The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is proud to induct five new partners and
supporters of the world’s largest international sports ministry into its Hall of
Champions (HOC).
Roger and Connie Blythe, Matt Murton, Bruce Oosterhouse and
William Renfrow have worked tirelessly to further the FCA vision:
to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches
and athletes. FCA Hall of Champions honorees over the years
have consisted of a mix of coaches, athletes and volunteers, including sports
greats such as Tony Dungy, Tom Landry, Tom Osborne and Roger Staubach, to name
a few.
“These volunteer ‘All Stars’ have demonstrated a consistent
commitment to the Gospel and have given above and beyond the call of duty,
upholding the four core values of FCA: Integrity, Serving, Teamwork and
Excellence,” said FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson. “We are excited to
welcome Roger and Connie Blythe, Matt Murton, Bruce Oosterhouse and William
Renfrow to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Hall of Champions Class of
2025.”
Roger and Connie Blythe
Roger and Connie, of Fayetteville, Georgia, are humble,
intentional and involved in FCA as they support multiple FCA
staff members generously on a monthly basis. As FCA Ring of
Honor distinguished recipients, they have been instrumental in helping to
strategically lead FCA in Fayette County and beyond. In
2005-06, Roger served as the Board Chairman for Fayette County before
transitioning to a role on that area’s FCA Golf Committee,
which enabled them to hire five full-time staff members over a five-year period.
During his time as Board Chairman, Roger shared a courageous vision for staff
and board expansion, helping establish a solid foundation for healthy ministry
growth and an international partnership mindset. Roger currently serves in the FCA
Lake Oconee Area.
After Roger rotated off the Fayette County FCA
Board, Connie served there as well, recruiting and coordinating volunteers to
support a multi-sport
Huddle at a local high
school. She also financially supported various individual teams at the high
school, helped organize many community-wide FCA outreach events
and hosted an FCA intern to stay at their home for the entire
summer.
Matt Murton
Matt Murton has done much for the Kingdom of God in Japan through FCA.
Since 2010, when he signed to play for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon
Professional Baseball league after a five-year Major League Baseball career
(2005-09), he has been eager and intentional to share Jesus with the Japanese
people, using his influence as a professional ballplayer to help start FCA
there in 2012. He has used his gifts for God’s glory in one of the least
evangelized countries in the world, where less than 1% of the population is
Christian. When Japan suffered a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear
disaster in 2011, Murton tirelessly shared the hope of Jesus through school
visits and baseball clinics and donated rice to tsunami survivors.
Now living in Palm Harbor, Florida, and working in the
Philadelphia Phillies’ player development department, he continues to support FCA
Japan as a major donor, returning to the island nation annually to share the
Gospel and support sports ministry development there.
Bruce Oosterhouse
Bruce Oosterhouse exemplifies the FCA Values of
Integrity, Serving, Teamwork and Excellence in so many ways and has done so for
many decades, having been involved in FCA since 1964.
Oosterhouse, who lives in the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area, serves on
both the state and local FCA boards, actively recruiting for
camps, leading committees for events and showing up to support staff across the
state. He has a rotation of 30 to 40 coaches that he connects with on a regular
basis as a volunteer, spending one-on-one time with them to encourage them as
they pursue coaching in a godly way. Oosterhouse does everything with a sense
of pride, knowing he wants to honor Christ and represent FCA in
a positive light.
His fervor and zeal for ministry are just as strong now as ever,
and he is still a high-performing volunteer at age 81. The work he puts in to
add value to FCA is a shining example of being a “good and
faithful servant” of Jesus.
William Renfrow
William Renfrow has faithfully served FCA in
numerous ways during 20 years of ministry involvement in the Upstate South
Carolina area. While serving on multiple boards, he helped the Spartanburg
board grow and gain stability, helping launch a board outside his area in
Greenville by providing direction and leadership. He also participates in
multiple FCA events throughout the year and helped start an
annual sporting clays fundraiser in various locations around the state.
Renfrow is a committed monthly and event donor, also donating
storage space, equipment for FCA Camps and even a grill for FCA
Outdoors events. He has also contributed to helping multiple staff members with
Home Team support.
Among all the ministries he’s involved in, Renfrow says FCA
is his favorite because of the impact it has on the lives of coaches and
athletes.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of
Champions was established in 1991. Including the new 2025 Hall of Champions
class, there are now 149 godly coaches and athletes, plus board members and
volunteers who have received this special tribute. They make up a group of FCA
servant-leaders who have faithfully served Christ through the avenue of FCA.
Their commitment to the Lord’s work has impacted many millions over the years.
They are a body of teammates in Christ who have demonstrated a consistent
commitment to the support of FCA, nominated by staff and board
members and elected by a selection committee.
Click here to read more about the Class of 2025
and to view a list of previous Hall of Champions inductees.
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