This is the first in a series focusing on character coaches, coaches and athletes at the collegiate level. These interviews come from Florida State University.
Throughout the Gospel, we repeatedly see Jesus sharing a meal with His closest friends, large groups or even those trying to trap Him in His teachings. Jesus used the commonality of food to connect and shared what He offered to those who followed Him.
In her role as an FCA Character Coach at Florida State University, Jeni Sprague adapted Jesus’ style of hospitality as a way to connect with members of the FSU women’s golf team. Recruited by her husband, Ryan Sprague, Director of FCA for Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee State College, Jeni has been alongside the FSU team for the last several years.
Her role started small, beginning with bringing treats to practice, sharing her testimony and letting the golfers know that she was there for them if they needed anything. It was those simple acts of hospitality that set the table for what became a weekly gathering of sharing a meal in the Sprague family home.
Sprague’s role as an FCA Character Coach is “a very tangible way to see that taking the Gospel to people is not about us,” she said. “It's about being faithful to those moments that God has called us to, and those opportunities that are in front of us now so that He can fulfill the ultimate plan of making His Word known throughout the nation.”
Find out what it looks like to take on the role of being an FCA Character Coach and how God used Jenny to change the trajectory of several FSU student-athletes and their families in the following Q&A:
What does it look like to be an FCA Character Coach?
I attend practices, which allows me to get to know the girls by simply being present on the course. As I developed relationships with the girls, we started a Bible study that met at a local restaurant, which developed into meeting on a weekly basis in my family’s home.
What’s the most important message you hope to instill in these girls?
I try to teach them that it’s their faith, and what God is doing in their life is something they have to take ownership over. I want them to know their faith can't be dependent on me or our Bible study because they're going to take this with them after they finish at FSU. I want to make sure they know that God is not going to leave them as they go back home in the summertime or when they graduate.
What's something that God has been showing you about Himself through this experience?
I've been involved with ministry for years and I think a lot of times there's a lot of effort that goes into planning ministry events or trying to put something together. However, I feel like with this experience, it's been about showing up and simply making myself available.
I’m leaning into my normal routine and bringing these girls into that. I offered to meet them on the golf course or spend time somewhere on campus; coming to our home felt like such a safe haven to them. They really enjoyed having a family to be around, since they didn't have their families nearby. They called me their “mom away from home.”
I couldn't necessarily go travel with the team around the world, but I could open up my home for them. I’m honored that I was able to fill a role for them.
How have you seen God work in the girls you are mentoring?
After we finished our book study, two of the girls said that they had made the decision to receive that gift [of salvation], and then one of them said she was ready to do that now. I knew she was a private person, so I helped her write out a prayer so she could do it on her own. I wanted to make sure she really understood the Gospel and what she was doing. When she returned in the fall, she was so excited to tell me that she had said the prayer and gone through everything with her mom while she was home during the summer.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about being a character coach?
I think the idea of being a character coach sounded scary to me. It felt like a big commitment and a lot of thinking that I needed to be this or that, but now I've learned that these girls don't really care about my “how.” They are looking for someone willing to listen, be present, be patient with them and help them find the answers to the questions they have.
It's been life-giving to me, too, and now that I am in this role, it would be hard to step out, because I have seen how there is such a need. There is a reward in knowing that you're being used for the Kingdom and that the relationships we’ve built go beyond their time at FSU.
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Photos courtesy of Jeni Sprague