Here’s one example of how the FCA ministry has eternally changed a Coach who is now influencing hundreds of student-athletes in the most meaningful way he can each year.
Billy Mills
Teacher/Coach at Dinwiddie High School
Church:
West End Baptist
Favorite Scripture “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:17
Sports: Football
Testimony: “I was coaching in Kentucky at the time and ready to quit our FCA because I wasn't living the life I was supposed to be living. Being around all these kids who were serving the Lord was really working on my conscious. Ron Kidd, our FCA area director, told me that Nick Hyder, the coach with the most wins in high school history at the time, was speaking at an area coaches’ clinic and that I needed to go see this guy. I made every excuse I could but Ron took all the excuses away from me so I decided to go. My actual plan was to explain to Ron on the way home why I wasn't going to work with FCA anymore. After a few speakers we went to lunch. As we were in line an older guy was walking around shaking hands, talking to and hugging everyone in line. I thought the guy was crazy and I was waiting for someone to throw him out of the restaurant. When I asked, Ron told me that the ‘crazy man’ was Coach Hyder. Coach Hyder had a genuine love for everyone and I didn't understand that in my spiritual state at the time.
When it was time for Coach Hyder to speak at the clinic, I went to the front of the auditorium to hear what this great coach had to say. The first words out of his mouth were ‘my name is Nick Hyder and I love Jesus Christ’. He went on and spoke of his calling and how he is an influence on the kids he coaches. What? Nothing about the x's and o's I thought I’d hear about? All he talked about was how he cares for kids and shared different examples of how God worked through him to make a difference. Little did I know that this would make me a better coach but not for the reasons I thought. He told one story that ultimately led me to make a decision to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior. He told of a situation when they were in a championship game and the first half didn’t go well. They came out in the second half and played like a different team and totally dominated their opponent. Afterward a reporter grabbed a player and asked him: ‘what did Coach Hyder say to you guys at halftime that made you play so inspired in the second half’. The kid grabbed the mic and said: ‘coach told us that he loved us, and he meant it too!’ That hit home for me. Even though I worked hard as a coach I realized that I didn't love my players. I was pretty sure that they didn't love me much either. That day changed the way I would coach, forever. Today my players know that I love them, I tell them all the time. Sometimes it’s tough love, but nevertheless they know that I do. Thanks Ron and Nick for the life-changing experience!”
Favorite FCA Moment: My first year as an FCA huddle coach I took my student leaders to St. Simons Island for leadership conference. It was a long trip and on the way down the kids were all in their own world with head phones on and not paying much attention to each other. They had a wonderful week at camp and on the way back started witnessing to each other about their testimonies. You could feel God at work in the van. One kid wasn’t heard from a whole lot though. It was still amazing how this long drive home seemed to pass quickly with all that was being shared. When we got back one of my leaders came up to me and said ‘Coach I think you need to talk with Joey’. I went up to Joey and he had tears in his eyes and I could tell he had been moved by all that was said on the way back. We knelt in the parking lot of the Baptist church there in London, KY and he gave his life to Christ.