October 1, 2026
VILLA RICA, Ga. — What began 14 years ago as First Baptist Church Villa Rica’s Gridiron Day has grown into a countywide outreach, with two churches partnering this year to reach students from all five Carroll County high schools.
First Baptist Villa Rica hosted about 650 students from Villa Rica and Temple high schools on Aug. 10, while Roopville Road Baptist Church hosted students from the other end of the county. Together, the two events drew more than 1,200 students and reported 177 first-time professions of faith.
Kevin Williams, senior pastor of First Baptist Villa Rica, said that about three years ago, he began working with Roopville Road Baptist so the outreach could expand to the other end of the county.
The uniqueness of last night was that for the first time since we started this 14 years ago, we covered all five high schools in our county,” Williams said. “I’ve had a vision and a dream for this event in our county, but also would love to see this happen for every school in our state. But last night was definitely a high point.”
At First Baptist Villa Rica, students from Villa Rica and Temple filled the sanctuary. Football players, cheerleaders, and band members were invited, and the program included fight songs, cheer routines, recognition of coaches and school leaders, remarks from both head football coaches, games, prayer, worship, and an interview-style message with ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.
Williams said the goal was not simply to host a football-season event, but to create a clear opportunity to share Christ with students.
“We know that the greatest problem in the world is lostness,” Williams said. “And we at the church have the answer, Jesus Christ. So I think it’s incredible that we can link up with the school system and try to impact the next generation.”
Temple High School football coach Stephen Humphreys used his remarks to remind students that football gives him a platform to point others to Christ.
“I don’t care if you wear black and gold or purple and gold,” Humphreys said. “I’m about Jesus.”
Humphreys told students not to waste the pain of practice, discipline, hard work, or correction. Most importantly, he said, they should not waste what Christ endured for them.
“Please do not waste Jesus’ pain for what He did for you guys on the cross,” he said.
Afterward, Humphreys said it was important for him to be there with his team because God has given him and his coaches a platform.
“God’s put me in this situation and our coaches in this situation for a platform to glorify Him,” Humphreys said. “We’re going to make sure that we talk about keeping the main thing the main thing.”
He said one of his mentors, Welton Coffey, athletic director at Camden County High School, taught him to be “a Christian coach, not a coach that’s a Christian.” Humphreys said the death of a childhood friend, Carlos Estrada, when Humphreys was in high school also shaped his urgency to point others to Christ.
“From that time to now, I wasn’t going to waste a minute where I could glorify God and share Him if I was able to,” he said.
Villa Rica High School football coach Michael Hilbert told students his team’s theme for the year is “stronger together.” He said football is about more than wins and losses, and coaches want to help students become young men who succeed beyond the field.
“We want our kids, all kids in Carroll County, winning in life and winning on the football field,” Hilbert said.
Keith Wagner, FCA area representative, prayed after the coaches spoke. He asked God to use the night to draw students closer to Him, praying that for some, that relationship “may start tonight.”
Williams then sat down with McElroy for a question-and-answer session. McElroy told students that he was not immediately successful in football. In middle school and high school, he said, he was buried on the quarterback depth chart before eventually earning the starting job, receiving college scholarship offers, winning a national championship at Alabama, and playing in the NFL.
“Don’t give up on yourself,” McElroy told students. “You have no idea just what might be unlocked inside of you in the next 12 to 18 months.”
McElroy also described a series of disappointments, including injuries and career setbacks, that eventually led him into sports broadcasting. Looking back, he said he can see God’s hand in those moments.
“Those disappointments altered the course of my life and took me exactly where I was supposed to go,” McElroy said. “Not what I had plans for, but the plans He had for me were bigger than the plans I had for myself.”
McElroy said he did not grow up consistently attending church and believed that being a good person was enough. As a freshman at Alabama, he began attending Fellowship of Christian Athletes events, wrestling with questions about faith, and eventually came to Christ at Shocco Springs.
“On that day in Shocco Springs, I joined the team,” McElroy said. “I joined Jesus’ team.”
He told students it is OK to have questions and not have all the answers, but he urged them to take a step toward Christ.
“If you’re on the fence, if you’re wondering, if you don’t feel like you’re worthy because you don’t have all the answers, just take the lead,” McElroy said. “Because it’s the best decision you’ll ever make in your entire life.”
Williams then gave an invitation, using Michael Jordan as an illustration. He told students a person could know facts about Jordan’s career without Jordan knowing them personally. In the same way, Williams said, students should not confuse knowing about Jesus with being known by Him.
“We ask the wrong question in church all the time,” Williams said. “The right question is this: Does Jesus know you?”
Williams urged students not to assume church attendance, FCA involvement, or religious activity was the same as a relationship with Christ. He asked them to consider where they would spend eternity and led them in prayer.
At First Baptist Villa Rica, more than 200 students came forward, including 93 who made first-time professions of faith, Williams said. At Roopville Road Baptist, church leaders reported 84 first-time professions of faith.
But Williams said the response did not end when students came forward. First Baptist Villa Rica had 38 counselors, called encouragers, waiting in the gym to meet with students who made decisions. The encouragers prayed with students, talked with them to make sure they understood what they were deciding, collected student and parent contact information, and began connecting students with baptism conversations, student ministry, and local churches for follow-up.
Kevin McKoy, discipleship pastor at First Baptist Villa Rica, said the church has already baptized four players who came forward, with more baptisms scheduled in the coming weeks.
Williams said follow-up is a key part of the event. Students who are ready to take the next step will be contacted about baptism, and student ministry leaders will work to help them get connected to local ministry. If students attend other churches, First Baptist Villa Rica will pass that information along so those churches can follow up.
“Our goal is to get these students connected into the church so that they can grow in their walk with Jesus,” Williams said.
Williams said this year’s Gridiron Day was one of the best in the event’s 14-year history, from the organization and movement of students to feeding more than 650 people, coordinating volunteers, working with schools and coaches, and planning for follow-up.
“We make a plan, we prepare for the plan, and then we play,” he said.
Several pastors who attended asked Williams afterward if he could help them plan Gridiron Day events in their own communities. Williams said he would be glad to help and hopes to see more churches use similar events to reach students with the gospel.
“This has really helped our church with a mission of being involved in the local community and making an impact on the next generation,” Williams said.
Every year, Williams said, he looks across the sanctuary during Gridiron Day and thanks God for the opportunity to share Jesus with students who will be future leaders in the community and wherever they may go.
“My heart and desire is pretty simple,” Williams said, “to introduce the students to a relationship that will last for eternity.”
Villa Rica and Roopville Road's countywide outreach is an example of what can happen when churches work together with schools, coaches, administrators, teachers, band directors, and volunteers to reach the next generation.
“Gridiron Day is accomplishing the goal of sharing Jesus with this next generation,” he said.
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