Dating back to 2002, Jeff Martin — Oklahoma’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) area director — hoped to create a space for Christian youth and to help them through spiritual battles and harsh temptations. When Martin felt this desire placed on his heart, he organized the now-known event, Fields of Faith, to allow students of the younger generation to hear testimonies and worship alongside peers their age. This year, Fields of Faith, held at Hillgrove High School October 8, brought together hundreds of teens, parents and teachers from all West Cobb schools, including NC, to hear student-led worship, prayers, testimonies and a Gospel message.
“With students running it [Fields of Faith], it hit closer to home. It showed me that not all kids around me think like the world and that’s very encouraging. It was so much better than what I could have imagined and I hope my story impacted [others] the way Fields of Faith did [to me],” senior Cooper Negron said.
To kick off the night, students gathered in Hillgrove’s bus lot for food trucks with options of tacos, fried chicken, donuts and the popular Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee’s supply of hot and iced drinks for the fall evening. Alongside the yummy snacks and treats, outdoor games such as spikeball, football, and four-square in the air became open for students of all ages to enjoy before the event commenced.
As people moved into the stadium, the student-led worship band began playing well-known Christian songs including music from Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake and Bethel Music’s discographies. The band consisted of seven members of Hillgrove High School’s FCA group including four vocalists, two strummers, one drummer and a pianist.
Launching at 7 p.m., the band continued with a worship session. After each song, a group of students came individually to the field and shared their personal testimonies related to how God has changed their lives through their faith. Students from Hillgrove, Marietta High School, Atlanta Classical Academy and NC boldly proclaimed their upbringings and shared how they grew to become strong Christians within their communities.
Magnet junior Nadia Guthrie and Negron represented NC as they stood up to share their testimonies for the crowd. Each West Cobb school allowed two members — a guy and a girl — from their FCA groups to speak on their behalf. Guthrie and Negron stepped up and recited scriptures from the Bible that have impacted their relationships with God and further motivated them to continue to follow their faith growing up. The NC students’ testimonies alongside the testimonies of the other West Cobb teens impacted several individuals who yet did not fully understand the Christian faith. These student messages brought attention to common teenage struggles including mental health and body image which allowed other teens to feel heard and understood because they could relate to their fellow Christ followers.
“It honestly felt amazing to share my story in front of so many people and tell others what makes me, me. With the worship, testimony and fellowship, Fields of Faith refocused my mind on the most important goal, Jesus Christ. Fields of Faith did an amazing job by unifying kids and adults of all ages and simplifying the Gospel through each other’s stories,” Negron said.
After the rounds of student testimonies, Hillgrove High School’s worship band’s strummer presented a short message, providing standout scriptures in different books of the Bible as takeaways. To cap off the night, all students, teachers and parents gathered in the middle of the football field to sing and dance along to the final worship song of the night, “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music. The night ended with prayer, aiming to equip FCA members to spread their faith in their schools.
