Colts' Smith shares in faith, food and football at GCC
A crowd of around 400 men gathered at Greencastle Christian Church Monday night for food, fellowship and the night's main attraction, Colts' punter Hunter Smith.
Smith was there not only as a professional athlete, but as a contemporary Christian performer and a speaker sharing his personal testimony.
After a dinner of barbecue, the group moved into the sanctuary for the night's service.
Smith and partner Chris Wilson make up the group Connersvine, which shared with the crowd through some worship favorites and an original, called "Live for You."
Smith opened the night by putting any men in the audience who were not regular churchgoers at ease with some humor.
"We're not going to do anything weird. We will not sacrifice any live animals here tonight," he said.
After three songs, Smith moved into his message for the night by making a rather odd point for a professional athlete -- that competitiveness is not important in God's eyes.
"Competitiveness is rooted in the pride of man," Smith said. "Jesus did not see the world that way."
While he allowed that this might not be a typical statement for a professional athlete, it was the message he felt God had called him to give.
"I will not give myself to anything but the battle God has called me to fight," Smith said.
Much of his message was based on 1 Corinthians 1:25, which says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."
Smith called on his listeners to open their hearts to God and realize that the world's institutions -- the NFL, Hollywood, money, anything made by men -- would not fulfill them. Instead, he said they could be fulfilled by a "personal relationship with Jesus."
Connersvine concluded the service with the song "Hero," which was written after the birth of Smith's first son.
After the service, the night concluded with the viewing of the NCAA basketball national championship game.