With her speech in one hand and a microphone in the other, senior Teresa Chen presents a message about Christianity to her peers at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club meeting, to spread the love of the faith she believes in.
Chen has been a Christian since a young age and has incorporated her beliefs into her daily life, such as how she views her peers in different perspectives. She attends Mariners Church, located in Irvine and is part of the outreach and greeting team, where she volunteers and helps new people get familiar with the church’s programs. She specifically looks forward to the youth group every Wednesday to spend time with peers her age, to worship Jesus Together and share how God has affected their lives. Through her faith, she has shaped who she is today.
“I kind of view everyone with a different perspective, like with more kindness and trying to welcome them, even if it’s out of my way,” Chen said. “ It [reminds me] that everyone is God’s creation, and even though we might have some differences, at the end of the day, I should still be kind towards them. Also, [Christianity] affects what I choose to involve myself in at school, and living in a way that I feel reflects Christ and kind of honors what I believe in.”
As the president of FCA since her sophomore year, Chen has found peers with interests similar to her Christian faith. FCA has club meetings every other Thursday during lunch, with student or staff guest speakers discussing their beliefs. The club’s concept of sharing different perspectives about Christianity has deepened vice president senior Kyrah Chien connection to her faith and has helped her build a relationship with Chen.
“I would say that FCA has had a positive impact on my Christian beliefs, and that knowing Teresa has brought me closer to God, and working together [and] spreading the gospel has had a positive impact,” Chien said. “I think once Teresa became president, we started working together, and I think both of us had ideas of what we wanted to change, or like how we wanted to improve it. We’ve been focusing on trying to attract more people and also having events for people who already [are] involved [in Christianity].”
Other members of the club have not only been deeply influenced by the concept of FCA, but have also learned that individuals can trust in Jesus during stressful times and that he provides peace and hope. From building a fun community that is organized to creting an environment for viewers to be excited to come to a huddle, Chen has connected with her club members and continued to spread her Christian faith.
“Teresa is a great example of how to approach people with love and respect. She has great values that she stands on, but is always open and easy to talk to, which makes her a good representation of our faith,”secretary and treasurer junior Chloe Thi said. “I think Teresa being the FCA president has brought a lot of opportunities for the cabinet to test out new ideas [like] new kinds of media content for Instagram. I also think that we’ve tried a lot of different outreach methods [such as] at the end of every spring semester the cabinet organizes an outreach even in the school gym with worship music and a guest speaker. [And] thanks to Teres and our frequent meetings have made us all a good team and good friends.”
To Chen, God is always with her. Even when she is going through hardships or when her friends and family are unavailable, she believes she is never alone. She believes God has a plan for her in the future, and she doesn’t worry about where she will end up, entrusting her life to Christ.
“I feel like [Christianity] just [has] shaped the way I think about myself [and how] my identity is in Christ and not in all these other things, like trying not to seek approval from everybody else,” Chen said. “I feel like my biggest takeaway is [that] Jesus loves you [and] knowing there’s someone who loves you unconditionally, it’s really impactful.”
