On Wednesday night, Wildcat Stadium was lit up, with plenty of people in the stands. But in fact, there was no football game taking place. Instead, it was a community worship experience that catered to the youth.

Thousands of students, families and youth groups filled the stands at the Fields of Faith event, sponsored by the Abilene Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The annual event, which has been in Abilene for 20 years, brought the whole community together for testimonies, worship and renewal.

“This is our 20th year of hosting Fields of Faith in Abilene,” said Josh Hardcastle, FCA metro director and Big Country FCA graduate of ACU. “It’s really about how we can get kids one step closer to Jesus. For some, it’s their first-ever decision to follow Him, and for others, it’s rededication.”

One of the speakers at the event was ACU’s own Courtney Church, redshirt freshman outside hitter from Driftwood on the volleyball team.

Courtney Church holds up the Wildcat symbol during volleyball’s media day. (Photo courtesy: ACU Athletics)

The message throughout the event followed Church’s journey of trust and resilience after she tore her ACL and was forced to take the year off as a true freshman.

“My specific prayer to the Lord was for Him to show me my purpose and my role in that season of trial,” Church said. “That season that I was in was just for kind of a cleansing and refinement in my life, bearing better fruit and good fruit and to be a witness for Him.”

The message to the kids and community members at the event was to have them look at their sport in a different light following her injury.

“No award, no accolade, nothing like that is gonna matter when you’re sitting on the throne of God in glory one day,” Church said. “What will follow you to heaven is your character and who you are rooted in Christ.”

Her message seemed to resonate with the youth. Church said before the event, she prayed that just one person would be impacted by her word, and her prayer came to pass that night.

“I specifically prayed to the Lord days in advance for just one girl to have something that I say that really speaks to her,” Church said. “When she came up to me, it was just so overwhelming. The Lord answered that prayer.”

Church seems to have a huge impact on a lot of people she meets. Hardcastle, who got a chance to work with Church this summer as an FCA intern, described her leadership and faith as having a lasting impact.

“Courtney is a woman of high character,” Hardcastle said. “Somebody who’s driven and somebody who God’s got huge plans for, her and her life. She’s a great role model for young women in their faith.”

In retrospect, however, Church said this event was just as good for her as it was for everyone else.

“If I could tell myself one year ago today where I’d be right now, I would not believe myself,” Church said. “Just from the grace of God. It’s amazing. I just have so much gratitude.”