FCA Global Prayer Unites Coaches, Athletes Worldwide
For 24 hours in mid-February, coaches, athletes, and ministry leaders around the globe stopped for prayer – some from locker rooms, others from living rooms, supermarkets, vehicles, and classrooms. Still others from offices thousands of miles apart.
The effort was part of the annual “24 Hours of Unbroken Prayer” organized by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Kansas City-based sports ministry that is on the ground in more than 100 nations. From Feb. 12-13, participants committed to cover every hour of the day in prayer, creating what organizers describe as a continuous global chain.
“Prayer is an essential and powerful tool as we partner together to fulfill the mission and vision God has for FCA,” said Hannah Kao, the ministry’s executive vice president of international advancement. She described the event as a coordinated time to pray “from a local to global perspective” for coaches, athletes and international staff.
The idea traces back to a short line from the apostle Paul – “pray without ceasing,” who was paraphrasing Psalm 88:1, which talks of praying “day and night.” What began several years ago as a regional effort has grown steadily since then. Today the prayer chain spans FCA regions across the United States and reaches into its international divisions as well.
This February, the sign-up sheet filled quickly. Volunteers claimed the overnight hours. Coaches in one hemisphere prayed as athletes in another were starting their day. Some groups gathered in person. Others logged on from kitchen tables or offices between practices. However it happened, someone was praying at every hour.
For Lindsay Kravtsova, who serves as an international divisional director of advancement, the response felt different this year. The North Global team, she said, does not want the momentum to fade now that the 24 hours have ended. They have already set another virtual prayer gathering for mid-April.
“It did not feel like something we just checked off the calendar,” she said. “There is a desire to keep it going.”
Organizers also made space again for participants in the deaf community. One of the 24 hours was led entirely in American Sign Language. Erin Hamson, assistant regional director of international advancement in the Mid-Atlantic, says the response has encouraged leaders to think even more broadly about inclusion next year.
FCA, founded in 1954, has always leveraged sports to shape Christian discipleship – meeting students in school gyms and on fields. They’ve gathered in huddles and built relationships that typically last well beyond a season – even lifetimes.
Prayer is hot these days. Numerous apps help remind users to pause and pray. Others combine scripture read by celebrities both on and off the field. The focus is having an impact. Recent research from the Barna Group suggests younger adults may be reengaging with church in ways that few expected. In its latest findings, Gen Z and Millennials reported attending church more frequently than older generations – a noticeable shift from patterns that had shown steady decline for years. The average Gen Z churchgoer now attends close to twice a month, roughly double the rate seen not long ago.
Metro Voice News has reported similar signs of renewed spiritual curiosity among younger Americans, particularly around personal faith practices such as prayer and Scripture reading – even as overall affiliation trends remain mixed.
For FCA leaders, those broader currents feel less theoretical and more personal. They see it in locker room conversations. They hear it in late-night phone calls from coaches looking for guidance. And, for at least one day in February, they saw it play out hour by hour around the world.
FCA leaders say that openness is visible on fields and campuses.
“Coaches and athletes face enormous pressure,” Kao said. “Setting aside time to pray together reminds them they are not alone – and that their faith is meant to be lived out daily, not just on Sundays.”
As the final hour of the prayer chain concluded, organizers said the goal was not merely to complete a 24-hour commitment, but to cultivate habits of prayer that extend into daily routines – in gyms, on sidelines and wherever athletes gather.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
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