Champions of Faith Breakfast
Speaker: Jake Bates, Detroit Lions Place Kicker
MaRCH 14th, 2026
9-11AM
Calvary Church
707 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
There are no more seats available for our 2026 FCA Champions of Faith Breakfast, but you still may sponsor this event and our ministry. If you are interested in supporting our ministry in this way, please email: cpasschier@fca.org
What is the Champions of Faith Breakfast?
Formerly the "Pro Athlete Breakfast", the Champions of Faith Breakfast is a time to gather sports teams, FCA supporters, and the community for a great meal, a panel of athletes and coaches, and an awesome speaker to share their Faith.
You will hear amazing testimonies of what God is doing through FCA in Kent County, along with having a chance to help support our ministry in various ways.
We hope to see you there!
2026 Speaker: Jake Bates, Detroit Lions Place Kicker
Jake Bates has an incredible story culminating in becoming one of the best kickers in the NFL. Bates was a college soccer player and when he transitioned over to football, only handled kickoffs. In 2022, he was named All-SEC at Arkansas as a kickoff specialist.
Bates still had to go the non-traditional route to the NFL, going to the UFL, where he set a league record with a 64-yard field foal and was named to the All-UFL Team in 2024. That got the attention of the Detroit Lions, who signed him that summer and he became one of just two UFL players to make a team's final roster in the league.
In the first eight weeks of his rookie season, Bates had two game-winning field goals and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week once. He went on to break the Lions team record for points scored set by Jason Hanson in 2012.
