Fields of Faith event to be held at Waukon High School October 10; Public welcome

Students, parents and community members are invited to join thousands of others on athletic fields all across the nation Wednesday, October 10 to share their Christian faith with fellow students during the seventh annual national Fields of Faith event. This rapidly-growing, interdenominational outreach event will be held at more than 400 locations throughout the nation on this same date.
Although in existence nationwide for several years, the inaugural Fields of Faith event in Waukon is scheduled to be held that October 10 evening at the Waukon High School football field, beginning at 7 p.m. Members of the public are invited to bring their own blankets to spread out on the football field and take part in the event.
Lawn chairs are also welcome for those unable to sit on blankets, but lawn chair seating will be limited to the track surrounding the football field. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held inside the Waukon High School gym.
The local event will consist of testimonial speaking from scheduled student and adult participants, along with music and socializing. Featured speakers will be the husband and wife team of Heath and Danielle Draeger, who recently moved to the Lansing area from Wisconsin. Heath Draeger was associated with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), the founding organization of the Fields of Faith events, for many years during his high school and college careers.

A LOCAL START
While many Christian rallies are anchored to an entertainer or professional speaker that creates a spectator event, Fields of Faith is structured as a student-to-student ministry. 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.
"This is something that's been heavy on my heart, and I think it's a great opportunity for our area communities to come together and share their faith," said Amy Welch, coordinator of the local event. "I've talked to a lot of area students and have realized that many of them share the same faith beliefs but don't always feel comfortable or quite know how to express or talk about their faith, especially around other kids. I thought the Fields of Faith event would be an awesome way for all of those kids to come together and share that common bond."
Welch has been aware of such events taking place in other communities in Iowa and took the initial steps to create a local event back in August of this year. "I've had a tremendous amount of help that, without it, this wouldn't even have been possible," she said.

FIELDS OF FAITH FOUNDATION
Since the beginning of Fields of Faith in 2004, more than 500,000 students have joined in the movement. In 2011 alone, more than 160,000 students gathered on 475 fields across 36 states to participate in the event. It’s not just those numbers that have FCA organizers excited about Fields of Faith.
“The impact of Fields of Faith has been incredible in just these past few years,” said Les Steckel, FCA president and former veteran NFL coach. “It’s all about young people in these communities coming together on their school’s athletic field and challenging each other to go back to the fundamentals of reading God’s Word and coming to faith in Jesus Christ.”
The impetus for Fields of Faith began with Jeff Martin, an FCA staff person, who conceived the idea from an Old Testament reference in 2 Chronicles 34 after searching how to help today’s generation of students face spiritual battles and temptations. In the scripture, King Josiah, an influential teenager very similar to Fields of Faith attendees today, gathered his people and challenged them to read the Bible. As a result, they changed their culture.
In 2004, the Josiah-influenced dream came true when 6,000 students gathered on school athletic fields throughout three states for the first Fields of Faith event. That was the beginning of what has become one of the most significant faith-related gatherings of students in a single day.
“Fields of Faith challenges this generation to be committed to reading the Bible and living a transformed life for Jesus Christ,” said Martin. “It’s students challenging students, peers challenging peers and that’s the heart and soul of Fields of Faith.”
While Fields of Faith has its roots with FCA leadership, the event is designed to include multiple national Christian organizations, local churches and ministries. More information about Fields of Faith is available at www.fieldsoffaith.com. To learn more about the local event being held in Waukon, contact Amy Welch by cell phone at 563-794-1303 or at home at 563-568-4812.