In April, Liberty University hosted a group of chaplains from the National Football League and other professional organizations for their annual training session. They not only gathered for a time of personal encouragement and spiritual renewal, led by Athletes in Action (AIA), but also took the time to inspire Liberty students and student-athletes.
The group included 17 chaplains representing the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Liberty alumnus Phillip Kelley (’04, ’06), pro operations manager for AIA, facilitated the session. Kelley served as the Kansas City Chiefs chaplain for five years.
Alumnus Phillip Kelley (center) addresses students at Convocation. Kelley is a former chaplain for the Kansas City Chiefs and heads up a chaplain program through Athletes in Action. (Photo by Leah Seavers)
During their visit, the chaplains held a prayer session with Rawlings School of Divinity students, ministered to Flames Football players, coaches, and staff, and served on a panel for Convocation, where they discussed the importance and challenges of their ministry. The panel included Kelley, AIA Executive Director of Pro Ministries Corwin Anthony, current New York Yankees chaplain George McGovern, and NFL chaplains LaMorris Crawford (Cincinnati Bengals), Johnny Shelton (Baltimore Ravens), and Doug Gilcrease (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), whose daughter graduated from Liberty’s School of Nursing in 2014.
“As chaplains, we say, ‘We’re going to be the one person in your life to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear,” Kelley said. “We’re not going to ask anything from you (tickets, money, autographs). The only thing we ask you to do is to leverage your platform to share Jesus with the world. That’s it, because they can reach millions upon millions of people. We disciple them, push them out of the nest, and when they’re ready, they can have a massive influence.”
McGovern said that while people may put pro athletes on a pedestal, they need Jesus as much as anyone.
“No matter how much money (a player) is guaranteed, no matter how successful (he is) and how well his name becomes recognized, if he doesn’t have that foundation of a relationship with Jesus Christ, then when those winds and storms of adversity come, he will not be able to withstand them,” McGovern said.
Liberty has partnered with AIA to offer scholarships to NFL chaplains and players, as well as players’ spouses and children. Liberty’s online education program offers flexibility so that professionals — including 2018 Super Bowl MVP and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, a School of Divinity online graduate student — can juggle their demanding schedules while pursuing a quality education.
