Fields of Faith event exceeds 400 attendees

contributed article by Julie Nelson

One day. One message. One stand.

Sartell Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted a National “Fields of Faith” event for the first time in Sartell on Oct. 8 at the Sartell football field. With nearly 400-plus students and adults attending, the community came together to be challenged.

What is Fields of Faith? Students from all around the county come together at local athletic fields to share in a night of hope. This is an inter-denominational event that is student led, challenging their peers in prayer and scripture. An athletic field provides a neutral, rally point where a community can come together.

The worship pastor from the Waters Church, Michael Janetis, led worship that night, with other band members from Sartell and Brainerd. Cole Nelson, a Sartell sophomore, led the opening prayer by saying, “Bless this night. It’s such a privilege to worship God in our country.”

Cassandra Costanzo, a senior, and Talon Sigurdson, an eighth-grader, both read from the following scriptures:

Chronicles 34: “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. If people on your campus were to describe you, what do you think they would say?”

Chronicles 34:3 “When he was 16 years old, still young, he began to seek God. When he was 20, he went into action. He began to purge his nation of the detestable idols. When he turned 26, he began to clean out and repair the temple of God. Cleaning out the temple is getting rid of things you know are wrong. When was the last time you cleaned out your temple?”

John Schmidt, a ninth-grader, gave testimony that night along with St. Cloud State University college student Nicole Grant. “The locker room is the hardest place to live out my faith,” Schmidt said. “I don’t know if the guys are Christians or not. It’s pretty hard for me to walk over to a senior and ask them if they want to talk about God. I love sports and I try to spread his Kingdom through sports, but God has to be the focus and the main reason you do what you do.”

Grant said “I was known as the church girl in school, but later, in college, I clung to people and went to the party crowd. My cup started filling, but it felt so empty. I realized Jesus is the only one that can fill that cup.” She ended with her favorite verse, John 15:14 “Remain in me and I will remain in you. When things are going well, keep yourself humble and keep praying to God.”

Guest speaker Anne Schleper, arrived from Tampa, Fla. and was greeted by students asking her questions and taking photos. Schleper is a native of St. Cloud and graduated from Cathedral High School. She went on to the University of Minnesota and played women’s hockey. She was recently honored with a silver medal she and her U.S. women hockey teammates earned at the 2014 Olympics. Her message was powerful and inspiring. Schleper, like many, grew up in a Christian home, but didn’t give her life to Jesus until she was in college at a camp in Colorado. She learned what it meant to have a “relationship” with God. She asked the crowd “What happened if we gave only 50 percent of ourselves to our sports and showed up to only 50 percent of our practices? Could you be counted on or used by your team? Why should it be any different on God’s team? He has a divine purpose for each of you and he needs two feet in from you. He needs you to be ‘all in.'”

Schleper shifted gears and said there is a message weighing on her heart to share. “Remember your body is your temple. How are you treating your body? Are you trying to be like a sexy image or magazine? What is toxic that you are putting in your body? What you put in your body can glorify nor not glorify Him. Your body is a vehicle God uses to shine your light for others and the world.” She ended in prayer by saying “I pray that we are two feet in for you, Lord, and on your side, not of the world.”

Fellowship of Christian Athletes is touching millions of lives, one heart at a time. Since 1954, the FCA has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school and middle-school level to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ. Sartell started their FCA chapter in 2010 at the high school and 2012 at the Middle School. The high school adult advisors are Sartell teachers and coaches Rob Notsch and Nick Koubksy – they both have a passion for students and want to see them be a positive influence on their sports teams. The middle school huddle is led by Sartell parent volunteer Paul Schmidt, a former University of Minnesota football player, who is currently employed with Palisade Investments. You will find Schmidt speaking from his heart on Friday mornings to the students, giving examples of his own life and leaving each student with a challenge – a challenge to be a better person and to invite others. The largest attendance for a middle-school huddle has been 120 youth on a single Friday morning. Huddles at the high school are from 8-9 a.m. Wednesdays in the high school auditorium, and consist of worship with a message or speaker. On Fridays, the middle school huddle meets from 7:30-8 a.m. in the north gym. There are games first, and then a message. You do not need to be an athlete to come to FCA; all are welcome.

The current FCA student leadership team consists of: Cassandra Costanzo, Emily Baxa, Jorah Forthun, Cole Nelson, JP Schlecht, John Schmidt, Avery Mumm, Trysten Bommersbach, Brooklyn Olson, Luke Schmidt, Quentin Sigurdson, Emily Driste, Dalton Notsch, Dylan Pringle and Talon Sigurdson (grades -12). The leadership team meets once a week at Nelson’s home in The Wilds and has been meeting there the past two years. The leadership team is responsible for planning for the weekly huddles and finding topics, games, speakers (some of our speakers have included JR Burgess from Rejuv, SCSU athletic captains, St. John’s University hockey coaches, area youth pastors and of course our student leadership team) and more. In addition to planning the huddles, they learn leadership skills that will serve them well the rest of their lives: they learn “what to say and how to say it” when speaking; they learn the importance of a firm hand shake and good eye contact; they learn to be a leader on and off the field. Currently the leaders are doing a book study on “The Servant Leader.”

Here are some quotes from the leadership team when asked why they are in FCA:

Schlecht (sophomore, soccer, basketball and track): “FCA is a way I feel I can reach out to people and tell them the great story about the ‘one and only’ who came to save us. It’s a way to help others to speak out and tell us what they are feeling and make them feel they have someone they can trust and go to and talk about anything.”

Driste (eighth-grader, basketball, softball and cross country): “It is a positive element in my life and a safe place for me to talk to people I trust and to just have a really great time building God’s Kingdom.”

Notsch (seventh-grader, football, baseball and basketball): “I like sports and the Lord and it’s nice to have both of them together.”

Pringle (seventh-grader, baseball, basketball and track): “To become more devoted to God and not just be a follower but a leader.”

For more information please contact SartellFCA@gmail.org or their website at SartellFCA.org

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen
Anne Schleper, a St. Cloud native and silver-medal winner along with U.S. Women’s Hockey teammates at the 2014 Winter Olympics, was the guest speaker at Fields of Faith. She told the young people a story about her life, and encouraged them to be “all in” on God’s team.

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen
A Sartell student prays during Fields of Faith on Oct. 8 at the Sartell Football Field.

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen
Fields of Faith attendees listen to music played by the the Worship Band, led by the Waters Church worship pastor Michael Janetis, with band members from Sartell and Brainerd.

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen

Fields of Faith Worship Band with Anne Schleper.

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen

Tom Ness, FCA Regional Central Lakes Director.

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen

Talon Sigurdson reading scripture.

contributed photo by Madi Sorensen

contributed photo
contributed photo by Madi Sorensen
Nicole Grant, an SCSU student, started the Sartell branch of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes years ago at Sartell High School.