A Tarp & A Kiddie Pool - Night of Champions Baptisms

Shelley Pearson • July 6, 2021

A tarp unfolded on the floor.

A kiddie pool filled with warm water on top.

Clear plastic pitchers ready to be filled and poured out again.

But on what?

Read on to find out.

Discipleship Groups Breed Deep Discussion

Steven is a junior at the University of St. Thomas (UST) who went to college to play football. A series of injuries quickly took him off the team but not before he was introduced to FCA and a deeper relationship with Jesus (Read that story here). Today, Steven leads a discipleship group on campus. The group had been talking about the Gospel of John and got on the topic of baptism which led to a deeper discussion about where each of the group members was with his own baptism.

Even though the Bible simply tells us to “believe and be baptized” (Mark 16:16), Steven thought he needed to be stronger in his faith before he was baptized, but after that discussion he realized that was wrong. God only called him to believe. Acts 8:26-40 tells about an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading an account about Jesus. Philip drew near and asked the eunuch if he knew what he was reading. He didn’t, so Philip explained it to him. No sooner had Philip shared the Gospel and the eunuch believed when he exclaimed, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”

Will You Baptize Me?

As soon as the eunuch believed the truth, he was baptized. God didn’t require him to arrive at some greater depth in his walk with God. As soon as Steven realized the same, he sent a text David Melms, Twin Cities Area Collegiate Director for The Fellowship of Christian Athletes:

“Can you do me a favor?”

As David later tells the story, he said, “That was kind of a loaded question, so I just responded with, ‘What’s going on?”

Steven’s text back: “Will you baptize me?”

David was thrilled to be asked. Of course, he would be honored to baptize Steven. They started making plans, but they hit a roadblock right away. Steven wanted to be baptized before he went to Colorado for the summer, which left only an 8-day window. As they compared schedules, they realized the only available time for David to baptize Steven would be during the Night of Champions.

This annual event gives FCA staff, coaches, and athletes the opportunity to gather resources and celebrate Jesus across campuses and generations, and David couldn’t remember there ever being a baptism at the somewhat formal event.

Following God’s Lead

While it was unconventional, David knew God was prompting him to organize the baptism for that night, for Steven and two other guys who had come forward from Steven’s group as well. David set out to cover the logistics in a big way, but all his plans fell through. The biggest challenge was that he couldn’t find a large baptismal where these three football players could be immersed in the water. When David told Steven about it, Steven said, “I don’t care if I’m baptized with a water bottle. I just want to do it.”

David realized he was getting in the way of God. “I felt like God was saying, ‘Okay, David, let go of your ideal plan because I’m doing something here.’”

That’s where the tarp, kiddie pool, and plastic pitchers come in. And that’s where three college guys proclaimed their faith in front of a room full of their peers and FCA ministry partners.

Hearts for God and a Desire for Obedience

For Michael, faith wasn’t a priority growing up. Sports kept him from going to church most Sundays and on the rare occasion he didn’t have sports, he chose to sleep in. But God was preparing Michael for a deeper relationship with Him. Michael said, “Going to St. Thomas I wanted to grow in my faith. The first meeting I’m sitting in a big room with the team and I’m like, ‘I’m not supposed to be here. I haven’t read the Bible much, and I don’t know much about God.’” But the group welcomed him in, and he learned what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus. He is committed to letting others see Jesus in him today.

The Baptism

Steven, Hope, and Michael walked off the stage at the Night of Champions and onto the floor. Steven stood in front of the kiddie pool, and as he kneeled in the water, David prayed with him and poured pitchers of water over his head. Then Hope and Michael followed, and instead of FCA staff praying over them, their peers prayed and baptized. (Watch the baptism here: (56:00-1:02:00)

For David, the act was a culmination of what FCA means. It isn’t about staff members doing all the ministry themselves. Instead, they are empowering others who empower others and making disciples who make disciples.