PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FCA WORSHIP TEAM … Taking part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Fields of Faith event held Wednesday, October 8 at Hobe Krouse Field in Montpelier were front row from left, Mike Wortkoetter, Montpelier FCA Facilitator, Addy Fritch, (Edon High School); Loren Rodriguez, (Hilltop High school); Grace Froelich (Stryker High School); Anna Burt (North Central High School) and Josey Arnold (Bryan High School). Back row from left: Will Donovan (Stryker High School); Kenneth Smeltzer (Montpelier High School); Braylon Hopper (Montpelier High School), and Talen Reinbolt (North Central High School).
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Williams County high school students gathered on Wednesday, October 8, for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Fields of Faith event, which took place at Hobe Krouse Field.
It was an opportunity for those students throughout Williams County who are mostly involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes at their respective schools to step out in their faith for Jesus Christ and share their own testimonies and devotionals.
“This is an opportunity for the students to share a little bit about why Jesus is important for them,” said Mike Wortkoetter, who is the facilitator for the Montpelier Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“To share with students the fact that the fields are ripe for harvest and to stand up in their field, whatever might be, to bring people to Jesus and glorify God.”
On a perfect fall night, students gathered for a time of prayer, special message, scripture readings, student testimonies, singing, and an invitation to join other students in renewing their own connections to Jesus Christ.
The Fields of Faith opened with a live music kickoff followed by an icebreaker event in which those in attendance participated in the popular game, Rock, Paper, and Scissors.
Anna Burt, who is a junior at North Central, gave the opening prayer, and Braylon Hopper, a junior at Montpelier, read Josiah’s Challenge, which served as the purpose for the Fields of Faith night.
Grace Froelich, a senior from Stryker, gave the scripture reading from 1 Timothy 2:16. The verse reading sets up student testimony. She also gave a short word on the power of testimony and prayer.
Presenting the first of four student testimonies was Hilltop junior Loren Rodriguez, who spoke about when she had gone into a different direction, getting bullied at school, and faced other adversities.
“About in January 2024, I was very depressed and had a lot of anxiety and felt far away from my friends because I was being mean to them,” she said.
“That night, I was crying and didn’t know what to do, but then I saw my bible lying on my bed, and I opened it up, and it said, ‘Don’t worry about anything and pray for all he’s done.’”
Rodriguez’s life finally changed for the better in September 2024, when she was baptized. She has been following Jesus Christ ever since.
Abby Fritch, who is a senior at Edon, challenged herself about sharing her testimony with others but admitted that God pushed her out of her comfort zone and eventually shared her own faith.
“I wasn’t sure that I was going to do it,” admitted Fritch regarding her testimony. “God wanted me to be a disciple, share the gospel, observe others just as he did, is one of many ways why I decided to do it.”
Josey Arnold, who is a senior at Bryan High School, commented that when she was growing up, she didn’t know Jesus Christ personally despite not attending church regularly.
“I chose to attend church and having a strong faith, something that everyone should do,” said Arnold. “I could see myself that I was in a very good enough place where I didn’t have to exert extra effort from my relationship with Jesus.”
It wasn’t until the November of Arnold’s sophomore year that she had truly found Jesus Christ and developed a real relationship with him after attending an Awakening event.
“I had attended an Awakening event, which was a retreat held in our church, hearing testimonies and connecting with others who were seeking a personal connection with Jesus Christ,” said Arnold.
“Over that weekend, I looked at Christ in other relationships with other seekers and decided to center my life around with him and my faith. My life now is Jesus Christ-centered, which is a priority.”
Talen Reinbolt, who is a junior at North Central, reflected on when he was a young person, he went in an opposite direction in his life, far away from Jesus Christ.
“I started getting consumed by things in the world once I got old enough,” admitted Reinbolt. “It got to about my freshman year; I started to take the Lord seriously and understanding what his word is all about. Before that, I would say that I was a lukewarm Christian, and I thought it was okay with that.”
Once he took his Lord on his personal side, Reinbolt began attending church and admitted that he didn’t know many people then, which made him a little less nervous.
“I thought maybe this could be a fresh start,” Reinbolt told the audience. “Since attending church every Sunday and throughout this time, my faith is super strong, which is a certain understanding each and every week, but I still struggle with sin at times.”
Kenneth Smeltzer, who is a senior at Montpelier, said he had spent a better part of his life attending church, growing up with Jesus Christ.
“I’ve gone to church consistently through my whole childhood,” said Smeltzer. “I looked at him (Jesus Christ) for everything, knowing to have somebody there no matter what I do.
“I can always have that confidence in him, and someone who can guide me and lead me in everything that I do. Just putting your faith in God changes everything.
“Being able of having that faith is a great thing. If you’re willing to step out and take a leap in your faith, it will change your life.”
Following the student testimonies, Wortkoetter reflected on Montpelier’s FCA theme for this school year, “Glory to God,” in his message.
“Especially in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a lot of times we tend to look at glory and something that came from a field, or a court, or a score,” said Wortkoetter.
“Things will happen and then everybody will cheer for us, cheer on for our team, cheer on for our favorite sport, favorite college team, or favorite athlete. One of the things that we want to leave here tonight is to remind everybody there is only one who deserves the glory, that is the God above.
“Everybody that was up here tonight can tell you that all the glory that comes their way they know reflects to God. That is what it is all about. The challenge for all of you tonight is that he’s taking us from glory to glory.”
An invitation for those wanting to pray with the worship leaders followed, and Will Donovan, who is a senior at Stryker, gave the closing prayer, concluding this year’s Fields of Faith event.