By BETH CHAPMAN/Community Columnist

Shelby County’s renowned radio show host, Bill “Bubba” Bussey does more than just radio.

Listen to the “Rick and Bubba Show” for more than five minutes and you’ll learn several things about Bill “Bubba” Bussey immediately.

You’ll learn that he loves God, his family, tennis and having fun.

So how do you roll all those things into one successful package with each one complementing the other?

You lead an effort to establish a new branch of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for tennis enthusiasts. That’s exactly what Bussey has set out to do.

“Our goal is to spread the word of Jesus Christ and to make a ‘real’ difference in the lives of tennis players in this area,” said Bussey.

FCA has a rich history of serving other sports groups in Alabama, but not tennis.  Bussey and many others in the Shelby-Jefferson County area hope to change that soon.

FCA is a 56-year-old organization whose vision is, “To see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of athletes and coaches. To present athletes and coaches and all those they influence the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving them in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church.”

It is a perfect fit for Bussey and his family — Betty, Katelyn and Hunter — who all enjoy the sport. He hopes it will be a perfect fit for many other people in our area where he lives, works and plays as well.

Bussey recently held an organizational meeting at the Hoover Country Club and introduced Taylor Stewart, national director of FCA Tennis and Hoover Country Club tennis pro, Boo Mason, who is supporting the local FCA’s efforts.

Bussey will be the FCA tennis director for the Birmingham area.

The FCA presently has groups referred to as “huddles” within each sports program, boasting 6,598 huddles nationwide. Each “huddle” has a FCA chaplain. Bussey, Mason and other organizers are presently searching for people willing to be trained to serve as chaplains for local school tennis teams and support local tournaments.

They are presently developing a database of people who are interested. The first training session will be held in February.

For more information, visit their Twitter Feed at FCAtennisBHAM, their Facebook page at FCA Tennis BHM or contact Bussey at bubba@rickandbubba.com

Beth Chapman, Alabama’s secretary of state, is a Shelby County resident and writes a weekly column for the Shelby County Reporter. You can reach her at bethchapman@bellsouth.net.