Carolina Panthers star running back Jonathan Stewart was the keynote speaker Friday evening at The Park Church’s Elevate young men’s lock-in. He came with the message that the young men at the lock-in were chosen by God and could accomplish their goals with God’s power.

The smash mouth rusher and Washington state native is active at The Park Church when he is in town and flew into Charlotte specifically for the lock-in at the request of youth minister Jocatran Potts and the Becoming a Man mentoring team that produced the event.

“[Being here] means a lot because growing up and in high school I had a youth pastor just like minister Potts that I always hung out with, and he always was open to us, open minded, and whatever questions we had he was always there for us,” Stewart said prior to speaking with the more than 200 guys.
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Jonathan Stewart, star running back for the Carolina Panthers, spoke with more than 200 boys Friday evening at The Park Church. He talked about his faith in God and encouraged the young men to make wise decisions. (Photo: Qcitymetro.com)
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Introduced by Potts via a video-highlight reel, which the young guys watched jaw-dropped, Stewart opened up by talking about his early life and the things that impacted him.

He said his first encounter with God was when he was baptized in fifth grade. He said he did so because he was afraid of going to Hell.

However, in ninth grade, he said, he recommitted himself to Christ during a church function held by former NBA player Terry Cummings, wherein Cummings’ mother prophesied over Stewart’s life.

Stewart said it was at that point that God told him, “You didn’t choose me; I chose you,” a theme he continued to stress throughout the night.

“Each person in here was chosen by God,” he said. “You were predestined for greatness.”

He also gave the young men insight into how his football dreams began. Pointing out an 11-year-old in the crowd who is 4-foot, 8-inches tall, Stewart said he was 4-foot, 9-inches in the seventh grade and the football coaches didn’t take him seriously. He said he told his mother he wanted to go to a different school so that he could play against the former school and show them what they missed.

Since that time, Stewart said strong work ethic and determination have been two of the driving forces behind his success. His main motivation, though, has been his desire to glorify God.

“I have the opportunity to be one of the best running backs. I’m motivated because I want to be the best running back I can be so that God will get the glory,” said Stewart, who with running mate DeAngelo Williams became the first rushing duo in NFL history to rush for over 1,110 yards apiece in 2009.

Stewart, who brought his former youth pastor with him to the event, further expressed to the young men the importance of being around positive influences.

“If you want to sell dope on the streets, go hang out with the drug dealers. But if you want to be like Frank and go to college, go hang out with Frank in the library,” he said. “Fools hang out with other fools.”

He said that his relationship with Christ has given him the discernment about everything in his life, including what types of people to hang around growing up and on into the NFL.

Speaking candidly, Stewart revealed that his relationship with Christ also allowed him to get through a very disappointing 2-14 season this past year.

“You get to the point where you’re 2-13 and it’s like, we have to play another game,” he said. “But God allowed it, because losing teaches you to win the right way.”

Stewart said many of the players are keeping tabs on each other’s workouts during the off-season, attempting to come back strong when play resumes.

During a Q&A period, the younger guys asked questions ranging from how many times a day Stewart prayed to who his favorite running back of all time was, to which Stewart answered: Around 10 times a day and Walter Payton.

One young man asked if he prayed before every game. “Of course,” Stewart said. “I pray before every series.”.

Stewart told the youth that he also repeats “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) before each carry, something he apparently sees as more vital to his stiff arms than his 485-pound bench press.

The guys were clearly excited about meeting Stewart. For many of them, it was their first time meeting a professional athlete.

Zackary Davis, one of the older high schoolers, has gotten to know Stewart through his work at The Park.

“I’ve talked to Jonathan Stewart a couple of times; we’re good friends,” he told Qcitymetro.com. “So it’s a good thing that he comes down here to talk to us.”

Minister Potts and the men who helped organize the event all said they appreciated Stewart’s work with the youth.

“We have a young man here telling them how to reach God, giving them the gospel raw and natural,” said team member Dennis Jenkins. “With the spiritual warfare that we are in, with the hip-hop music that has got their minds so messed up, we want to let the young men know they can make it through that.”

“Jonathan Stewart is a very unique individual,” said Potts. “He’s passionate about his relationship with God, and he’s appreciative of what God has allowed him to become. He’s one of those individuals that, if you call and he’s available, he will make himself available to spend time with young people, even though he has a busy schedule.”

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