Brittany Viands’ plan for this summer definitely did not include traveling to summer camps working with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Nor did her future.
A social work major with a psychology minor at Eastern Mennonite University, she thought her plans after graduation in May 2019 were sealed: to go where she thought she was needed most. Viands wanted to work with mentally ill, hospitalized children.
“I’m not so sure now,” she said, during a mid-summer interview at the Valley FCA headquarters in downtown Harrisonburg. “I thought I had a plan, but that’s all kind of shifted now.”
June to August has been a whirlwind of trainings and camp sessions, spending time with middle and high school athletes in varying stages of spiritual need.
It was a role Viands needed some convincing that she could fill, though for the past several seasons, she’s been one of the spiritual leaders of the Royals softball team, as well as a leader within the university’s FCA chapter.
The 60-year-old organization equips coaches and athletes “to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same,” according to their website. It’s active at all levels of sport, from youth teams through to professional athletes. The July/August FCA magazine features articles about Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Olympic thrower Michelle Carter, a university coach and collegiate athlete, and updates from chapters around the world.
A spiritual leader on campus
Viands belonged to an FCA chapter as a dual-sport athlete at Hedgesville High School in West Virginia. Arriving at EMU “not knowing a soul,” she eased into the collegiate FCA chapter during the second semester of freshman year, aided by then-chapter-leader Jolee Paden, “who pulled me out of my shell.”
The fellowship and camaraderie on the Royals softball team also encouraged her growth as an athlete and leader. “Brittany has contributed so much to the team through her spiritual leadership of devotional activities,” said head coach J.D. McCurdy. “She’s worked hard to improve her skills and never gives up on her game – a true inspiration to our team in so many ways.”
Through these transitions and challenges, FCA fellowship has provided a unique opportunity to explore identity, choices and faith, Viands said.
“It’s a chance to talk with others about real-life things that happen when you’re an athlete and a Christian and a college student,” Viands said. “I think at times there’s situations that occur and choices you have to make about how to act in a Christian manner on and off the field, and it helps all of us to have a place where we can grow spiritually stronger and work out some of those challenges with the help of prayer and fellowship.”
Marsha Justice, Viands’ longtime FCA mentor, had long sensed her appreciation of the organization’s mission and values. That, paired with Viands’ offhand comment over lunch in the spring that she just wanted to “spend time with kids and be outside,” caused Justice to suggest a summer internship.
Prayer opens the door
Viands was taken aback. “I had to sit down and really think about it and pray about it,” she said. “I have strong faith but do I have a strong enough faith to mentor young girls in a Christian way?”
For days and then weeks, Viands prayed. “God just kept bringing it up and bringing it up,” she said, “and finally I just knew, and then I felt peace about it, even if I didn’t see quite clearly the whole way forward.”
Jason Stuhlmiller, a former high school teacher and Royals baseball coach who has led the Valley FCA chapter for the past six years, sees a clear connection between Viands’ spiritual leadership among college athletes and the summer internship she was called to.
“She’s a solid, consistent pillar of strength and faith,” he said. “That’s an awesome quality to have at EMU and here at FCA.”
Stuhlmiller pointed out that interning with FCA requires more than the usual tenacity and commitment.
“These internships are faith-funded try-outs for ministry,” he said. “It’s a really good experience for our interns to have to raise their own funding and see what that feels like, along with providing support to full-time FCA staff throughout our busy summer and gaining leadership and ministry experience.”
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Mentoring girls
Over the 12-week summer, Stuhlmiller, his staff and interns hosted the local week-long Power Camp, as well as, for the first time, a baseball camp for high school athletes at Messiah College. Additionally, they helped to lead and plan camps for middle-schoolers and for high school leaders, as well as a Mid-Atlantic regional camp at the University of Richmond.
At Power Camp in June, Viands taught softball skills, a coaching role familiar to her, but still “an honor” to pay back some of the joy she’s experienced from the sport over the years. She especially enjoyed seeing one of the girls, “who swung a bat in a complete circle on the first day hit the ball from one place on the last day.”
Her experience playing a sport and transitioning from high school to college is just one of the many experiences she shared with her young female campers this summer.
“When you’re that age, you’re talking about college and where you’re going and your friend groups and what that might look like,” she said. “Girls that age feel like they have to have everything figured out, which is stressful and emotionally draining. And you know, you really don’t have to have it all figured out.”
To the campers she’s interacted with, Viands says she hopes to pass on a strong faith and encourage an openness to the way God might work. “I want to assure them that even when you can’t see it, God is working.”
Viands has brought attention to detail, strong work ethic and initiative to her work, Stuhlmiller said. “She’s always looking for that next opportunity, which is speaks a lot about her leadership potential.”
Her culminating responsibility of the summer is to work with other interns to plan a staff retreat for the “huddle leaders” of the local college and university FCA chapters, which will include teambuilding activities and planning for the next year.
After a short rest, Viands returns to EMU for the senior year, helping to strengthen the foundation of the Royals FCA chapter and contributing to EMU softball, but with appreciation for new leadership skills, new confidence, and the inspiring example of the girls she met.
“They filled me,” she said. “The girls have an amazingly strong faith, and the way they solve problems in certain situations has really made me think about how I solve my own problems. Their perspectives are wise beyond their years. When someone younger than you tells you something you already know but haven’t really paid attention to, you start to think about it in a different way.”
Wonderful article on a bright, happy Christian woman!! Very, very proud of my first granddaughter!! So grateful for how GOD is working in her life!