Six months ago, Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin was fighting for his life. Now the football player is helping young athletes find new life in Christ. Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest during an NFL game in January, recently partnered with some teammates to share the gospel at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) event.
At the Fields of Faith celebration on June 13, almost 1,300 people—half of them student-athletes—heard about Jesus and had the opportunity to give or rededicate their lives to him. The event marked a culmination of a three-month student discipleship program. It also was the first time an FCA Fields of Faith event has been held in an NFL stadium.
FCA Official: ‘There Was a Party in Heaven’
At the Bills’ home field—Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York—young people enjoyed fellowship, heard inspiring messages, and prayed together. They also received awards and nabbed autographs from Hamlin and Bills teammates Von Miller and Dawson Knox.
Fields of Faith served as a graduation ceremony for 252 student-athletes from local middle schools and high schools who finished a three-month discipleship program. During that time, participants committed to read more than 2,300 verses from 65 Bible chapters.
Jake Hannon, director of FCA Buffalo, said, “This event was an opportunity to celebrate this accomplishment and give the student-athletes the opportunity to invite a non-FCA teammate to come to the stadium to hear the gospel.”
Near the end of Fields of Faith, seven young people dedicated their lives to Jesus for the first time, Hannon said. Many others responded to an altar call by rededicating themselves to Christ, he added, saying, “We know there was a party in heaven on June 13.”
FCA Gives Pro Athletes a ‘Platform To Share Their Faith’
In an interview with The Christian Post, Hannon described FCA’s impact on young people as well as on the pro athletes who partner with the organization. “Student-athletes get to hear practical lessons from NFL players, such as what it takes to make it to that level, if that’s their goal in life,” he said. “And they also get to hear the NFL players share their Christian faith, and it really helps these young Christian student-athletes feel like they’re not alone.”
By helping student-athletes “build that rhythm of being in God’s Word and in his presence early on, it will only help them in their futures,” Hannon added.
