{"id":15281,"date":"2026-07-29T09:31:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=15281"},"modified":"2026-07-29T09:31:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:31:59","slug":"church-celebrates-over-100-decisions-for-christ-at-student-outreach-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2026\/07\/church-celebrates-over-100-decisions-for-christ-at-student-outreach-event.html","title":{"rendered":"Church Celebrates Over 100 Decisions For Christ at Student Outreach Event"},"content":{"rendered":"
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First Baptist Church Hazlehurst Georgia \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Georgia church is celebrating after 120 students made decisions for Christ during a community outreach event designed to share the Gospel with young athletes and their coaches.<\/p>\n

First Baptist Church of Hazlehurst hosted its first-ever “Night of Champions” in partnership with the ministry Strength of a Champion<\/a>, drawing approximately 500 students and coaches from four counties for an evening focused on faith, encouragement and the hope of the Gospel.<\/p>\n

Philip Worthington, executive pastor of Administration and Missions at the church, said the response exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n

“After reviewing the decision cards we received, we were able to identify 120 students who made decisions for Christ,” Worthington told The Christian Post<\/em>. “We are following up with each individual student to better determine next steps for them. We are making sure each student will receive Bibles as well.”<\/p>\n

The event was supported by more than 100 volunteers and reflected the church’s mission of glorifying Christ, making disciples and fulfilling the Great Commission.<\/p>\n

“Our Mission at FBC Hazlehurst is to ‘Glorify Jesus Christ,’ ‘Grow Disciples’ and ‘Go and Fulfill the Great Commission,'” Worthington said. “This event successfully met all three arms of our mission.”<\/p>\n

He explained that bringing athletes and coaches together outside the pressures of competition created a unique opportunity to present the Gospel.<\/p>\n

“We believed getting these students and coaches together in a noncompetitive environment and around the theme of the Gospel would be an incredible opportunity to see souls saved,” he said.<\/p>\n

The encouraging response comes as many churches and ministries continue to invest in outreach efforts aimed at Generation Z. While studies have painted a mixed picture of faith among younger Americans, recent research suggests renewed openness to spiritual conversations and greater church involvement among younger adults.<\/p>\n

Worthington believes gatherings like Night of Champions can become a catalyst for lasting spiritual growth\u2014not only for those who made first-time commitments to Christ, but also for Christian students seeking to live out their faith at school.<\/p>\n

“If these students who made decisions and\/or were encouraged in their faith will continue to seek the Lord, He will move within their hearts and lives,” he said.<\/p>\n

He added that many students who were already followers of Christ left encouraged to become stronger witnesses among their teammates, while coaches were invited to partner with the church in discipling young athletes throughout the year.<\/p>\n

As First Baptist Church follows up with each student, distributes Bibles and encourages local churches to walk alongside these new believers, church leaders are praying that the decisions made during one evening will lead to lifelong faith and transformed communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Georgia church is celebrating after 120 students made decisions for Christ during a community outreach event designed to share the Gospel with young athletes and their coaches. First Baptist Church of Hazlehurst hosted its first-ever “Night of Champions” in partnership with the ministry Strength of a Champion, drawing approximately 500 students and coaches from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":15283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nChurch Celebrates Over 100 Decisions For Christ at Student Outreach Event<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Georgia church celebrates 120 students making decisions for Christ during a Night of Champions outreach for young athletes and coaches.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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