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Colts
Coach Dungy challenges Pastors
 Tony Dungy, coach of the Super
Bowl-champion Indianapolis Colts, addressed the Southern Baptist
Pastors' Conference June 9 at the Indiana Convention Center in
Indianapolis, saying it was "a pleasure and an honor to be here" and
"it is great to welcome you to our city." Dungy's pastor, Ken Whitten
of the Tampa-area Idlewild Baptist Church, introduced the coach. "Let
me tell you, if you ever get the opportunity to be senior pastor of an
NFL coach, you just pray that God lets you be the pastor to a man, and
a family, like Tony Dungy," Whitten said.
Dungy will direct recreation for Idlewild's Vacation Bible School this
summer, Whitten said, and Dungy's wife Lauren works in the nursery at
the church.
"I want you to know [Dungy] is the real deal," Whitten said, adding
that Dungy "won the Super Bowl because he is a super man, and he is a
champion."
The audience broke into applause and stood as Whitten asked for "a big
Southern Baptist pastors' welcome to my friend and Southern Baptist,
Tony Dungy."
Dungy told the crowd that winning the Super Bowl and writing his book,
"Quiet Strength," not only helped him affect the lives of athletes and
fostered conversations with many people across the country, it also
made him "realize how vital you all are, how vital our mission is to
reach our world."
He also said he has grown more attuned to the search that engages many
of America's young people: "They are looking, and they want to find it
in all that the things our society calls exciting." Yet, "they're still
searching for what we know is fulfilling, and that's the relationship
with Christ. And I think that's the message that we have to continue to
deliver in a lot of different ways."
Dungy compared the Pastors' Conference to the Colts' training camp,
saying he was "excited that you're getting those batteries charged and
getting ready" for the mission ahead.
"We're all on the same team," Dungy said. "We're going to work for the Lord, and Christ is going to honor what you do."
Dungy thanked Southern Baptists for coming to Indianapolis, "but more
than anything I want to thank you for what you're going to do, going
back to your homes and being on that mission field for the Lord."
Pastors' Conference President Michael Catt, senior pastor of Sherwood
Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., responded to Dungy's remarks.
"The world tries to run from the Gospel, and then God puts a godly man
to coach an NFL team," Catt said. "And by [Dungy's] faith on the
mountain and in the darkest of valleys, he has shown Jesus to the NFL
... and so I want to ask you to join me in praying for Coach Dungy,
that God would continue to open doors for him to be a light and a
witness for Jesus Christ, that his players so see the love of Jesus in
him that they want the Jesus he has, and that those that watch him on
television will see the Holy Spirit in him so much that they want what
they see in him."
In addition to Dungy's coaching and local church responsibilities, he
also has been involved in a wide variety of charitable organizations,
including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action,
Mentors for Life, Boys & Girls Clubs, the Prison Crusade Ministry
and All Pro Dad. He also works with Basket of Hope, the Black Coaches
Association National Convention, Indiana Black Expo, the United Way of
Central Indiana and the American Diabetes Association.
The Dungys are the parents of six children: daughters, Tiara and Jade, and sons, Eric, Jordan, Justin and the late James Dungy.
Source: BPSports
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