BAZETTA — The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Steel Valley is looking to welcome more area youth to form local groups and also take part in community events, including a Faith and Family Night at Youngstown State University.

Bob Kimpel, area representative for FCA, said a recent informational gathering held at Jericho Center in Bazetta was aimed at seeing how to provide support to local schools that may want to start an FCA club with their student athletes.

“Any student is welcome to the club. They do not have to be an athlete. We want to engage the student body to take part in fun and fellowship events. Once the young people get involved, we teach them how to run an FCA club,” Kimpel said.

Kimpel said because the group is a faith-based organization, they can’t go into the public schools, so students are shown how they can run a club themselves. He said the youth would be in charge of the rules and running the club meetings and events.

“This allows the youth to have empowerment and greater influence in running and organizing the meetings,” he said.

He said Mineral Ridge and Girard in Trumbull County and schools in Mahoning and Columbiana counties have such clubs, with inquiries received from other schools in recent months in Trumbull and Jefferson counties. He said the Northeast Ohio area has 65 groups.

“This event allowed for networking and seeing who may be interested,” Kimpel said.

He said more than 50 percent of the club participants are non-athletes.

“We know sports is important in the culture. The groups meet to break bread, have Bible study, skits and spend time together like a mini-church service,” Kimpel said.

The local informational meeting attracted some local coaches to get materials to see if their students would be interested.

Kimpel said he and others would provide leadership training to the students, with teachers, coaches, parents and other adults allowed to be involved. But students run the meetings on their own.

To enable the community to see what programs are offered, a Faith and Family Night will be Feb. 9 at Youngstown State University’s Beeghly Center with pre-game activities and speakers, including Markus McFolling, who is a motivational speaker with Reach 1 Hands of Hope and previously Ohio Valley Teen Challenge.

Pastor David Natale of the Church at Warren said he was glad the Jericho Center agreed to host the meeting.

“I am totally for what is being done in being able to assist the young people with attitude and motivation. They want to be able to also help the coaches,” he said.

Natale said he was a member of FCA when he was a sophomore in 1971, and was assisted by a coach at Warren G. Harding High School.

“I would like to see this continue more in this area. This can help reach our students and athletes to avoid crime. We want to try and prevent a lot of those things,” he said.

Natale said he is aware FCA is working with Niles, Harding, Lakeview and LaBrae to possibly implement programs.

“FCA Steel Valley is receiving multiple inquiries about expanding into more schools in Trumbull County this year,” Kimpel said.

Kimpel said the YSU event may help “ignite” some interest in an FCA Huddle Club or Team Club for school districts. Kimpel said there also are resources for local schools that host a 3D Coaches Clinic that can be character and / or faith based.

The Faith and Family Day will include a pre-game huddle message at 4 p.m. and watch warmups and high-five tunnel at 5 p.m.