Fifty years ago this last month, on a hot summer night at a gathering for high school youth on what was called “Baptist Pond”, my life changed forever. Several months earlier, a former X-Country athlete who had graduated four years ahead of me from my high school and was attending a nearby college in New Hampshire, recommitted his life to following Jesus as his Savior and Lord.

Dan grew up in Christian home and was the son of a Baptist pastor. He felt a renewed call from God to return to his hometown and not only help his former high school X-Country team prepare for their upcoming fall season, but to be God’s instrument as a witness for Jesus Christ in the lives of those he ran with and helped train. On that warm summer night, following the evening session and as we prepared for bed, Dan and I had a conversation which led me to acknowledging my sin and need for a Savior and received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. That summer night God used Dan’s passion for running and faith in Jesus to show me the impact of a Christian athlete for God’s Kingdom.

That September when I entered my senior year, I resolved to live my life as a Christian witness to my fellow students, team-mates, and teachers. In retrospect, I wish that there had been a Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Huddle meeting in my high school or a nearby school that would have provided the oversight and resources to disciple me.

Fortunately for me, I did have friends from my United Methodist Church youth group and those in the Baptist Church down the street that challenged and encouraged me to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

When I headed to Johnson State College a couple of years later, I was discipled by an Inter-Varsity Staff person. Dave mentored and discipled a small group of us on campus to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Because of Dan and Dave’s faithfulness, I came to not only grow in faith as a disciple, but I was also able to live and testify to my faith in Jesus to my classmates on campus and my co-workers at the part-time job I held on weekends at the grocery store in my hometown. I owe so much to these two men who nurtured my faith and encouraged me to share my faith with others through assisting with the youth group in my local church and later as a pastor serving churches for 34 years in Vermont and upstate New York.

When I retired five years ago, I had already given some thought to being involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes here in Vermont. I knew the power of a changed life due to the impact of a Christian athlete as well as the need for this ministry here in Vermont. So when Glenn Olson approached me about supporting this vital ministry, it didn’t take me long in thought and prayer to know that the right answer was YES!