As students arrived at Chaparral stadium Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m., they were greeted by sounds of laughter and worship music.

Fields of Faith (FoF) is a student-led ministry program hosted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) that focuses on spiritual and personal growth within the school community. The central goal of the organization is to gather athletes and students at local sports environments to challenge their peers to open a relationship with Jesus Christ and lean on others to grow that relationship.

FoF is entirely student-led. Inspired by the biblical story of King Josiah and his challenge to his people to read God’s Word, the movement began in 2004. Westlake FCA began their own chapter of this event five years ago. This year, FoF was held on the Ebbie Neptune Field and was planned by 16 girls. 

The excitement around this year’s event has been notable, with social media platforms filled with FoF invites. Students have taken to Instagram to share information to spread the word of the event. 

“I think being able to share information about the event online is very helpful because a lot of the time we aren’t approved to print out flyers and put them around the school since it has religious affiliation,” junior Finley Milam said.

This year’s two emcees were senior Pasquale Maurici and sophomore Gabe Quanstrom. Senior Alex Terrazas and juniors Wynn Thore and Nico Maurici shared their testimonies of what led them into a closer relationship with Christ. Alongside them, UT student athlete Ella Swindle spoke to students to help guide them in their faith journey. 

“Fields of Faith means a lot to me personally as a time to strengthen faith, build community, and encourage others,”senior organizer lead Isabelle Covert said. “I hope attendees leave feeling inspired, connected and motivated to live out their beliefs in their everyday lives.”

With her personal motivations clear, Covert outlined her specific objectives for the gathering. Her vision for this year’s event was to create an inclusive, uplifting event that fosters genuine connection and teaches others about Jesus’ love. In order to do this, she measured success by the numbers of attendees, the engagement during the event and the feedback they received after.

This year, the student leaders decided to meet that challenge head-on by turning the anticipation itself into a form of outreach.

In order to host all of the speakers and activities, junior speaker and organizer lead Catherine McCall worked closely with the guests to ensure their success during the event. 

“My favorite part about my position is getting to hear the stories of different students and getting to be a vessel so their story can be heard by hundreds,” Name said.

When they were selecting speakers this year, McCall pointed out the importance of her and her team praying over it and letting God guide their decision on who should spread their testimonies.

Because the event was entirely free for attendees, the vision behind this year’s FoF could not have become a reality without outside funding. Senior fundraising and donations lead Margaret Mills worked thoroughly on finding organizations to cover expenses. 

This year’s fundraising goal was $8,000, and everyone on the fundraising and donations team sent out emails or visited local businesses, restaurants and families to help meet that goal. Fundraising started at the beginning of 2025, and the goal was to be finished by August, which they accomplished.

“I have been involved in the fundraising for FoF for the past few years, and going into the year with a goal was very important,” Mills said. “I also have to fundraise for GETMAD and other sports teams I was a part of, so it was nice to put those skills to use for a club so near to my heart.” 

For Mills, being able to gather together with people to worship and listen to testimonies is a blessing she was proud to be a part of. 

The organizers hoped the event would embody collective openness and excitement to celebrate their love for Jesus Christ. They aimed for a welcoming space where students could drop the pressures of school and other stressors to share a deeper understanding of community through faith. 

By placing faith at the center of a competitive student environment, FoF provided support and structure. It offered a space where students could openly learn with their peers about others’ spiritual journeys, demonstrating how strength and faith go hand-in-hand.