AUBURN, Ala. (RNS) — Setting up on the grassy area outside their dorm, grilling burgers and distributing drinks, the young men known as College Kids Tailgate are like scores of other Auburn students on game day — full of good cheer, camaraderie and cries of “War Eagle!”
Their unofficial uniforms — orange jumpsuits — make them visible, but so does the beverage they serve, a non-alcoholic cherry-flavored soda.
At their tailgate party on game day against West Virginia, Auburn University’s College Kids Tailgate enjoy a “dry” party out of religious conviction. Tailgaters include (standing, left to right) Michael Nunnelly, Garrett Cheney, Kyle Bumpous, Kevin Johnson, Brandon Campbell (feet in the air), Zack Carrol, Jordan Bellar, Ian Middleton, Luke Hasha and Michael Watford. Kneeling (from left) are Andrew Pearce and Ben Mahaffey. (RNS PHOTO/Courtesy of Kevin Johnson)
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“Two or three of us are under 21, so (serving alcohol is) illegal,” said Auburn junior Michael Nunnelly, one of the 15 organizers of the student-run group.
But age is hardly the only factor, he explained.
“As Christians we don’t need [alcohol] for a good time,” Nunnelly said. “There are people we know who would be uncomfortable around alcohol, so we decided not to have it. We expect our own lives to reflect our character. Being alcohol-free is only a small part of it.”
A larger part, Nunnelly explains, is fellowship provided by a welcoming — and intentionally nurturing — group. Nunnelly said the three years of sober tailgating have morphed into a “ministry opportunity.”
“We tried to get people to come who are churched, un-churched,” he said. “It’s not like we’re witnessing, doing street evangelism. But we’re hanging out, meeting people, having a good time.”
He hopes the good times “will spark into one-on-one relationships,” which might well give way to religious discussions afterward.
“That’s the best way — getting to know somebody first,” he said.
The Christian tailgaters focus on “creating community,” organizer Kevin Johnson said.
“A lot of students don’t have anywhere to go on game day,” he said.
Since the group formed with 15 students three years ago, it’s grown twenty-fold. The group now welcomes more than 300 revelers on game day, and that surge is no accident, Johnson insisted.
“It’s a lesson from God, how successful it’s been,” he said. “We made a decision from the beginning we didn’t want tailgate to be a place where we were preaching or passing things out. My whole view of evangelism is that it comes through relationships. If we were preaching on a Saturday, it would hit you in the face and bounce off.”
Students come from a variety of denominations, and all are welcome. While hospitality and cherry soda never are in short supply, the tailgaters have no need for anything stronger.
“My desire is to live my life in a way that glorifies God in every arena,” Johnson said. “It’s not going to involve alcohol. That’s a personal conviction that runs through the guys who run the tailgate.”