Azusa Pacific University hosted its 33rd Annual Night of Champions event on Saturday, March 18th. The goal of this event is to share the gospel with junior high and high schoolers using athletes or celebrities who have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The main speakers at this years’ event was the Oakland Raiders quarterback, Derek Carr, and USA Track and Field Olympian, Barbara Nwaba. This year’s theme was “Faith Over Fear.”
The day began at 2:00 p.m. at the soccer field on west campus, where bouncy houses were scattered across the grass along with games of cornhole, ping pong and foosball. Music filled the area and groups of children participated in football scrimmages across the field.
APU students volunteered at the event and made sure the kids had fun and the event ran smoothly. Children of all ages attended the event, along with coaches, youth pastors and parents.
Many of the attendees were Azusa residents, but others had driven long distances just to get to the Night of Champions. Zaniah Bradshaw, a senior applied exercise science major, volunteered at the event and saw it as a great community outreach event.
“I definitely think that it’s a gateway to share the gospel,” Bradshaw said. “It’s opening up doors and building relationships with the community.”
Alyse Butterfield, a freshman nursing major, agreed that having APU host events like Night of Champions really brings the community together.
“We get to show people how great, not only APU is, but show people the community of God. We are loving on these kids and showing them who God is,” Butterfield said.
In the middle of the event, Derek Carr arrived to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. A line stretched down the center of the field as many waited to meet Carr.
The day shifted gears as the attendees made their way into the Felix Event Center to hear the main speakers of the event. APU’s gospel choir started off the night with worship songs and Coba Canales, APU’s Associate Campus Pastor, welcomed the audience and introduced the first speaker, Barbara Nwaba.
Nwaba competed in the Heptathlon in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Prior to her speaking, she expressed that the theme “Faith over Fear” was very relevant in her life as an athlete.
“You get so afraid, that you’re not good enough to be at this top stage,” Nwaba said. “Thinking back, God is the one who got me here in the first place. That’s where I get all my strength from, that’s the strength that I need to overcome that fear.”
Her advice for Christians, whether athletes or not, is to always persevere.
“One of my favorite scriptures is James 1:2-5. It’s just overcoming the trials that are going to come your way,” Nwaba said. “You really have to persevere and call on Christ for that guidance and that wisdom. Seek after him, because he will provide all those answers for you.”
After Nwaba spoke, Canales introduced SuNWhoa Love, a Christian Rapper and APU alumni, to perform two songs for the audience. SuNWhoa brought the crowd to their feet and spoke about his life before he found Jesus and how he decided to dedicate his musical talents to sharing the gospel through his songs.
The final speaker of the night was Derek Carr. At just 25 years old, and only three years into his NFL career, Carr is already considered as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. This past season, he helped lead the Raiders into their first playoff appearance since 2002. His season ended abruptly due to a leg injury, but his injury created an opportunity for him to speak openly and boldly about his faith to the public.
“When I broke my ankle, it was really scary, because I didn’t know what was next,” Carr said, before he spoke that night. He expressed how God’s faithfulness played a large role in his recovery. “I stood on His word and His promises that He heals, and He did, in a miraculous way.”
Carr stepped on stage not to talk about football, but to tell the audience about the power of Jesus Christ.
“The number one reason why I’m here, if no one’s ever told you before, I’m going to tell you, Jesus loves you,” Carr said.
Carr ended his time with prayer and encouraged the audience to follow Christ by being obedient and faithful.
“Lives are going to be changed today,” Carr said. “You came to hear some Raiders quarterback talk, but you’re going to leave with a message from Christ.”
Alexia Esquibel, a freshman music and applied exercise science double major, resonated with the words that Carr spoke that night.
“It was really interesting to hear him talk about something that wasn’t football,” Esquibel said. “It was really powerful for me personally. It’s a powerful movement of people who may or may not be athletes. They all just come together to worship the Lord for an entire day.”
At the end of the night, Canales invited audience members to stand if they wanted to make the decision to follow Jesus.
APU students were able to pray with those who stood up. The gospel choir ended the night with worship music and every attendee left with a free bible.