New Kentucky Campus Work Finds Open Doors, Hearts

Athletes in Action staff member Bret Nathaniel set out on the campus of Kentucky State University to learn more about reaching student athletes there. God was faithful, and the lessons have been plentiful.

Nathaniel is the local leader in Lexington, Ky., and a 16-year staff member with AIA. But in Feb. 2011, Nathaniel finally decided to quit planning to go to the historically black university just 20 miles away and actually go.

“It was pretty convicting, actually,” he says. “In 13 years, I had been there half a dozen times, and this school was almost in my backyard. There had been some ministry there but nothing established for athletes.”

As a local leader challenged to expand his reach past the Division I schools and recognizing AIA’s intentionality toward outreach and recruiting cross-culturally, Nathaniel felt it was time. What he found was refreshing, starting with coaches who were open to conversations about bringing a positive message to their athletes. One was Coach Wayne Dickens, head football coach, who was not only open to AIA’s presence but he was also familiar, having been involved in AIA while in San Diego.

“He was just wide open to us, and there has always been an openhandedness with coaches for setting up team meeting times and time with athletes,” Nathaniel says. “We’ve had a healthy appreciation for how open they’ve been with us.”

He learned on his first visit that KSU had just received approval to begin a Fellowship of Christian Athletes student group on campus four days earlier. For Nathaniel, that meant that instead of building a completely new ministry on campus, his role would best be for mentorship, resourcing of leaders and other support.

Nathaniel made a major connection when he was introduced to junior Cory Spalding, a decathlete who also plays safety for the Thorobred football squad. Spalding is Kentucky State’s first FCA president, but he immediately saw the benefit of an AIA presence on campus.

“As long as the gospel is coming across and people are receiving it, neither I nor Bret have put too much weight into the vehicle that gets us there,” says Spalding. “He’s doing a great job of mentoring me and some of the other leaders on campus and trying to help raise up more leaders.”

When the two met in spring 2011, Spalding was already signed up to compete in Zimbabwe with AIA’s track team that summer, recruited at a track meet. The trip impacted Spalding, and he returned to school with a new focus to balance his sporting life with academics and really reach out to his campus and beyond. Spalding is encouraged by AIA’s intentional effort toward reaching the world and says the gospel message will be key to redeeming his generation.

“We’re missing the mark on what brings real happiness and what real respect is. We’ve bought into a lot of lies as a culture and have not been confronted in a loving way, so we’re trying to break down those barriers now,” he says.

Presently, Spalding is helping open doors for Nathaniel and AIA intern Dana Dahlmann to meet key individuals at K State and build relationships on campus. Fruit is already evident. In a meeting with the football team this past fall, Nathaniel got an overwhelmingly positive response, with the vast majority indicating some level of spiritual interest or AIA participation. His current goal is to follow up with those students individually and mentor them in their faith if they are interested.

“It’s almost a completely different vibe. There is a neat community feel, and students are all there to support each other,” notes Dahlmann.

“Our desire is to have a viable movement at K State that is student-led and staff-directed, and that’s done with very open hands,” Nathaniel adds. “There are things Cory knows that I don’t, and we work very well together.”

By Teresa Young, AIA Communications by teresa young 3. May 2012 06:37

Campus Ministry