RJ Sumrall
Development Director
My name is RJ Sumrall, I am the Development Director at MCI FCA and have been apart of FCA team since 2014. I live with my wife Steph and our 4 kids in Ankeny, Iowa.
RJ Sumrall
Area Director
God reached me through sports, and now life has come full circle as I am blessed to serve coaches and student athletes as an Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In 1998 when I was 12 years-old, I was arrested for shoplifting. Two days later – not knowing about my arrest – the Pastor of my church told me, “RJ, I had a vision that you are going to be a Pastor.” At the time I had no intention of being a Christian, let alone a Pastor, but his words never left my mind.
Like many youth, sports were important in my life growing up in Florida. With my success on the athletic fields, by the time I reached my senior year of high school I had one singular focus – to earn a Division I athletic scholarship to play football. If not for an Iowa State coach who saw me at an All-Star practice, that dream would have never become a reality. As much as I had hoped to have multiple scholarship offers, it was within the last hour of the signing day deadline when the phone rang. The one-and-only offer I received was to come to Ames, Iowa and play football at Iowa State.
Still not a Christian and with no desire to be one, God had other plans… In 2006, there was a coaching change at Iowa State. With this transition, my mothers’ prayers were answered. She had been praying for God to bring a man into my life who would teach me how to become a Christian. That man was Kevin Lykins, an FCA Area Rep who also served as Life Skills Coach under Head Football Coach Gene Chizik. Through my relationship with Coach Lykins, I surrendered my life to Jesus in the team hotel in Lincoln, NE, the night before our game with Nebraska on October 5, 2007. My life has never been the same…
With my success on the football field as wide receiver, after graduating from Iowa State in 2008, I was given the opportunity to pursue playing in the NFL.
Although nothing came from it, I knew I was being led in a different direction in my life – to impact youth, just as I had been by coaches throughout my life. I chose to stay in Iowa and begin the next chapter in life, marrying my college sweetheart and best friend, Steff.
While having a full-time position in the business community, I coached football and track at Urbandale High School from 2010 through 2014 – building great relationships with players. Urbandale was active with FCA, and I was asked to speak at their FCA Huddle on December 19, 2013. Just a couple of short weeks later, on January 2, I received a call from the FCA State Director asking if I would consider pursuing a career with FCA. After a time of prayer and discernment, in August of that same year, I officially joined the FCA team and began serving the Des Moines area just like Kevin Lykins had done years before me.
In 2015, Iowa State brought in Matt Campbell to serve as Head Football Coach, who was no stranger to FCA. After meeting with Coach Campbell and hearing his heart, we explored how FCA could serve him and his team. I was invited to join the football team as their Faith Coach. Since then, I have been there for coaches and players to listen, encourage and pray through some of their peaks and valleys of life. Most gratifying has been to have a front row seat in seeing four ISU football players commit their lives to Jesus (and many more in the high schools) just as I had a few years earlier.
In 2018, I had the honor of presenting the FCA’s National Coaches Award to Coach Campbell. He is in a fraternity of many elite coaches because of the work he allowed me to do with him and his team. Now I have the opportunity to serve Story, Boone, Greene and Marshall counties, building an elite team of FCA Area Reps who will minister and share the love of Jesus with coaches and student athletes.
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest. Ask Him to send more workers into His fields.”
Matthew 9:37-38
My story isn’t done yet, as there is much work to do. And although I may not be a minister of a church, the vision of my Pastor when I was young has come true. I am a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, serving Him in ministry through FCA. I hope you will consider joining FCA’s team and help us reach more kids for Jesus Christ.
I am Recruiting Character Coaches
A Character Coach is a FCA trained volunteer who engages, equips, and empowers coaches and athletes through character and leadership development. If you are interested in becoming a character coach please reach out.
E3: Engage, Equip, Empower
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