This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of the FCA Donor Publication. The FCA publication is a gift from our FCA staff to all donors giving $50 or more annually. For more information about giving, visit here.
Chisala Chibesa wants to testify about the amazing grace of God. Before meeting Simon Mwanamoya, FCA’s longest-serving international partner in southern Africa, Chibesa was a soccer coach running away from God and at odds with many people in her life, including family. But in 2022, a friend invited her to a weekly Discovery Bible Study led by Mwanamoya, who began discipling her and eventually led her to the Lord. Now, Chibesa coaches girls soccer for Amazing Grace FC, a club started by Mwanamoya in Kabwe, Zambia. She ministers in local schools, discipling about 10 teachers, and she interacts with players ages 10 to 25 on a daily basis. Her new faith also buoyed her during the loss of her older brother last November. “My goal,” she said, “is to bring as many young people as possible into the Kingdom of God through sports.”
How has being involved in FCA impacted your faith?
I am no longer the person I used to be. The involvement has changed my personality, the way I spend my time and [my] perception of life in general. I have encountered spiritual growth such that I am bold enough to stand and share the Word of God any time, any day, regardless of the group I am in.
Please share about your role as a coach with Amazing Grace FC.
I am not just a football [soccer] coach but a life coach, a parent and a person the athletes always look up to. I mentor them emotionally, physically and spiritually. Whenever the girls encounter any challenge in any area of their lives, I am the first person they turn to. I help transform the lives of the athletes spiritually, and I also take them back to school since most of them are vulnerable and coming from homes where they rarely access any meal. I also help materially, especially in terms of school items and other needs, by the grace of God Almighty.
What’s the best thing about being a coach?
Being a coach gives me a platform to interact with so many people, especially kids, on a daily basis, giving me an opportunity to share the Word of God to many souls, thereby transforming lives and bringing souls into the Kingdom of God.
What’s the hardest thing about being a coach?
Not having enough to support and help the athletes I need, as some of them come from very vulnerable homes. Most of them come from child-headed homes and only look up to you for support. It always feels like a let down because as a coach, you always want to see the athletes happy and free to participate.
How do you combine your faith with your sport?
Being a coach makes me a role model and an example to my athletes, so I make sure I live an exemplary life of integrity and excellence, trying as much as possible to help them see the light through me. I encourage the athletes to compete for Christ. I make use of The Coach’s Bible for guidance most times, even as I am teaching [soccer] skills. Sometimes we organize Christian tournaments centered on sharing the Word of God, especially our values, with other teams. Sometimes we go on outreach programs of home visitations around Makululu [a impoverished housing district in Kabwe], where most athletes come from.
How has God revealed his glory in your life?
By giving me a second chance, turning me away from my old ways and giving me a platform to share His Word. That helps me to grow spiritually. Above all, He keeps fulfilling His promises in my life. I am who I am today because of God. Me being alive today is God fulfilling His glory.
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