Field of Faith comes to Cape this week

Athletes from professional leagues to local high schools and colleges see faith as a key part of their lives, and they show it through membership in Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Local FCA "huddles" hope to have an impact in the area through the Fields of Faith event this week.

Huddles from Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau Central High School and Jackson High School will host the area's first Fields of Faith event from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Houck Stadium. Students can expect a time of worship, speaking and prayer at the free event.

The praise team from Remix at Cape First will lead the worship. Students and coaches from local huddles will be speaking, and the event will feature former pro football player Rich Garza. Garza will also appear at area schools as part of the Sports World Ministries.

Bill Ray, area director of FCA huddles, said Fields of Faith events challenge students to promote Christ, spend time reading the Bible and encourage students to get involved in the church.

"Fields of Faith is structured as a student-to-student ministry movement," Ray said. "Peers invite their own classmates and teammates to meet on their school's athletic field to hear fellow students share their testimonies, challenge them to read the Bible and to come to faith in Jesus Christ."

Ray and other FCA huddle leaders say they wanted to bring Fields of Faith to Cape Girardeau after they saw huge success for the event in Poplar Bluff, Mo. According to Ray, in three years attendance grew from 1,000 to 2,500, and he expects the same at the Cape Girardeau area event.

Fields of Faith began in 2004 in Oklahoma and spread nationwide by 2006. In 2010, more than 150,000 students in 475 communities participated in Fields of Faith events. This year, 310 Fields of Faith events have been registered on the organization's website. Missouri has 29.

Karley Evans, a basketball player at Southeast, will participate in the Fields of Faith event. She has been involved with FCA since high school. Evans said FCA helps her deal with teammates by letting her reach out to them and give them someone to lean on. FCA also keeps her connected with other Christian athletes, she said.

"We go through stuff not every college student goes through," she said. "FCA helps bring me back to my focal point, that is God."

For more information on Fields of Faith and FCA, contact Ray at 280-0932, bray@fca.org and fieldsoffaith.org.