Phill Eigenhuis started two part-time jobs on the same day.
Little did he know how closely those two jobs would soon become connected.
“It was a God thing,” shared Eigenhuis, a West Ventura County FCA Representative. Eigenhuis joined the staff of both FCA and The Arc of Ventura County, a community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, on the same day in October 2020.
“Working at The Arc was a learning curve, but it didn’t take me long to realize I had a unique ability to connect with this community of individuals,” he said.
He performed both jobs separately until FCA launched its focus on serving all ability coaches and athletes (a community of inclusion for people with diverse physical, mental, or intellectual capacities). Eigenhuis quickly realized the opportunity for partnership between organizations and went to work bringing the two together.
The Arc provides the infrastructure and staff to support participants, and Eigenhuis provides the FCA Huddle experience with physical activities and an introduction to the Gospel.
“We’ve introduced them to a variety of sports like basketball, flag football, kickball, soccer, sand volleyball, bowling, tennis and surfing. While we work on simple things like balance and coordination, we get to share the Gospel with not only the participants, but the staff too,” said Eigenhuis.
Each week, they walk to nearby parks and beaches for their All Ability Huddles.
“Being outside has made us more visible in the community and has opened more doors for bigger impact too,” he added.
Intentionally serving the all ability community through adaptive programs has been rewarding not only for participants, but also for FCA staff and volunteers.
“The All Ability sports environment encompasses a very broad part of the contemporary sports world, from elite Paralympic sports, through a vast range of adaptive sports clubs and leagues, to recreational special and additional needs sporting activities,” said Steve Jones, FCA’s Executive Vice President of All Ability Sport. “There are both summer and winter sports, too, meaning that at all times of the year and in all sorts of places and spaces, differently abled athletes and coaches are engaged in sports.”
More inclusion. More partnership. More impact.
Not only has this partnership filled a gap for The Arc, with FCA providing structured, safe and accessible programming, but it has also opened doors for Eigenhuis to connect with others in the all ability community.
“While at a local high school, I met a blind student and invited him to attend our FCA Huddles on campus” he said. “After turning down my offer many times, he eventually came and has now invited three of his friends who are blind, too."
One of the blind students asked Eigenhuis for a Bible and uses technology to scan and translate it into braille. He wants to be part of leading FCA’s Huddles on campus and be a living testimony for the Gospel.
Eigenhuis is working to grow more partnerships like the one they have with The Arc. He is excited about the future of all ability programming in West Ventura.
“I’ve talked to school staff about getting students involved, launching a camp to really introduce FCA to the community and connect the young people at The Arc to other coaches and athletes in West Ventura,” he said. “Our goal is to develop an All Ability Leadership Board who can help plan fundraisers for more adaptive equipment and resources so we can grow our Huddles and programs. We are excited to explore how we can do more.”
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” said Jones. “As we seek to fulfill our FCA mission to lead EVERY coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church, we at FCA are praying to the Lord, asking Him to call, equip and resource more teammates like Eigenhuis in West Ventura and around the globe.”
Trusting Who’s Behind the Scenes
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” - Proverbs 3:5
Two part-time jobs set the scene for Eigenhuis. He put his trust in the Lord, not in his own knowledge or strength, and the outcome continues to glorify God and connect the all ability community to the Gospel.
God is always working behind the scenes, and when you trust Him with all your heart, He will give you the gifts you need to serve where He has placed you.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the opportunity to connect coaches and athletes of all abilities to the Gospel. Help us be intentional and inclusive in our prayers and programs as we share our mission with each unique individual You’ve created. We ask You to raise up the resources and volunteers to help grow All Ability Huddles, camps and programs as we strive to serve every coach and athlete across the globe with the Gospel. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
About FCA’s All Ability Ministry
FCA’s All Ability ministry is growing across the globe, moving FCA closer to reaching EVERY coach and athlete with the Gospel. From facilities and Huddles to multi-sport and individual sports camps, we are connecting with and ministering to all ability coaches and athletes in a way we never have before. FCA staff are approaching all ability ministry growth holistically as they plan camps and Huddles to support all ability inclusion for coaches and athletes with diverse physical, mental or intellectual capacities).
To see West Ventura County FCA’s all ability programs in action, watch this video.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit www.venturacountyfca.org, or find an FCA staff near you at FCA.org.
-FCA-