In a Saturday morning interview on their FCA Radio Show (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), hosts Mike Vining (N.H. FCA State Director) and Rico Petrocelli (Red Sox Hall of Famer) welcomed Gordon College's Head Men's Lacrosse Coach, Brian Lane on the show to discuss how the FCA lacrosse community transformed him, not only as a better lacrosse player but significantly in his faith, allowing him to build brotherly bonds with his teammates and be discipled and mentored by his coaches. As a sophomore in high school, Lane was first introduced to the FCA lacrosse community out of Rochester, New York where he was able to play the sport he loved while growing in his faith with his teammates on and off the field. Huddles, a small pre- or post-practice or game meeting with the team, "went from talking about strong moral principles, to the Christian faith, and the word of God being spoken." Then, after being recruited to play at Gordon College through the FCA Rochester team, Brian later served the Rochester FCA ministry as an intern and grew as a young Christian and learned who Jesus Christ was for him as an individual. His team relationships were centered on Christ, which became Coach Lane's goal for his team at Gordon.
Coach Lane explained to the hosts that Gordon is different from other schools, which the hosts could attest to, particularly Petrocelli whose two sons attended the College in the early 90's. Lane accredits the College's Athletic Department uniqueness to "that all our coaches are believers and we talk about what it means to play in the context of faith and how compete," and his team focuses on "what it means to compete in the image of God." Due to Gordon's intentional community, he can have more profound, meaningful, and Christ-centered relationships with other staff members, his student-athletes, and even recruits. Coach Lane prioritizes not only praying for his current team members but every prospect he talks.
Still, to this day, Coach Lane keeps in touch with past teammates and is involved in a FCA huddle with them as well. They discuss what it means to be a follower of Christ in the context of sports and strive to dig deeper into God's word as brothers in Christ. Coach Lane is continually forming this same brotherhood at Gordon with his team now. His current players that he mentors, and disciples will have "intentional relationship[s] rooted in faith and those relationships last a lifetime".
To listen to the full interview click HERE.
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Portions of this article courtesy WDERRadio
