ERMA – Steger Field at Lower Cape May Regional High School was turned into a “field of faith” Thursday, Oct. 12, when the Fellowship of Christian Athletes held its third annual Fields of Faith event.
The event involved students and members of local churches. The Fellowship works with students and teacher-coaches in public schools around the county, state, nation and world.
Jon Buthy, Fellowship area director, oversees about 20 “huddles” – the athletic term used to describe groups that aim to encourage and build up each other in their Christian faith.
Fields of Faith was described on the event flier as “A night of worship, celebration and encouragement.” Buthy told the crowd of some 40 people that the event was intended to be a time of fellowship along with snacks and games – followed by music, testimonials and prayer.
The first hour of the two-hour event was for socializing, or as church people know it – fellowship – rubbing elbows with fellow believers. After music by the Fellowship’s Worship Team, Buthy spoke about his work as the area director responsible for Fellowship huddles in 20 different schools.
“It’s amazing to see what God has done,” he said.
He listed activities that ranged from children’s programs to Bible reading to students simply sharing their faith. Buthy said the mission of the Fellowship is simple – “to lead every coach and athlete into a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
“And to reach the world with this message,” he added.
The Fellowship is currently active in 105 countries, he said.
Buthy noted a sign with four symbols that summarize the message of the Christian faith: A heart, a division symbol, a cross and a question mark. The heart, he said, represents that God loves people; the division sign represents sin, which separates or divides people from God. The cross, he said, represented Christ’s atonement for sins, and the question mark represents the consequences of accepting or rejecting Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
“This is how we share the Gospel at events,” he said.
According to Buthy, about 100 students came to a saving knowledge of Jesus in the past year.
He said the Fellowship now has 27 coaches who lead huddles in 20 schools in Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland counties. He said all the members are called to be ambassadors for Christ, as based on 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5, which says that Christ compels us to disciple others. Buthy addressed why he and the Fellowship are making evangelistic efforts in the area.
“The culture we live in is dark,” he said, adding that negative influences, including drugs, gangs and crime, are very evident in the culture.
Mike Chapman, a worship team member, is a pastor at Dennisville United Methodist Church, which was also a supporter of the event. Chapman told the crowd it won’t be a church that saves people, but personal discipleship. He also said one doesn’t have to look far to see the negative effects of modern culture.
“What are you living for?” he said.
Dawn Dudley is a Fellowship coach who is also a swimming team coach. Before one meet she prayed for the team, and when the next swim meet came up the team asked her to pray. Personally, she said she prayed for where she should go with this, and then became connected with the Fellowship.
Dudley also became connected with a student who was running a Bible study at the school. The Bible study was cut short by Covid, but when school reopened, the study group grew in size. Dudley said she sees the need for a new direction for young people, saying, “The world is making evil into normal.”
Buthy said every year the Fellowship has a theme, and this year the theme is “Greater.” He said the inspiration comes from the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, verse 30, where John the Baptist refers to Jesus saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He advised the participants to take the words of James to heart, when he said, “… be doers of the word, not hearers only.”
Buthy told the crowd there were 20,000 similar events happening all around the nation that night.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
