Jon Randles led hundreds of NCAA chapel services for schools such as Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Arkansas, Oklahoma and LSU—just to name a few. Randles also served as a much-sought-after FCA Camp pastor, sometimes booked five years in advance, and spoke at numerous FCA Fields of Faith events, where students gather on hundreds of athletic fields across the country to pray, worship and encourage one another to read the Bible. Randles passed away in April 2015 at the age of 58.

Throughout Texas, especially in the Lubbock area, Randles made great strides for FCA. He began his own journey with Christ at an FCA meeting in high school. By the mid-’70s, Randles was teaching discipleship as a college student to several of the high school athletes at his alma mater. He went on to pastor two churches in Lubbock, and during both stints, served as the “unofficial chaplain” for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team.

Randles left Lubbock for 20 years, from 1994 to 2014, to serve as an evangelist, and these two decades were perhaps his most impactful for FCA. During football season, he was booked every weekend to lead team chapels all over the nation, and on Sundays, he sometimes led NFL chapels as well. During the week, he spoke at revivals and to local junior high and high school assemblies.

Randles helped build the Fields of Faith presence in his region, organizing the first event in Lubbock in 2011, when 3,500 attended. Shortly before his death, Randles spoke to a Fields of Faith crowd of 11,500 at Texas Tech’s Jones Stadium in October 2014.

Just three days before his death, Randles was inducted into the first class of the Greater South Plains FCA Hall of Honor. He also served on the South Plains FCA Leadership Board and mentored Greater Dallas FCA staff in leadership development and spiritual growth.

Randles was married to his wife, Kelly, and they had two sons, one daughter and four grandchildren.