Club Sports spiritual development efforts reap abundant harvest of believers

5/8/2024 4:49:00 PM | Cycling, Equestrian, Figure Skating, General, Men's D1 Hockey, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Swimming, Rifle, Rowing, Swimming and Diving, Triathlon, Women's Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, Women's D1 Hockey, Women's Rifle, Women's Rowing, Ski & Snowboard, Women's Wrestling, Men's Wrestling, Men's D2 Hockey, Men's D3 Hockey, Women's D2 Hockey, Racquetball, Disc Golf, Men's Ultimate, Synchronized Skating, Archery, Paintball, Men's Volleyball, Taekwondo, Women's Ultimate, Rock Climbing, Shooting, Varsity Club, Pistol, Shotgun, DNU Men's Beach Volleyball, Dance, Men's Beach Volleyball

Liberty University's Club Sports department experienced a spiritual revival of sorts this past school year with more than 20 student-athletes from multiple teams being baptized, including several who made first-time commitments to follow Jesus Christ.

The year started with eight men's wrestlers, accompanied by their teammates, running from the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre to Hydaway Lake to be baptized by Head Coach Jesse Castro after the first week of classes in late August. In early January, five members of the Division I men's hockey team were baptized during their sports outreach trip to Finland. Then, just this past month, six members of the Division II women's hockey team followed suit, and obeyed the command to publicly profess their faith, through a baptism ceremony in the Liberty Natatorium led by Club Sports Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Senior Women's Administrator Angie Witt and her husband, Tim Witt, a local pastor.

The gymnastics team saw two of its student-athletes be baptized, including one who was saved last semester.

"We have a lot of amazing spiritual leaders on this team that have created a culture of pursuing God deeper," Lady Flames second-year Head Coach Jessie Lowe said. "To see one girl come to Christ in the fall semester and then get baptized in the spring and then another girl choose to get baptized in the spring shows that God was really moving on our team this year and that it's not any work of our own but just God having His way with our program."

Many more student-athletes have grown in their faith and matured in their spiritual walk, with untold others giving their lives to the Lord.

Kam Ottenbreit baptism — DI men's hockey senior Kam Ottenbreit was baptized in Finland.

"We know more players are getting saved every year, so God's working through our spiritual leaders on their teams," Club Sports Spiritual Leader Coordinator Josh Graham said. "When I got involved, we had 35-40 student athletes serving as spiritual leaders and four years later we're up to 80. As more teams are getting plugged in with this program and they're seeing the fruit that's growing on their team, we're just getting more and more buy-in."

He said the discipleship process is helpful for the spiritual leaders as much as it is for the student-athletes they are building up in their faith.

Kirk-Handy-Kam-Ottenbreit — Head coach Kirk Handy hugs Ottenbreit after his baptism witnessed by teammates.

"The time that our student leaders have here is their time to grow, just as Christ poured into His 12 apostles," Graham said. "Our hope would be that when our spiritual leaders graduate that wherever God sends them, they would then continue the process and that they would be disciple-makers themselves."

Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Spiritual Development Reese Braband said the future looks bright for student-athletes to engage in ministry on and off campus.

"We're always excited to hear different opportunities athletes have individually to go and do sports ministry," Braband said. "Lord willing, we will continue to build new partnerships with places like FCA and do more mission trips, to continue to open doors for athletes to be on mission and we can help with coaches and teams to create local as well as international service opportunities."

Videos by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media; and Kylee (Lilge) Wright/Club Sports Video & Media Coordinator

Club Sports spiritual development efforts reap abundant harvest of believers

Related Videos