Welcome to Living My Faith, a weekly show that celebrates the everyday believers who are walking with Jesus, not just on Sundays, but in every area of their lives. From relationships and parenting to health, habits, and home, our guests share how they keep their faith at the center of it all. Hosted in Jacksonville, Florida, and supported by Christ-centered partners, Living My Faith is a space where real life meets real faith. Today, our host, Morgan Yonge, spoke with Vincenzo Pepe of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Vincenzo Pepe
Director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Website Address: https://www.hvfca.org/
Short company description:
Can you share a moment or experience that significantly deepened or shaped your faith journey?
I think just stepping into a role in full time ministry with FCA was something that really challenged me and stretched me (more than I realized or thought it would). But being in it has allowed me to see God at work in all things and through all types of people.
In what ways do you actively live out your faith in your daily life — at work, home, or in your community?
Aside from personal spiritual development and quiet time, I really do my best to wear my faith on my sleeve. In conversations, I’m willing to bring faith up or use scripture to explain something. But even outside of the overt sharing my faith part, I think just doing my best to love others where they are at, sharing the joy I have because of Christ with them, and ultimately living my life counter culturally no matter how hard it gets at times (at it gets very hard).
What encouragement or scripture has been especially meaningful to you in this season, and why?
Galatians 6:9 Ministry can be full of victory and so rewarding, but it also has its seasons of discouragement, failure, and difficulty. This verse has kept be grounded in the fact that although we hope all the success and fruit happens quickly, that God really knows the right time for it all to fall into place and there are reasons why we are faced with hardships, and it us usually for us to realize that without God we are weak but with him we are strong.
What advice would you give to someone who’s struggling to live out their faith or looking to grow spiritually?
I think you would be suprised at how many people appreciate you being outward with your faith. We tend to be scared becasue we don’t know how someone will react and we don’t want to offend someone or make them not like us. But a lot of times they may also be Christian and just needed someone else to be outward to give them a nudge. I also think a lot of people will respect you for it and appreciate you praying for them or sticking to your values. Advice for those looking to grow would be to surround yourself with like minded people, other Christians that can help you and hold you accountable, people you can be vulnerable with. Also, finding someone to be your mentor. It may be awkward at first asking someone, but typically that person would be very honored that you are asking them.
Transcript:
Morgan:
Welcome back to another episode of Living My Faith, where we highlight those who are living their faith and making an impact in the lives of others and in the greater kingdom. Impact. I’m Morgan Yonge and I’m joined today by Vincenzo Pepe with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Vincenzo, thank you so much for being here.
Vincenzo:
Well, thank you, Morgan.
Vincenzo:
Thank you for inviting me and having me on. It’s a pleasure.
Morgan:
Yeah, the pleasure is mine. So tell me about what you are doing with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Vincenzo:
Yeah, absolutely. So my position with FCA is rather new. I came on staff in November of 21 as a multi area director.
Vincenzo.
So I essentially cover nine counties from just south of Albany, New York to just outside of New York City. And it’s the first time that we have ever had FCA in this area. My region is called the Hudson Valley.
Vincenzo:
So it’s the first time we’ve ever had it there. And so as long of a rich, awesome history that FCA has of being around for over 70 years, 116 countries, we’re kind of starting a brand new ministry in many ways from the ground up.
Vincenzo:
So it’s really exciting to just get into schools and run some sports camps and clinics and really showing people that faith and sports don’t have to be these two separate things, that there’s a collision. And that’s what we’re here for.
Morgan:
That is absolutely fantastic because FCA is a big brand. It’s well known throughout the country, I would say.
Vincenzo:
Absolutely.
Morgan:
So it’s awesome that you’re bringing it to New York specifically. Have you noticed a shift since it has been brought in?
Vincenzo:
I think so, yeah. Well, I know so for sure. You know, we could probably have a whole other interview just on the stories that we’ve encountered with coaches and athletes.
Vincenzo:
But we really are starting to see more coaches and athletes really just be bold, especially in our public school systems.
