Two days after Ohio State beat defending national champ Indiana, the Buckeyes were back on campus Monday night, and this time it wasn’t about football. For the third straight year, players led “Fall Kickoff: an Invitation to Jesus” on College Green, a worship and baptism night in front of a crowd of hundreds. Organizers say 35 people were baptized before it was over.
What happened
- Fifth-year center Carson Hinzman shared how he used to find his worth in his sport. Before his sophomore season he called his dad in tears, and his dad told him to pray. “I had an overwhelming sense of peace fall on me at that moment,” he said.
- Former player Kamryn Babb, who helped plan the first night in 2024, gave the invitation: “I promise, He wants to meet you. So if you just give Him your heart, you’ll be so surprised on what He can do.”
- Students came up out of the water in white towels, some in tears. One first-year told The Lantern she wanted to get baptized because college has been hard and her faith has grown through it.
- A local church has a Thursday college night ready, so the new believers have somewhere to land.
My take
That “overwhelming sense of peace” line got me. That’s the Holy Spirit. He shows up when we quit trying to carry it all ourselves and just call out. Big strong football players standing up and saying “I couldn’t do it alone” is a louder sermon than most of us will ever preach.
And I love that somebody already knows where these 35 will be on Thursday. Baptism is a public yes, buried with Him and raised to walk in newness of life. The water is the start. Pray they get plugged in, filled with the Spirit and discipled. That’s how a one-night stand becomes a revival.
Have a blessed day! And Happy Hacking!
