Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
After a two-year hiatus, two local chapters of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) joined together for a Fields of Faith event on Nov. 17. Fields of Faith is an outreach ministry of FCA nationwide in which students lead a program of prayer and testimony to bring their community together. For the local Fields of Faith event, more than 200 people from the school communities of both Aucilla Christian Academy (ACA) and Jefferson Somerset gathered on ACA’s Warrior Memorial Football Field.
The evening began with a shared meal of grilled hot dogs prepared by volunteers. A welcome and opening prayer were given by Marshaun Harris, the head track coach and flag football coach at Jefferson Somerset, and Colby Roberts, the football coach at Aucilla. The program began with praise and worship music led by Logan Matthews, the music leader at Wacissa Christian Church, and several high school students.
Then students in eighth through twelfth grades from both schools took turns sharing scriptures and giving testimony about how the Word had been meaningful to them. The youth spoke about being comforted through physical pain, disappointment and loneliness. They encouraged their peers to practice selfless love and to be doers, not just hearers. They shared experiences of being tempted and finding strength in their faith. They testified about how their beliefs had guided them in their friendships, recoveries from failure and new pathways to a happier life. Through a skit entitled “Reckless Love,” 20 students then dramatized the message of God's love for all. In these ways, the Fields of Faith gathering gave the students an opportunity to boldly stand up for Jesus Christ and be a light for Him in the world today.
The program ended with a challenge to get into God’s Word on a daily basis and a call for those in attendance to make or renew their commitment to Christ.
In an interview after the event, Coach Harris commented about how important it was to resume the Fields of Faith events because it gives students the opportunity to develop and share their own understanding of God. Coach Roberts observed that the Fields of Faith event gave students a Christ-centered way to develop their speaking skills and take responsibility for building community. Kez McCorvey, the director of North Florida FCA, is looking forward to continuing to work with the FCA chapters at both Aucilla and Jefferson Somerset. “Through FCA, we get a chance to evangelize at our schools,” he said. “It's an opportunity for our student leaders put their faith in action and learn to relate to other people about it.”
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