By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

Hundreds of local students gathered at Callaway Stadium last week for a night of faith and fellowship.

Fields of Faith, an event organized to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was held at the stadium on Wednesday night, with more than 500 students and a number of adults setting up their blankets and lawn chairs on the stadium’s turf.

The event, which began 15 years ago and is held at sports facilities across the country, is primarily run by students.

At Wednesday’s event there were student-led prayers and testimonies, as well as a performance by a musical group made up of local students.

Gabe Dowden, who graduated from Troup High in 2016 and is the head of the Troup County chapter of the FCA, was pleased to see the way the students took charge and embraced a leadership role.

“I didn’t want it to be a lot of the adults,” Dowden said. “I really want the kids to be involved. I can talk, and the coaches can talk all day but it wouldn’t be the same coming from a high-school student.”

Referencing one student who shared his powerful testimony, Dowden said “I remember being that age. I don’t think I could have stepped out that boldly. It was an amazing thing to see.”

Dowden was grateful for the support of local churches, who he said “just brought vans to bring kids to it. We got a lot of numbers from that.”

In addition to students from the Troup County schools, Heard County High was also well-represented.

“That’s really what FCA is about, uniting people in a common goal,” Dowden said.

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