Vincenzo:
These athletes that we’ve built relationships with, we’ve gotten to know, we’ve kind of discipled and walked through and problem solved with them and really empowered them and given them the resources to be a Christian in that environment.
Vincenzo:
It can sometimes be difficult, but we’ve walked alongside them and now they’re doing it.
Vincenzo:
And some of our huddles, our small groups, have gone from six or seven kids one year to some of our colleges having like thirty.
Vincenzo:
We actually at West Point, the military academy over here, they have almost two hundred cadets that come out on a weekly basis.
Vincenzo:
So we’ve just been seeing these coaches and athletes realize, hey, I have a platform. People are looking at me. People are listening.
Vincenzo:
But I didn’t realize I could use that for the gospel before FCA kind of came alongside me.
Morgan:
I love to hear it. So with you personally, what is your why? Why do you show up every day and do what you do?
Vincenzo:
It’s a great question. So when I first found out about FCA and started feeling like God was calling me into this, I really caught the vision early for the impact that it could have.
Vincenzo:
I love sports. I’ve played sports my entire life. I mean, in just a few short days when the Super Bowl is on, our whole country is going to revolve around that sport, right?
Vincenzo:
So I believe that sport has that ability to bring people together and we can use it as an impact piece.
Vincenzo:
But for me, it was the coaching. I’m a youth baseball coach. I coach travel teams, train kids.
Vincenzo:
And I had some really great coaches growing up, but I also had some really bad coaches, both on the skill side but also on the personal side.
Vincenzo:
But there were a few that really left me impacted and the lessons they taught me really stayed with me.
Vincenzo:
And as a coach, I kind of brought that same thing in.
Vincenzo:
And so I really started to understand the opportunity and the responsibility that coaches have.
Vincenzo:
I always tell people this, if I was a baseball player and I was listening to my coach teach me how to hit, I was doing everything he was telling me to do. I was listening to every word he was saying.
Vincenzo:
But now I see it as a coach. As I’m doing that, I can have greater influence off the field.
Vincenzo:
I can talk about what it means to be a good boyfriend or girlfriend, or what it means to be a good son or daughter.
Vincenzo:
And so I think the coach piece is really the why for me, just the influence that they have.
Vincenzo:
And a lot of our coaches are spending more time with these athletes in school, after school, on the weekends, than their parents and families are.
Vincenzo:
So why would we not want to come alongside those individuals specifically, build them up, encourage them, support them, to really then go live out their calling between the lines or on the turf?
Morgan:
Absolutely. I love to hear it. So what are some of the ways you’re weaving your faith into your coaching?
Vincenzo:
Yeah. So just me personally, but these are things that I always encourage the coaches that we work with.
Vincenzo:
I’m very open with my faith. I don’t try to hide it.
Vincenzo:
There’s a time and place for me to be really out there with it, and another time where I keep it a little tighter to the chest.
Vincenzo:
But I’m very open with it. With my teams in the past, I’ve said, hey, I would really like to pray for us before games. Is that something we can do?
Vincenzo:
And it’s worked. We haven’t really faced any opposition with things like that.
Vincenzo:
And then as I get to know my athletes, that’s where it comes. That’s where it is for me.
Vincenzo:
Coaching is a mission field for me. It’s not about the wins and losses. I like that I’m competitive.
Vincenzo:
But it’s just a way for me to build a relationship with these young men and their families.
Vincenzo:
To then be able to go a little bit deeper.
Vincenzo:
Some of those athletes that I’ve had for three years, it took three years for me to finally feel encouraged to invite them to church or to give them a Bible for the first time.
Vincenzo:
So I think that’s really it for me, being able to live it in that way, because it’s such a natural way for us to build relationships with these young men and women.
Morgan:
That’s absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for the great work that you are doing and pouring into these young adults.
Morgan:
I really love to see it and I appreciate it.
Vincenzo:
Thank you very much. It’s all God, but I’m just happy that I get a front row seat.
Morgan:
Yeah, absolutely. And viewers, thank you for tuning in to another episode of Living My Faith. If you want more information, head on over to LivingMyFaith.com.
Morgan:
We’ll see you in the next episode of Living My Faith.
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