Russ joined the FCA-KC staff part time in September of 2007, transitioning into full time responsibilities in January 2008.  Russ and his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Reagan, were led to Kansas City that Russ might attend Midwestern Baptist Seminary, where he is completing his MA in Biblical Language.  Prior to attending Midwestern, Russ played football at both West Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas.  “My father used my enjoyment in athletics as a vehicle to teach me humility, discipline and love for fellow man,” he shares.  “I desire to make that same connection with my own daughter and the kids with whom I come in contact in my church, in the Northland FCA’s, and elsewhere.”

Russ on the FCA Mission: Athletics on all levels, including elementary to high school, is a platform for ministry.  When any former athlete is asked what he misses when he is no longer a “player on the team”, the answer, each and every time, is, “I miss the relationships.”  The FCA Mission Statement understands God’s desire to have a relationship with man, and thus, men’s desire to have a relationship with God and with one another (Gen 1:26-28).  This platform of athletics, among all men, is none more than a place to build relationships with others, and for Christians it is an opportunity to share with others their most valued relationship, that above any other, with Jesus Christ.