***News Release***

First-Ever Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fields of Faith Event in Africa Helped Transform Coaches and Athletes for Christ

More Than 500 Fields of Faith Events in the U.S. and Internationally Brought Community Members Together for Prayer, Worship and Bible Commitment

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—There has been a small piece of history in each of the past 15 years of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA, www.fca.org) Fields of Faith events—record-setting attendance, the largest gathering in one place or a quieter page in one person’s story with the acceptance of Jesus Christ.

This fall, another page of history was written into FCA’s Fields of Faith story, as the first-ever Fields of Faith gathering took place in Kenya, Africa. It was the first event for both the nation of Kenya and the continent of Africa. Each year around the globe, Fields of Faith brings together communities on athletic playing fields—impacting millions since its inception in 2004.

Earlier this month, more than 75 coaches and athletes joined their hearts on a basketball court at Sirikwa Pentecostal Fellowship Mission Centre in Kenya. Those in attendance, mostly from local soccer and basketball teams, formed a circle and prayed for coaches and athletes—that they would become closer to Christ and glorify God through the sports they love. (View photos of the Kenya Fields of Faith here.)

The event was promoted to the Kenya community as “One Day. One Message. One Stand”—a peer-to-peer movement where thousands of students from across the nation and world gather on their school’s athletic fields to share stories and challenge each other to apply the Bible as their “game plan for life.”

Moses Muge, the FCA International Leader for Kenya, said FCA staff and pastors came together to lead the event and help gather the coaches and athletes for a time of worship and prayer.

“We had worship music from a small band, and three students shared their testimonies, as well as those from the FCA team,” Muge reported. “Then we all held hands and prayed together, with the event lasting a bit under two hours. The students and leaders who were present really enjoyed it, and we hope and pray next year will be bigger and better.”

Hundreds of Fields of Faith events took place across the country and around the world on Oct. 17, as well as on other days this fall. Last year, thousands of lives were changed eternally through these gatherings that encourage young people to engage the Bible and commit their lives to Christ. In 2017, more than 198,000 attended events on 521 fields, where 6,213 made first-time faith commitments, 5,015 recommitted their lives to Christ, and 6,494 committed to reading their Bible. Figures for 2018 will be released soon.

Read more about FCA here. For more information about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, visit FCA’s website at www.fca.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fcafans or its Twitter feed @fcanews.

###