HAZLEHURST, Ga. — First Baptist Church Hazlehurst welcomed hundreds of middle school and high school athletes from across southeast Georgia on Thursday, July 16, for a Night of Champions outreach that ended with about 120 students making spiritual decisions.
The event, held in partnership with Strength of a Champion Ministries, brought athletes and coaches from six counties to the church campus for dinner, a tailgate-style block party, and a message from former University of Georgia and NFL quarterback Jake Fromm.
Philip Worthington, executive pastor of missions and administration at First Baptist Hazlehurst, said the church was still following up with students to determine how many decisions were first-time professions of faith and how many were rededications.
“It was an awesome move of God,” Worthington said.
Strength of a Champion, an Arkansas-based ministry led by Craig Whitt, describes Night of Champions as an evangelistic outreach that helps local churches reach their communities by engaging student-athletes and their teams.
First Baptist Hazlehurst Pastor Brad Waters said the event fits directly with the church’s mission “to glorify Jesus Christ, grow disciples and go and fulfill the Great Commission.”
“That’s exactly what we’re doing right here,” Waters said. “It’s for the gospel. It’s to see kids saved.”
Waters said the idea came after a conversation with Craig Whitt’s brother Brad, who is senior pastor at Abilene Baptist Church. Brad Whitt encouraged him to connect with Craig and learn more about Night of Champions. Waters brought the idea back to Worthington, who has worked in student ministry since 2004 and helped lead the planning.
The church invited middle school and high school teams from Jeff Davis County and surrounding counties. Worthington said First Baptist prepared for about 500 students and 65 to 70 coaches.
The church transformed its parking lot into bus parking on one side and a tailgate-style gathering on the other, where students received hamburger meals and played games before the main session. Worthington said the goal was to create a setting where athletes from different schools, including rival programs, could gather in a noncompetitive environment and hear the gospel.
“We know there will be students coming on campus who don’t have a relationship with Christ and have never trusted Christ for the forgiveness of their sins,” Worthington said. “That’s the main reason why we’re doing this. We want to give them an opportunity to make the greatest decision of their lives.”
Before the main session, the church hosted a separate dinner for coaches. Worthington told them First Baptist wanted to partner with their teams beyond one night, whether through team meals, weekly devotions, support for students in crisis, or simply being available to coaches, players, and staff who do not have a church home.
Fromm also spoke briefly to the coaches, telling them not to underestimate the influence they have in the lives of young athletes.
Fromm said his own high school coach, Von Lassiter, was instrumental in his life and helped lead him to Christ. “What I got to see through him every single day was how a man in football lives out his faith,” Fromm told the coaches.
Fromm said he gave his life to Jesus as a 10th grader and still maintains a close relationship with Lassiter. The two continue to text and call one another, often sending Scripture early in the morning.
“Don’t underestimate the impact that you have on a young person’s life,” Fromm told the coaches. “There are a lot of souls that you’re running into. And God wants those souls. He’s going to use you to reach out to them, to mentor them and to help lead them to Him.”
Waters told coaches that in a day when many students are looking for direction, coaches often become trusted voices in young athletes’ lives.
“You can make a great difference in these young men and young ladies that God has entrusted you with,” Waters said.
Greg Nail, who coaches bass fishing and boys and girls track at Jeff Davis High School, said the event reinforced what coaches at the school try to teach athletes about unity, love for one another, and faith in God.
“I can’t think of a better thing to do,” Nail said. “Especially in today’s times, with all the stuff teenagers are having to go through, if they can put God first, it will help them get through it.”
Herron Gardner, varsity wide receivers coach for Appling County, said he trusted Christ when he was about 15 and understands the importance of athletes hearing the gospel.
Some students, he said, come from homes where they may not hear about God or attend church.
“To have a figure like Jake Fromm here, someone these kids can gravitate to, and to have him share his experience, it’s going to be great for the kids to hear,” Gardner said.
Church members filled key volunteer roles throughout the evening. Worthington said more than 100 volunteers served at the event, with others supporting the outreach through prayer and financial gifts.
Gary Brown, a First Baptist member, helped oversee the team that cooked 750 hamburgers for the athletes. He said volunteers began preparing grills in the morning, seasoned the hamburgers after lunch and had the grills full by midafternoon.
Brown said the reason for serving was simple. “We want to see souls saved,” Brown said. “We hope we see a bunch of kids accept Jesus.”
During the main session, Worthington led Fromm through a question-and-answer conversation that touched on family, football, recruiting, his years at Georgia, his time in the NFL, and his transition out of professional football. But the heart of the conversation came when Fromm spoke directly about his faith.
Fromm told students he grew up attending church and knew about Christianity, but he had not personally surrendered his life to Christ. “I knew who Jesus was, but I didn’t know Jesus,” Fromm said.
He said he was baptized in middle school after his younger brothers made professions of faith, but later realized he had not truly trusted Christ. As a sophomore in high school, Fromm heard evangelist Tim Lee preach during a church service and sensed God drawing him.
“I had no idea what I was doing, who I was living for or what would happen for the rest of eternity,” Fromm said. “I was lost. I didn’t know where to go, but I wanted Jesus.”
Fromm told the students that trusting Christ did not mean life became easy. He faced pressure, criticism, and loneliness, particularly during his time in the NFL. But his faith gave him a place to return, he said, and “God’s grace just kept pouring over me and in my life.”
He encouraged students to read Scripture, pray, ask questions and find other believers who will help them walk faithfully with Christ. “We were not meant to walk this journey of faith alone,” Fromm said.
When Worthington asked Fromm to identify the decision that had the greatest impact on his life, Fromm pointed clearly to Christ. “Putting my faith and trust in Jesus was by far the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said.
Waters then stepped to the platform and told students that the most important decision they could ever make was what they would do with Jesus Christ.
“The decision that changed Jake’s life is the same decision that can change your life,” Waters said.
He walked students through the gospel, citing Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, and Romans 10:13. He told them all have sinned, that sin separates people from God, that Jesus died and rose again, and that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
“We all need to be saved,” Waters said. “That is the most important decision you will ever make in your life — to repent of your sins and by faith put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
Coaches came forward first, giving students a familiar face at the altar. The response was immediate, with players and teammates leaving their seats to join their coaches before church counselors met with students by school to talk through their decisions and begin the follow-up process.
Worthington later urged students who already had trusted Christ to come alongside their teammates and help them learn “what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a Christ follower.”
The event came as First Baptist continues recovering from Hurricane Helene, which caused extensive damage across the church’s campus and left the Hazlehurst skyline without the church’s steeple. But Waters said the mission could not wait for every repair to be complete.
“You can’t stop reaching people just because you have obstacles,” Waters said. “We’re going forward.”
Share with others
