Abilene Baptist Church holds ‘Day of Champions’ with guest speaker David Greene

HARLEM, Ga. (WJBF) – Football season is beginning, and a local church is starting it off with an event to inspire the community’s athletes.

Abilene Baptist Church hosted its annual “Day of Champions,” where a football leader encourages players and coaches in their faith. This year, they brought in David Greene.

David Greene is known as one of the most underrated players in college football history. He was a quarterback for the University of Georgia and then went on to play for the NFL.  Greene talked to the church about the importance of faith, family, and football.

“Many times, I may have had to get into the word; when you’re going through something tough, you open up the word and read about Jesus talking about perseverance and how important that is to build your character, and that’s the great thing,” said David Greene, Retired Quarterback. “We got the Bible here that can help guide us as we’re going through different struggles in life.”

Abilene pastor Brad Whitt began this event a few years ago to try and invest in his community since sports are a large part of the CSRA.

“Hear about how Jesus changed his life and how he wants to change their lives,” said Dr. Brad Whitt, Pastor. “And they also, with all the struggles and stresses and pressures that our kids have today, that you can live a life that honors God.”

Harlem’s high school football coach appreciated that the service was geared towards the players and that Greene spoke about how important high school football was to him.

“That’s inspiring for those guys. It’s good to hear it from someone else were telling them the same things over and over, but sometimes hearing from somebody else or somebody who played at a high level and someone they look up to can make a difference,” said Mark Boiter, Harlem Head Football Coach.

Although the event is geared more toward young players and coaches, church members still enjoy hearing about how faith plays a significant role in an athlete’s career.

“Being able to see folks you’ve watched on TV, that you’ve cheered on and to know you have that connection with them,” said Brad Story, Church Member. “That you’re both believers and followers of Christ is pretty awesome to see.”

Abilene holds its services every Sunday on its main campus in Martinez at 8 and 11 am and at the Harlem campus at the Harlem Middle School at 9:45 am.

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