96 students baptized during high school worship events after games
Nearly 100 students have been baptized during five periodic worship gatherings held at a Christian high school in Colorado after athletic competitions.
Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch launched the 5th Quarter gatherings in fall 2024 and holds the student-focused worship and testimony events twice each academic year.
The gatherings draw a few hundred people on average, including students, staff, parents and local residents. So far, 96 students have been baptized.
The most recent gathering took place last Friday after a home football game that Valor Christian lost late in the game. Seventeen students were baptized that night.
Natalie Tysdal, a spokesperson for Valor Christian, told The Christian Post Tuesday that Jessika Caldwell, the school’s assistant athletic director for spiritual formation, founded the event.
In a statement provided by Tysdal, Caldwell said she “came across an article about a movement of football players from The Ohio State University where they hosted a revival on their campus where student athletes shared testimonies and there was an opportunity for baptism.”
“I remember sharing with my family how moved I was and then moved on with my day,” Caldwell said. “I remember driving, in the quiet and in prayer as I usually do to school that following Monday, and the Lord spoke to my heart. Why couldn't we do something like this at our high school, Valor Christian?”
Caldwell sought “to connect to our specific community” and “throw open the doors, lift the roof off our traditional places of worship and go to the place where a lot of student athletes struggle and fight the lies of identity.”
“Sport spaces are those places at times. My prayer was that by creating a space where maybe they didn't expect to encounter the Living God, that they would in turn do so,” she added.
“My continued prayer is that more schools across the country would offer up opportunities outside of the norm to help our students experience Jesus in a new way,” Caldwell said.
Tysdal said that while Valor Christian has stressed faith development in its programs, the school had not previously hosted events like 5th Quarter after athletic competitions.
“5th Quarter creates a unique opportunity for students to celebrate their faith together in a setting closely connected to school life,” Tysdal told CP. “The gatherings bring together students, athletes, coaches, staff, families, and community members for worship, student testimonies, and baptisms.”
Andrew Shepardson, chief of Christian integration and discovery at Valor Christian, said in comments provided to CP that the turnout at the 5th Quarter gatherings is further evidence that “Gen Z has a soft heart toward God.”
“A young athlete reached out to me in advance of 5th Quarter to tell me that he wanted to be baptized,” Shepardson said. “He has everything going for him, athletic ability, intelligence, and charisma, but he needed to make his faith his own. His parents came to support him, and he came out of the water beaming with joy at what God was doing in his life.”
“What we're learning about discipling thousands of Gen Z students is that there is no substitute for the biblical model of life-to-life connection and mentorship,” he added.
Founded in 2005 as a private college-preparatory school, Valor Christian High School reports an enrollment of more than 1,100 students this academic year.
