Fields of Faith returns to Morrow Stadium

Fields of Faith will be returning to its roots when it takes place Wednesday night at Fred M. Morrow Stadium on the campus of Poplar Bluff Junior High School.

The evening kicks off with a 6 p.m. free tailgate, followed by the main event at 7 p.m. Several Poplar Bluff High School students will be part of a panel Wednesday night, followed by main speaker Jared Goodhue from First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff.

The 2021 FCA theme is “Pursue,” a theme Mills said the event would key in on.

“This year we’re excited to return to one of the original locations, the junior high school football stadium,” said Josh Mills, area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which sponsors the event. “We’re hoping that some of the students from the surrounding neighborhood will have easier access to attend the event, so we’re trying something different this year.

“This year, we’re excited to have a full high school worship team, a mixture of students from several churches. They’ve been practicing a lot this month, so we’re thrilled to have them lead us in worship Wednesday night.”

The pre-event tailgate also is a new addition to the evening, “where local churches will be able to set up some tents and tables and offer some food and games,” Mills said. “Something different to just kind of get the crowd’s energy buzzing early.”

Fields of Faith’s roots in Poplar Bluff go back more than a decade, Mills said.

“I believe this is year 12 or 13 for Poplar Bluff to host Fields of Faith,” Mills said. “Poplar Bluff has one of the largest gatherings with several thousand in attendance each year, so we’re expecting a large crowd again this year. The surrounding communities and schools always show up in great support at the PB location — it’s pretty neat to witness.”

Another positive this year is having to deal with fewer restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s definitely a blessing to have lowered expectations as far as Covid stuff goes — as usual, we’re just praying that folks stay safe and well, and can enjoy the fellowship with others,” Mills said. “This year, they’ll have the ability to spread out across the stadium as well as the field, so if they’d prefer to bring their own chairs or blankets, they can distance as much as they’d like.”

Wednesday’s event is co-sponsored by R.P. Lumber and Curtis Hunter at New Covenant Fellowship.

“Without some awesome donors, things like this with FCA are a lot more difficult,” Mills said. “We are grateful for their support this year. Also, a big shout out to First Baptist Church (of Poplar Bluff) for allowing us to use their parking lot for meeting a big parking need at our event.”