S - E - R - V - E ! Cheering for Jesus on a National Scale

by Allie Martin
March 21, 2005

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(AgapePress) - A Georgia-based organization is bringing together cheerleaders who have a passion for Christ and a desire to be servant-leaders.

It was nearly 20 years ago when the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders (FCC) was formed. Since then the Lawrenceville, Georgia-based organization has sponsored numerous competitions each year throughout the nation, summer camps, and other activities. John Blake, national event coordinator for FCC, says there are many cheerleaders who want to honor God with their talents and gifts.

"We want to use cheerleading as a way that we can reach out," Blake explains. "Cheerleaders are supposed to be servant-leaders -- people who reach out to other people, not people who want the spotlight on themselves; and that's what we want to equip them to do. We want to equip them to be servant-leaders, to be leaders who lead by example -- not in a negative light, but in one that's positive and uplifting like a cheerleader should be."

FCC has chapters and members throughout America, and reaches out to cheerleading clubs as well as to private and public schools.

"We see the public schools and the all-star squads as our outreach opportunities, our ministry. We don't want to be secluded, we don't want to be in a bubble; we want to reach out and let them know that a Christian organization has excellence as well," Blake says.

According to the FCC spokesman, his group occasionally runs up against a common misperception. "I think a lot of times when people look at Christian [cheerleading] squads, Christian schools, Christian organizations, they look down on them and say they're inferior, they're not as good -- and we take personal offense to that," he says. "We want to equip the schools and the squads to be as talented and as excellent as possible."

FCC is sponsoring two mission trips this year -- one to the Czech Republic and another to Russia. The group is also hosting a national competition in early April in Orlando, Florida.