From the Ashes · 1 November 2025
Our group of Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) has been through a lot since it first started as a chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It has had a name change and a target audience change. But not a focus change. We still want to be faithful to Jesus and the mission He gave to us.
Our group has always been student-led. But the organization has not yet been set up to be sustainable. It has risen and fallen as leaders have come and gone. Which is okay, but it is not the way it should be. Like I said, it is not sustainable that way. For good leaders might be all around us, but they cannot thrive unless they are led and fed.
I did not see that the fall would happen. I was happy that the students were leading a worship and devotion time. I knew that it could be more, but I was not sure how to do it. So I was not developing other leaders. I just assumed that they would pop up as they had at the beginning. But that is not the way things work. Leaders must be developed and nurtured.
And so, as our last strong leader graduated, we dwindled from the twenty or so who had been coming to less than ten to three. Those three were young freshmen who wanted to do great things. They saw the same vision that I saw. Bible studies, apologetics, worship, devotionals. All of those things and more. But none of us were ready. None of us knew much about organizations at the time. And so even though we all wanted the group to grow, the Fellowship of Christian Students effectively died. And it was buried in the ground for two full years.
When I asked two students in my class whether they were interested in starting the group up again, they gave me a resounding “YES!” I was excited that they were so excited. But I did not know what to expect. I figured that it would be like before. A couple enthusiastic students would lead a small group of students for the year and since they were seniors, the group would dwindle to nothing again. Or they would get off to a slow start and lose energy and not even get off the ground. I had thought of revival a few years ago and was disappointed when death of the group showed up instead. Little did I know that something was on the rise.
My couple students who were so enthusiastic to restart the group showed up this fall with four or five more who were going to help them. And when the first meeting happened, I was excited to see the twenty-some students there. Ready for Bible study. Ready to dig into apologetics. Ready for something great to happen.
That twenty-something has turned into thirty-something. Steady attenders. Disappointed when I cannot be there. They want to meet as often as they can. They want to dig into God’s word. They want to equip themselves to do God’s work. And I need to help them. I need to help them create a sustainable model for continued growth. (Which is a completely different story.)
The episodes of birth, growth, death, and rebirth of our group have been the way God has shown me what John 12:24 means for us today.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24 ESV)
I know that Jesus was actually talking about His own death, but He was also talking about each of us as well. And He was talking about our group of Fellowship of Christian Students. For like Jesus, our group died and was buried. He was buried and then rose on the third day. Our group died, was buried, then rose on the third year. He was alone, his disciples had abandoned Him. My last three stalwarts were alone and I did not know how to help them and so they must have felt abandoned. But praise be to God, Jesus rose from the grave and in doing so, His movement still bears much fruit. I hope the same is true for the group of students at our school. I hope we can make it a movement that will last and bear much fruit for God’s kingdom.
I keep seeing a stalk of grain with a seed falling to the earth. Now, I am beginning to see a wheat field with many stalks of grain and many bushels of harvest. Years ago, I tried to imagine something like what is happening, but it is turning out to be much more. I hope that I can stay out of God’s way and help these students and this organization grow.
It is wonderful when we can see God’s word in real life. And I am glad that I could watch the resurrection story happen for an amazing student organization. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us now and in the future.
© 2025 Michael T. Miyoshi
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