Junior Adeline Schultz expressed this exact point. “My friends go to FCA, and the whole thing is welcoming too, and you can be comfortable talking about our faith.”
Many students view FCA as a safe, friendly place where you can be truly comfortable, not only talking about your faith but also about your circumstances, an early-morning refresher for the week ahead.
With all this, the leaders at FCA also do their best to make everyone feel welcome, and one of those is social studies teacher Mark McKay.
“We make this place more inviting by encouraging leaders to learn names and to encourage people to sit at the same table.” McKay believes they can open the place up a little more by small gestures, such as showing new members to a table.
But why do all this to welcome people? Because there really are a lot of different people who go to FCA, though many of course are united in faith, what they do is quite different. The club highlights athletes, but the stats tell a different story—that it’s not just athletes.
A survey of 40 current FCA members showed that although 65% of regular attendees play sports, the remaining 35% reported otherwise: 17.5% participate in fine arts, 5% participate in a club, and 12.5% attend FCA only. Showing that it isn’t just athletes but quite diverse, which is why the club attendees and leaders do so much to make everyone feel welcome.
As the meeting breaks and the MPR empties into the halls, the warm noise carries over the morning rush. Everyone seems to carry a different energy that stands out in the crowded hallways. And they feel it, too. Something different.
This is no accident; it is the result of intentional effort from both leaders and students, breaking down social barriers, keeping Floyd’s FCA doors always open, and filling the chairs. Every student, regardless of what they do or who they are, always has a seat at the table.