Craig Fortunato, Youth Pastor

My life changed on July 2, 1988, after God had been working in my life through loved ones all year. Christians I knew personally had been praying for me. During my junior year of high school (March 1988) some friends and I were camping, playing poker and smoking cigars. A football teammate asked us to listen to something he wanted to share.  He proceeded to share the gospel, and I was the first to say, “I don’t want it,” and walk away. Later I learned that he continued praying for me.

Fast forward to July 2. Leading up to that day, I was dissatisfied with life. I felt very hollow and empty and didn’t like who I was. That night I went to a party and saw people doing lines of cocaine and people sleeping together. I ran into the bathroom, took one look at myself in the mirror and realized I didn’t like the reflection.

Still sober, I left the party and drove to Colorado State University with some friends to see what was happening. I ended up in a restaurant parking lot. Soon after two, big, athletic-looking guys walked up and asked what was going on. “What do you do for fun around here?” they asked. “We don’t do anything but party,” I said.

They said they were with Athletes in Action, and I asked if they were those “Bible-thumping” guys I’d seen walking around town all summer. They said yes, and I asked to hear more about that. Looking back, I know it was the Holy Spirit asking the question because I couldn’t believe those were my words.

They began to share the Four Spiritual Laws booklet with me. “If you died tonight how sure are you that you’d go to heaven?” they asked. I was 75% sure. They said I could be completely sure and began to tell me about Jesus.

I’d grown up attending church sporadically for years, but I could never fill in the gap that Jesus was God’s Son. That he paid the ransom for my sins. The AIA staff guys then asked if I wanted to turn my life over to Jesus. I turned my back to them and started reading the prayer. Soon after, I looked up and saw one of my friends sprint across the parking lot, leap into a dumpster and throw up the consequences of his night’s activities. Do I want to live my life like that or like these AIA guys? I thought.

I prayed to place my faith in Christ that night with another friend of mine.

I called my Christian friend who originally shared Christ with me on that camping trip in March to share about my experience. Upon hearing the news, he dropped the phone. He said his whole family had been praying for me all year. Today I have been a youth pastor for 12 years, and I challenge my teens to share their faith regardless of results; it’s a win—win situation because seeds are planted. We just need to be faithful to do what’s in front of us, and trust the results to God.

John Maurer and Gary Gaddini followed up with my friend and me all summer. I plugged into a great youth group my senior year and was trained in my faith. I volunteered later with that youth ministry, followed with an internship, and began my stint as a youth pastor in 1994.

Craig Fortunato is the youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Ft. Collins, Colorado. He and his wife Rhonda have three daughters: Olivia (8), Emma (6) and Jamie (4). This summer Craig was in the mountains with his teens during a retreat when he “ran into” a group of AIA staff and students in town for the same Colorado Project attended by Maurer and Gaddini back in 1988. The two groups ended up sharing testimonies throughout the evening.

Kevin Sides, AIA Staff

I entered college in 1996 to play football at the University of South Carolina. I had walked with God the best way I knew how in high school  and was committed to growing in faith in college. However, I didn’t know what that looked like. I spent the first month and a half in my dorm as teammates went out to the bars; I was committed not to do that.

During the second week of classes I was working out in the weight room when someone came up to introduce himself. His name was Davy Stevens. He understood that I was a Christian and told me about a Bible study. He asked if I wanted to get involved. I knew nothing about Campus Crusade and AIA, but I had been praying for something. Worst case scenario? I would only waste one night by going.

I went and met other athletes just like myself—those wanting to grow in their faith too. That first night turned into a five year relationship of one-on-one discipleship and small group Bible studies.

Three things have been life-changing through my AIA involvement: intentional discipleship and ministry skills I’ve received. I was probably a little more than a toddler in my faith when I entered college. My discipleship relationship provided the structure for me to grow—how to share the Four Spiritual Laws booklet and my testimony, how to study the Bible inductively, how to speak in front of a large crowd and how to teach others to study the Bible. By my third year I was leading a Bible study with other guys on my team and training four of those guys how to grow in their faith.
                                                                                                               
Another thing was my involvement with summer opportunity experiences. In 1996 I went to an AIA camp in 1998, and it changed my life. About 15 guys from USC went to that same camp. The next summer I went on the Colorado Project and in 2000, I went on the Czech Project. The summer really allowed me to grow exponentially—a greenhouse effect allowing God to do supernatural work to expose sin in my life and how to walk through that sin in a safe place. Developing relationships with staff and students was key too. I’m still in touch with nine of the 15 guys I met that summer.

Lastly, winter retreats and spring break trips were huge in my growth. At winter retreats I started meeting people from other campuses and seeing them every six months. Going on spring break trips (Argentina in 1999 and Spain in 2000) also helped to cultivate my heart for the world.

Kevin and his wife Stephanie will head to India this fall on STINT (short-term international missions). They have one son, Jonathan (4 mos).

Each month you will be introduced to a life changed through Athletes in Action. If your life (or someone you know) has been greatly touched through your involvement with AIA, please send an e-mail to communications@aia.com. 

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