Badge to pulpit to ball field; how Faith at Fenway was created

 It started with a whisper from God… and a wiffle ball field.
Brad “Bob” Burroughs was at the height of a respected law enforcement career, serving as a lieutenant and chief investigator for the Winfield Police Department. He and his wife, Whitley, were just two weeks away from welcoming their third child, Phoenix, when he shared something that had been weighing on his heart: a call to work full-time with the youth at their church.
“We had been the kids’ pastors at Faith Church Winfield for a year and a half,” Bob said. “But I felt God was leading me to step in full-time — to pour into this next generation on a whole new level.”
Understandably, Whitley brushed it off at first. The timing felt impossible. Their baby boy was due any day. Their lives were comfortable and secure. But God doesn’t always wait for the “right time.”
On May 29, 2022, their son Phoenix was born healthy and strong. Just one week later, Bob voiced his calling to his pastor — only to find the pastor had been praying for someone to step into that very role. “He didn’t even consider me an option,” Bob laughed. “But God already had the plan.”
He was offered the position as full-time youth pastor. Bob went home, talked to Whitley again, and this time, she was fully on board. Together, they took a leap of faith — trading job security and benefits for trust in God’s calling.
In his very first week on the job, Bob found himself in prayer, asking God for a way to reach not just the church kids, but the entire community. “What could we build that would draw kids in — even ones who would never step foot inside a church — and then introduce them to Jesus?” he asked.
The answer came clearly: a wiffle ball field.
The first person Bob shared the vision with was his friend Chris Nelson who owns and operates Nelson Boyz Paint And Body.  Chris didn’t hesitate — he pledged the first donation immediately. That one act of faith sparked a chain reaction. Within two weeks, over $100,000 was raised. Volunteers, donations and divine appointments poured in.
“I wasn’t qualified to build a ballfield,”

Bob admitted. “But that’s how you know it was all God.”
Today, Fenway at Faith Stadium is much more than just a 1/3 scale replica of the Boston Red Sox Fenway Park, it’s a place of transformation.
It has hosted church services, charity tournaments, youth nights, baptisms, worship gatherings and raised thousands of dollars for local needs. People from all over the region come — and they leave knowing they’ve encountered something special.
“There’s a feeling people get when they walk through those gates,” Bob said. “It’s joy. It’s awe. It’s peace. And it’s God.”
Bob has countless stories — testimonies — that prove God is using this field. A man who once didn’t believe in God began donating to the project… and later gave his life to Christ. Grown men have stood in tears on the field, overcome by the presence of something bigger than baseball.
“We’ve baptized several teenagers out here, worshiped under the lights and had fun — all while lifting up the name of Jesus,” Bob said. “And I truly believe God’s not done yet.”
What began with a step of obedience and a vision for reaching the next generation has now become a landmark in Winfield — not just of what a community can build, but of what God can do when His people say “yes.”

(Editor’s note: Faith Church Winfield is located at 161 Pike Road. Church hours are 9:30 a.m and 11 a.m. on Sundays and 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. To see more photos or learn about upcoming events, visit the church’s Facebook page at “Fenway at Faith.” Bob was recently elected to the Winfield City Council and hopes to continue to serve his Lord and his community in another new role.)