Hundreds of students and community members from Chanute and the surrounding communities gathered on the football field at Chanute High School for the annual Fields of Faith Event.
The event kicked off with games such as cornhole, soccer, and football. Attendees were also welcome to grab a meal at the concession stand.
Attendees also set up lawn chairs and blankets on the field to view the musicians and speakers.
“It’s been really fun getting to be with others and see people come together,” an FCA member, Jaycey McVay, said.
“And praising the Lord,” Maycee Baldridge, another FCA member, added.
Baldridge said she enjoyed being a part of FCA because it allows her to get closer to God.
Keenan Rogers, another local high school student, said he was not a part of FCA, but attended because his pastor, DJ Dangerfield of First Baptist Church Chanute, was one of the speakers.
Regional FCA Representative Ryan Gottschalk welcomed attendees and welcomed speakers to the stage.
The theme for this year was transformation through Christ, and the verse Romans 12:2.
First to speak was Erie Volleyball Coach, Amber Hodgden. Hodgden spoke about Arthur Pollreis, an Erie student, who attended the event last year. Pollreis was tragically killed in June when he and Kollin Showalter were struck by a train on a railroad bridge.
Hodgden said that last year, Pollreis dedicated his life to Jesus during the Fields of Faith Event.
“That decision changed everything for him, not just in his life but for his eternity,” Hodgden said.
“So tonight we know with confidence that he is in heaven with Jesus forever.”
Event organizer Amy Almond spoke about her daughter Carlie, who died of a pulmonary embolism when she was a sophomore at Chanute High School in 2015.
“This gathering is not just an event, it is a living, breathing testimony of what happens when people care,” Almond said. “Many of you don’t know that this event is blessed, not only by the work of volunteers, but by the generosity of friends who have donated, who have given memorials in the memory of their loved ones, who believe what happens here can change lives.”
Almond noted that she brought her own children to the Fields of Faith event, and showed photos of her children, Carlie and Garrett, at the event a decade ago. Almond highlighted that through the grief of Carlie’s death, her family grew closer to God.
“It was almost as if when she entered heaven, our family began chasing after heaven,” Almond said. “And along the way we found Jesus in a deeper, more powerful way than ever before.”
Almond said Fields of Faith was about sharing Jesus with all who attended the event.
Parker Todd and Kaelin Bones are two young adults who shared a faith testimony of how Christ improved their lives through struggles with anxiety, depression, anger, and substance use.
Last to speak was DJ Dangerfield, who spoke not only to the students, but to the adults present.
“Some of you adults need to stop being so adulting and get up on your feet and model for these kids how to fight back against the enemy when life is hard,” Dangerfield said.
Dangerfield highlighted that the event was filled with people of various Christian faiths, “We’ve got everybody here, man. This ain’t about nobody’s church. This is about Jesus
Christ as the head, and all of us need to give him the glory tonight.” After the speakers, Consumed
By Fire, a band from Wagoner, Oklahoma, took the stage for the rest of the evening.
To learn more about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, contact Ryan Gottschalk at [email protected].
