Mark Kannarney expected to see some salvation experiences when he began planning a stadium evangelistic event for middle and high school students in the small town of Liberty in the Upstate’s foothills.
Middle and high school students worship at a “Fields of Faith” evangelistic rally in Liberty on Oct. 13.He never thought, however, that 138 people, most of them students, would make first-time decisions for Christ during a one-night “Fields of Faith” crusade, held Oct. 13 at the Liberty High School football field.
“I was blown away,” said Kannarney, youth minister and assistant pastor at East Side Baptist Church for the past eight years.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in our town,” said the 38-year-old Liberty native who has “been here my whole life.”
Over the coming weeks, Kannarney and other youth ministers in Liberty will be following up with those who came forward to receive Christ at the conclusion of the event, which featured a message from Texas-based evangelist Ken Freeman. “It was an incredible sight to see those who accepted Christ being counseled right there on the grass of the football field,” Kannarney said.
The morning after the event, about 70 students showed up for a See You at the Pole rally at the high school for prayer, testimonies and praises. Students at Liberty High have also started a Wednesday-morning Bible study and prayer meeting.
Logan Gibson, a 17-year-old Liberty High School student and member of First Baptist Church, said the Fields of Faith event “set off such an awesome thing in Liberty” and in nearby towns. “Students have been grouping together and talking to others about God and inviting them to church,” Gibson said. “I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.”
Sarah Wilson, 14, a student at Wren High, said it “blessed [her] heart to see everyone united as one body of Christ.” Georgia Boozer, 17, a Liberty High student, agreed. “I really enjoyed seeing the community and the local churches come together as one,” she said. “I feel like we all tend to separate into our own little groups and forget that we’re all truly one family.”
Morgan Ford, 17, said, “I cannot begin to describe how ecstatic I am to see students stepping up and going public with their faith. I believe we are truly seeing revival in Liberty.”
Students meet with counselors at the conclusion of a Fields of Faith event at the Liberty High School football field.Kannarney estimates 800 to 1,000 people attended the Fields of Faith event at Liberty. Fields of Faith is an annual evangelistic effort affiliated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The group’s website (http://www.fieldsoffaith.com/) tallies results from across the country. This year, on Oct. 13, 422 events (most of them held at high school football fields) in 40 states resulted in 2,291 first-time commitments to Christ, according to the website.
After having “a vision of a stadium crusade” a few months ago, Kannarney approached Liberty High School’s FCA director and head football coach Curtis Middleton with the idea. With Middleton’s agreement, Kannarney began meeting with ministers at other churches in Piedmont Baptist Association to plan the event. The group contacted Ken Freeman and the singing group of Dean, Gayna and Geoffery Forrest. On the day of the event, Freeman spoke at assemblies at the middle school and high school.
Kannarney said many area churches moved their regular Wednesday-night services to the high school stadium to support the event. “It was a great service and a very powerful time,” he said.