By: Jennifer Ortiz
Gardner-Webb University’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) hosted Fields of Faith on October 8, 2014 in the Lutz Yelton Convocation Center at 7 p.m. Fields of Faith is a nationwide outreach event that gathers in athletic fields around the country to refocus on faith.
The band that performs at The Gathering led the crowd of students and community members in worship to kick off the event. Sam Vining, junior, shared his testimony, encouraging all to ask themselves, “Are you using God to look good, or are you truly playing for God?”
Vice president of FCA, Benedikt Henkel, then introduced the event’s guest speaker, David Thompson, a former NBA player best known for playing for NC State and leading them to their first NCAA championship in 1974.
Thompson shared his testimony, detailing the time he put in to practice and working out in order to become the best basketball player he could be. He said that by his junior year in high school, colleges were recruiting him, wanting him to play basketball for them.
“It was on one of these recruiting trips to the University of South Carolina that I first made the wrong choice—I was first introduced to alcohol,” Thompson described.
David Thompson talked about his simultaneous rise to fame, and his fall to drugs and alcohol. He expressed that he finally came to Christ in the Seattle, Washington area when a local pastor shared the gospel with him while he was in jail. Thompson stated that by God’s grace he has been sober for over 26 years. After Thompson shared his testimony, there was an altar call and more worship.
Wesley Smith, youth pastor at Boiling Springs Baptist Church, has been bringing his youth group to Fields of Faith for 7 years. He brought a group of about 15 kids to this year’s event.
“The coolest thing about David’s story is that he had all the fame and great athletic ability, but he’ll tell people Jesus has made the biggest difference in his life. And that’s what these kids need to hear,” Smith said.
