AROUND THE STATE - WILLIAM PAYNE

I was pastoring at the time when I first heard about FCA. I had been in ministry for 10 years when I was told about the opportunity to invest in athletes and coaches at Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  I played basketball and football growing up, and loved the idea of bringing the gospel to young men and their families. In March of 2018, I began my career with FCA at the University of Syracuse.

Shortly after the first year, the coaches began to see how I was making a difference with their teams. A growing interest in bible studies began to form, and trust began to build. My pastoral background and my desire to make an impact on the lives of those kids, especially with African American men, began to merge together. I work with all of the men’s sports teams at the university, but I began to travel the most with the basketball team. 

Back in 2019, I was going to every game and every practice with them, and I loved it.  I remember one particular game when we were playing Duke, and I had a one-on-one with a player. We had a beautiful talk and felt the Lord’s presence there with us. Duke is not an easy team to beat, and by the grace of God and a great turn out by that particular player, we pulled out a win!  The young player gave a short testimonial at the end of the game, and I watched how the coaches and players could see that I was the real deal. God was planting seeds and He needed me there to water them.

FCA is constantly investing in me, encouraging my own faith to grow.  Ministry isn’t always easy. Often times we invest so much into those around us that we forget to devote time for ourselves. FCA holds me up, reminding me that I have people who are investing in me, rooting for me, praying for me. 

God consistently shows up. He opens doors with players, coaches, and donors, and I find such joy in it. There is a mantra I’ve always had since I started my role at FCA- “Love athletes for who they are, not what they do”, and I strive to do that every day. 

William is FCA Campus Director at Syracuse University and has been there since March of 2018.  He is married to Melinda and has 4 children.