Browns LB Carson Schwesinger (center) getting baptized by teammate Daniel Thomas (left) and chaplain Nobles Darby. (Photo courtesy of Lucas Cochran/IG@lucascochranmedia)
Jesus was exalted on Sunday evening at Berea Municipal Pool near Cleveland during an event dubbed “Cleveland for Christ.”
Led by Browns chaplain Nobles Darby along with cornerback Tyson Campbell and safety Daniel Thomas, the first-ever “Cleveland for Christ” was held by the Metro Cleveland FCA. It featured worship music, testimonies of faith, prayer and baptisms.
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At least two Browns players were baptized in the pool: RB Raheim Sanders and LB Carson Schwesinger, last season’s AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Numerous Browns players and staff members were in attendance, including quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Taylen Green, defensive tackle Mason Graham, and safeties Chris Edmonds and Zion Washington. The event was open to the public as well.
“Cleveland for Christ” is similar to other Christ-centered events that have popped up on college campuses throughout the country, perhaps most notably at Ohio State University just a couple hours’ drive southwest.
“It’s so important to share your testimony,” Thomas told Sunday’s crowd. “I encourage my teammates, anybody around me, because I look at it like this: A lot of people are not going to church, so you might be the only Bible that somebody ever reads. It’s important how we carry ourselves on and off the field.”
Prior to the event, Darby revealed a message he often shares with Browns players.
“I always challenge them and encourage them to leverage their platform to point other people to Jesus Christ,” he said in a promo video, “and this (event) is gonna be an opportunity to do that.
“This event is really rooted in Acts 2:38, where Peter says, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and then you’ll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”
“It’s gonna be powerful,” Campbell said last week in another promotional video for the event. “The Word says, ‘When two or three are gathered in My name, I am among them.’ So, God’s gonna be present, and I’m excited to see what He has in store.”
At this time last season, neither Campbell nor Thomas were members of the Cleveland Browns; Campbell was traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars part of the way through last season, while Thomas signed a free-agent contract with the Browns in March.
However, Campbell and Thomas were teammates in Jacksonville for four seasons (2021-24), and during the offseason before the 2024-25 campaign, Thomas appeared on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, where he was asked about football and faith in Christ.
He explained that he wants others to come to know Jesus. Along with Darby and Campbell at “Cleveland for Christ,” he created an environment where the glory of God was on full display.
“Having a true relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Thomas said on the podcast. “He’s been there for me in times of need, times where I was in my highs and especially times in my lows.
“… When I have Him, I have everything that I need.”
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