ANDREWS, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Students from the Permian Basin will join thousands of other youth on athletic fields across the nation on Wednesday, October 18th, in Andrews, to share their Christian faith with fellow students during the 18th annual national Fellowship of Christian Athletes Fields of Faith event. This rapidly growing, interdenominational outreach event will be held at more than 500 nationwide locations.

Students will hear from guest speakers as well as fellow students who will share their testimonies, challenge them to read the Bible, and come to faith in Jesus Christ.

This will be the second Fields of Faith event for Andrews FCA. In October 2022, thousands attended the inaugural Fields of Faith event in Andrews with Tim Tebow as the keynote speaker.

This year, the Keynote Speaker will be Ray Lewis, a 2-time Super Bowl Champion, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens over his 17-year pro career. On August 4th, 2018, Ray Lewis was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee.

Fields of Faith began with an idea from Jeff Martin, FCA’s Executive Director of Campus Sport Ministry, who “longed to help today’s generation of students face spiritual battles and temptations”. 

“What started out as a thought and a prayer has turned into a huge national event, all through the power of Christ. It’s amazing that Fields of Faith has grown to welcome nearly a quarter of a million people to athletic fields where they can pray and worship together,” Martin said. “We are so thankful for the students who feel passionate about sharing their faith with their fellow students so they, too, can see how Christ can impact their lives. There’s no doubt that God is working through these young people and will continue to do so for years to come.”

In 2004, Martin’s vision became reality 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.

While Fields of Faith has its roots in FCA leadership, the event is designed to include multiple national Christian organizations, local churches, and ministries. A local leadership team will determine the program of each Fields of Faith event.