Almost a thousand students showed up outside of Curl Market on the Ohio State campus on Sunday evening to praise God and hear His Word. The revival was led by members of the Ohio State football team, who gave an invitation that night and delivered several personal testimonies:
Unidentified player: "Watch, watch how it works. Watch Jesus move. It's the faith of one person. Hallelujah! Look at the more people that are coming forward. Look at the more people that are coming forward."
At least 60 students accepted Christ and were baptized right there on the spot.
The Lantern, the campus newspaper, reported the next day that the event had been jointly hosted by various Christian churches and organizations based in Columbus.
"Around 8:50 p.m., roughly 50 attendees joined players on the stage and began praying as a group. A few minutes later, baptisms began, with attendees being submerged in the [four tub-sized] water buckets to complete the baptismal ritual," wrote The Lantern staff. "Once individuals were baptized, event coordinators led them into the nearby Nosker House, gave them a copy of the Bible and guided them in a scripture reading."
An Ohio State faculty member, who chose to stay anonymous to keep the attention on the students, tells AFN it's a mighty move of God.
"Even beyond that, it's happening in the classroom, it's happening in the offices, it's happening with students," he shared. "I'm involved with almost every single Christian student org on campus, and everyone is busting at the seams right now."
And Ohio State, he says, has been open to the revival. "In fact, Ohio State, I give them kudos. They're really leaning into this and created programs. Just a couple of years ago they created a free-speech policy that allows faculty and students to openly share whatever their beliefs are."
And he credits the Buckeye football team, who's committed Christians number more than 30 players.
"These guys are worshipped on this campus," he acknowledges, "but all they want to do is to point that worship to Jesus. And so they got vulnerable, shared their stories – and at the end they did [an altar] call."
Kami Kortokrax, a senior on the women's softball team at OSU, told The Lantern she was inspired by fellow athletes using their platform to share their faith. "It's just a deeper level," she said. "Everybody knows them as great football players, but it's way more important for them all now to be known as great Christians."
The Buckeyes open their 2024 football season tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 31), hosting the University of Akron Zips.
