FSI Michigan ~ 2024-2025
“What a year 2024 has been! We are filled with gratitude for the countless opportunities for ministry. We are thankful for everyone who has partnered with us, for our dedicated board, and for the entire FSI family. Above all, we are grateful to God for blessing us with the chance to serve through this ministry.”
Matt and Alissa Wallace
Summer International Vision Trips
This summer, we had the privilege of leading two incredible trips to Honduras, each unique in its own way.
In May, we partnered with the Inspirata Foundation and our missionaries, Katie and Mario Velasquez, to lead the entire School of Education Faculty and ten students to Honduras. Throughout the week, they engaged with public, Christian, rural, and urban schools. Each evening, we gathered to discuss discipleship and the profound impact of teachers and how we can learn from this culture on impacting our spaces at home.
In August, we combined two groups: Cornerstone University Softball and #EveryLaker, a sports ministry at Grand Valley State. Using sports as a platform, we partnered again with Inspirata, Point Ministries, and The International School of Tegucigalpa to share the Gospel. This trip provided our group with an in-depth look at the church and culture in Honduras. We spent Sunday in the village of LaVenta with Katie and Mario and their ministry. We also utilized our new International Devotional, available on Amazon, which guided the team through a study of true contentment in Christ.
During this trip, we had two videographers with us to capture the essence of a vision trip. Please check out our video below and share it with others—it beautifully showcases what these trips are all about.
Yellowstone Leadership 2024
We recently embarked on our 4th annual Yellowstone Leadership Trip in Cody, Wyoming, with 13 student leaders from Cornerstone. This incredible wilderness experience included hiking, exploring, horseback riding, and even a ranch service project to free up the flow of water to people in the valley, and most importantly, we dove deep into Scripture to explore its intersection with leadership. To the left is our video of our hike to the summit of Signal Peak, 8100 feet.
This year, we were honored to have two board members, Scott Huckaby and his wife Kari, as well as Craig and Annette Wolfgang, join us. They spent the week pouring into our student leaders, embodying the essence of our mission to inspire and raise up disciples to lead others.
This retreat truly encapsulates what we are all about: sharing the Hope, Hands, and Heart of Jesus through sports. Check out some of the photos from the trip below! We are grateful to our ranch partners and Jim and Jenny King for helping coordinate some logistics!
Pack the House 2024
In October and November, we embarked on the third annual “Pack the House” event on the campus of Cornerstone University. This year, Grace Paling, our Pack the House student intern, directed this massive and impactful event. After participating in our Honduras trip in August, Grace was inspired to invest countless hours in leading this initiative.
The event centered around a home basketball game at Cornerstone, creating an engaging, fun, and informative night. We successfully packed over 55,000 meals with IDES.org, thanks to the efforts of more than 200 volunteers, including students, local churches, and organizations.
Grace did a fantastic job leading other student leaders to pull off this event and impact the lives of others through sports. Matt worked closely with Grace, guiding and supporting her as she empowered others for this wonderful initiative.
Intern Spotlights: Check out our Interns Ben wolfgang and Grace Paling
2025 International Potential Trips in the Works (FYI)
May/June: CU Men's & Women’s Cross-Country Trip - Honduras (25-28 participants)
June: CU Women’s Basketball - Guatemala (Hands of Grace)
August: GVSU AIA Trip - Honduras or Guatemala (10-15 participants)
Spring Break 2025: CU Men’s Volleyball - Arizona
2025 Yellowstone/Michigan Trip Plans (FYI)
Mid-July: Yellowstone Leadership Trip - Dates TBD
September: Michigan Retreat - Upper Peninsula - Dates TBD
Possible Golf Trip and Bible Study Planning for Summer 2025
RISE & Pursue Bible Study: We are excited to kick off a new Bible Study Podcast beginning January 6, 2025. Each weekday, we will share a podcast devotional produced by Ben Wolfgang to help guide our path this year, inspired by Jeremiah 6:16. Subscribe and follow us on Spotify or visit our website (Friendshipsports.net) for more information. Click here to follow on Spotify.
Odds and Ends with the Ministry in Michigan
Matt continues to preach and teach occasionally at Relevant Church and minister to students and athletes at Cornerstone University, both as a faculty member and through FSI. Alissa continues to serve alongside Matt, opening their home to groups and teams and participating in a weekly homeless ministry in downtown Grand Rapids. Check out some pictures from the ministry in 2024. A big highlight was Matt's being honored to officiate Kelsey (Richards) Pike and Ethan Pike’s wedding. Kelsey was an intern with Matt and was involved in several trips with FSI, and Ethan was a student-athlete at CU.
Partnering and Giving:
As we transition into 2025, we have undergone significant changes. After over 30 years of leadership, Jim King has stepped down as Executive Director of FSI, and Matt will assume that position. Jim will continue to collaborate with Matt on various teams and discipleship opportunities.
In January, we will work with the board to revise our vision and mission statements, maintaining our focus on inspiring and equipping Christian leaders to share the hope of the gospel, embody the heart of discipleship, and serve with the hands of Jesus—transforming lives through sports, service, and faith.
We cannot achieve this without your prayers and generosity. To learn more about how you can support our ministry, click here.
We are grateful for your partnership in this ministry!
Have a team that would like to join us son a Vision Trip to Honduras, Guatemala, or Yellowstone? Or have other ideas to partner with us in ministry? Reach out: fsiwallace@gmail.com
