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College sports teams can unify their community on and off the field — and one football team is doing just that by using its platform to spread faith to students.
University of Pittsburgh football players delivered the gospel in front of nearly 600 people during a stirring ‘Pitt for Jesus’ event on the university’s campus on September 18. Tight end Jake Overman and Pastor Jason Howard, who organized the function, discussed the event during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
Overman expressed how important his team’s voice is on campus, and the responsibility that comes with it. “I just think that as athletes, we have such a platform,” he told “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt.
“We said at the beginning of the event that as athletes we don’t want this platform to build up our name. We want to build up the name [of] Jesus.”
During the event, 65 individuals made a commitment to Christ, 80 others were baptized, and 45 football players declared their faith.
Howard stressed the need to introduce faith to younger Americans, and to give their lives greater meaning.
“There is… a hole inside everyone that only God can fill,” he said. “It’s like we need a personal relationship with Jesus. And I think that for a lot of years, that’s been missing. And you know, you look for fulfillment in a lot of other places, but it really just doesn’t meet the bill — it doesn’t satisfy.”
Overman went on to emphasize that student-athletes are more than just the sport they compete in, and that faith can deliver that higher meaning.
“There are many guys on the team who are following Jesus — it’s just such an example for the other kids on our team that, hey, follow us as we follow Jesus, and there’s more to your story than just being a football player, more your story than just being a student-athlete. And it’s actually about being a son and a daughter of Jesus.”
The ‘Pitt for Jesus’ event, which went viral on social media platforms, comes amid reports of rising student faith engagement across the country. Some experts are contributing the increase to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was outspoken about his Christian beliefs.
“Students want revival — they want to see change,” Howard said. “They want change in their lives, they want to see change in the world around them. And they know that only comes from being anchored to Jesus.”
“People are hungry for God, and they want to see… God transform the world. And I think that they are on the front line saying, ‘Come on, God has hope for people.’”
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