Heisman winner Wuerffel to talk on ‘Why am I empty?’
ORLANDO, Fla. (BP)--Fellowship Orlando, like many churches in the entertainment-driven city, faces unique challenges with Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World and numerous other attractions nearby.
So, Pastor Rodney Gage asked Florida football legend Danny Wuerffel to talk on “Why Am I Empty?”
Wuerffel led the University of Florida to their only national championship and won the 1996 Heisman Trophy.
“So many people in society today are thirsting for something, but they can’t seem to find something that satisfies,” Gage said. “Here’s an athlete who virtually had everything –- fame, fortune –- but yet he realized that what the world had to offer to fill the emptiness in his life was short-lived.”
Wuerffel, who will share his testimony in Fellowship Orlando’s morning worship service April 17, also will autograph his book, “Tales from the Gator Swamp: Reflections of Faith and Football,” released in August 2004.
“When we started trying to figure out what we could do, Danny’s name came to mind,” Gage said. “We realized that this could be one of the most strategic outreach opportunities we could ever pull off.”
Gage hopes Wuerffel’s popularity in Florida will help draw lost people to Dr. Phillip’s High School where the church meets each week -- people who wouldn’t normally come to church but are interested in what the former quarterback, who also spent seven seasons in the NFL, has to say.
Gage said Wuerffel will talk about the satisfaction he found in Christ and encourage those in attendance to see Jesus as the only one who can fill the void in their lives.
Wuerffel also will talk about Desire Street Ministries, an inner-city organization in New Orleans where he has served as development director since 2004. The ministry – in which Wuerffel became involved after being drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1996 -– aims to transform the Desire neighborhood in the city through outreach to youth and others in need.
Gage said the event will help Fellowship Orlando, a mission of First Baptist Church, continue to build an awareness in the community that the congregation is known for doing “something out of the box” to make an impact on people’s lives.
Fellowship Orlando is on the Web at www.fellowshiporlando.com
