Southeast Asia FCA didn’t let social distancing rules stop them from ministering to female coaches. Coaches from eight countries came together for a virtual two-day workshop designed to connect and equip female coaches in their spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing.

The workshop, hosted May 12-13, brought more than forty coaches together using a Zoom video conference. They were joined by two U.S. Mid-Atlantic region staff and nine Huddle leaders who conducted the training. 

The 3-Dimensional Coaching curriculum (also known as 3D Coaching) set the stage to discuss the importance of three-level coaching: body, mind and spirit. The workshop encouraged the women to follow what the Lord has called them to do. “They have passion and knowledge to go into their work ready and available,” said FCA Malaysia State Director Penny Khoo. “FCA comes in and provides a platform for resources, sees the needs, and finds out how to meet them.” 

Training topics ranged from the importance of nutrition to goal setting to character development. 

“We are all from different places and we may run our ministries in different ways, but we learn from one another,” said Khoo, adding that women’s ministry can be a lonely place as most coaches are male. But women’s ministry is on the rise, and the workshop brought encouragement and perspective to a new network. Southeast Asia FCA staff plan to continue to develop quarterly webinars for female coaches. In addition to building relationships during the workshop, coaches and staff shared resources and started a WhatsApp group to connect for monthly calls.

“On the first day, most everyone was quiet when questions were asked. I would have to call out a person to talk and answer. But by the second day, people felt more open, they found friends. By the end, they didn’t want to leave the chatroom,” noted Khoo.

When travel restrictions are further lifted, coaches hope to visit each other’s countries to experience ministry in person. Workshop attendees shared a desire to support one another with heart knowledge, connect deeper, and build a platform of understanding and equipping to take into their spheres of influence. 

Khoo, a floorball coach, understands the leverage coaches have with their players. “Coaching can be intense and stressful—in the heat of the game, we can lose our cool. It happens. But with 3D Coaching, we can be intentional and impart godly influence.”

Thanks to digital advancements, FCA’s ministry of “To and Through the Coach” has continued during 2020 with virtual coaching workshops happening all across the world with women eager to connect. As Khoo pointed out, “Thank God for technology—20 to 30 years ago people would just be stuck in their homes with no ways of connecting.”