Faith leaders say they are witnessing evidence of spiritual revival across different age groups, denominations, and backgrounds.This transformation is not limited to churches or communities; it is also visible in the world of sports, especially among young athletes. 

Recently, more than 100 youth basketball players from across 10 states and eight countries heard the Gospel message during a skills development camp in Washington, North Carolina. As a result, 60 high school basketball players came to know Christ.

"Kids from all over the country came for basketball, but they walked out of there with a relationship with Jesus... [and] many more seeds were planted," Joe Davis, founder of ScoutsFocus, told CBN News. 

Davis partnered with Paul Biancardi, ESPN's National Recruiting Director, and former Division I player-turned-evangelist, Doug Elk, to not only help campers showcase their talents, but to plant an eternal seed. 

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"The Lord put so many different things in place, in a short amount of time," said Davis.

The former basketball player knows the pitfalls of the sport all too well. 

"The Lord did a work in me and changed my life when I was chasing the world, money, and cars, and women...all this stuff that the world can give you, and then the Lord did His work on me," he shared. 

The minister says the small basketball camp, which he started as a for-profit organization in 2009, shifted to an evangelistic-model in 2019. 

"The primary focus of the camp is to give a clear gospel message where kids can be saved and come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior," Davis explained. 

The Washington, North Carolina, native says the platform he built while chasing the things of the world is now being used for God's purposes. 

"Basketball is a huge idol, for the culture," Davis explained. "Instead of going to church on Sunday, they are going to a basketball tournament 30-40 weeks out of the year. Youth sports are great, but it is a big business and it is a massive idol. I think this is a way to point everything back to Jesus...and to let these kids know what Jesus has done for them."

"It is a work of God," he added. 

Teens played against each other on the courts, competed in a slam dunk contest, and took away valuable skills. 

But before all that took place, Davis wanted to address the sudden loss of a 13-year-old boy who was killed during a jet ski accident. 

"A lot of the kids were really struggling because they didn't know where to find hope," Davis told CBN News. "At this camp and through Doug and his obedience to the Lord and God's Word, so many kids in the community came to saving faith, and they found hope when they've lost their best friend."

Elk, an evangelist with AIM Missions, told us that he remembers what it was like being a young kid facing life's challenges and believing basketball was the only answer. 

"I made basketball my life, and it consumed my identity. I thought if I was successful playing this game that people would love me, they would see that I'm a valuable person and that ultimately that's what would give me that fulfillment in my life (but) it never did," he said.

The 27-year-old said all that changed for him in college when his teammate had a "joy and peace" about him that Elk had never seen before. 

"That was the first time that the Gospel truly clicked. It made sense...I really understood the difference between a religion and a relationship with Jesus."

Now, Doug travels all over the world sharing the hope he experienced during his first year in college. 

"I think we're living in a very special time right now," he expressed. "I think many people are realizing there is this opportunity, a window really, [to] step even further into what God is calling us to do and share the Gospel more boldly. People are turning to Jesus like I've never seen before."

"People's hearts are softened and prepared, and a lot of people that don't know Christ at least searching or interested in so you know," he said, adding that GenZ, in particular, is looking for something real. 

"There are so many lies told them that they're ready for the truth. As we open up God's Word and we don't say anything special or motivation, but we just tell them the truth of God's Word and we share the Gospel with them. I think that what was most exciting was seeing players make decisions to trust in Jesus and say 'Yeah, I wanna follow him.'" 

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