By LARRY VAUGHT
Dr. Daniel Ausbun knew the odds were not in his favor of being able to even reach out to Kentucky basketball star Oscar Tshiebwe about speaking at Broadway Baptist Church in Lexington. However, his church has a lot of members from different countries in Africa and one church member suggested he should try.
Tshiebwe, who is from the Congo, often mentions his faith and Ausbun took a chance and sent the UK junior a direct message on Twitter.
“I knew his father was a pastor, so I invited him to come preach,” said Ausbun, a UK fan himself who was in Rupp Arena last week for the Ole Miss win, said. “I figured all he could do was not answer or say no. But he replied back that he would be interested if his schedule allowed.”
Ausbun knew UK players “just don’t get to do what they want” because of university protocols and practice schedules. Tshiebwe and Ausbun corresponded for several weeks until a week before Tshiebwe had agreed to preach.
“I was not telling anybody anything because I did not want to over promise and under deliver,” Ausbun said. “Before our early service (Feb. 27), I sent another message with the time, door to enter that night. Several hours went by and I had my phone on silent and missed a call. Then I got a text from him saying he would be there that night. I was still skeptical and did not announce it at church that morning because I worried coach (John) Calipari might still call practice.”
However, Tshiebwe showed up on time and was a “blessing” to have at Broadway Baptist.
“He is such an encourager. He preached a great message. He has a humble heart,” Ausbun said. “He told me he felt called to preach. He preached for about 15 minutes. He came up earlier in the service when we did introductions and he talked about his family.”
Tshiebwe’s father, Mbuyi Tshiebwe, was a pastor prior to his death in July 2012 after being poisoned. Tshiebwe was 12 years old at the time and that only inspired him to become closer to God.
“We’re going to worship our God, forever and ever,” Tshiebwe said during his sermon at Broadway Baptist. “When you trust in God, God is not going to let you down.”
“We don’t need to fight for eternal life from God. It’s a free gift through Christ. We have to surrender ourselves to God. We have to obey His Word.”
Tshiebwe said preaching at Broadway Baptist “absolutely” helps him with his daily life and also with the pressure an elite athlete faces.
“When I stick with the word of God it always helps me and I stay focused. The will of God is always bringing joy, happiness and peace to my life, especially when I am sharing with other people. It has given me a lot of peace,” Tshiebwe said after UK’s win over Florida Saturday.
“That’s why we share the word of God with different people. It was a good experience (preaching), standing in front of like 200 people listening to me preaching. It’s one of my dreams to share the word of God with a lot of different people.”
Tshiebwe connected with the church members instantly. He signed autographs and took pictures after his sermon.
“We have Africans who speak French and he was talking to them in French because he speaks six languages,” Ausbun said. “Our style of music is very African and he liked that.
“He talks a lot about his mother in the Congo and is hoping she can come to see him win a national championship and then live here. She is a very devout religious lady, too. I think we would be the perfect church for her.”
Ausbun has had other guest preachers at Broadway Baptist. He says some have been distracted, even playing on their phones, during the service. Not Tshiebwe.
“He had two phones and not once did he look at them,” Ausbun said. “He was totally engaged and paid close attention to everything. He said amen. He was respectful the whole service. He’s a fine young man who definitely could be the pastor of a church one day. He’s just special.”
Ausbun would like to have Tshiebwe back but is thankful his church got him once.
“I don’t know if it was just good luck or the Lord who opened that door for us,” the pastor said. “The stars lined up. God lined them up just right for us and our church was just blessed by Oscar and Kentucky is blessed to have this man.
“He grew up in a pastor’s home. He grew up going to church. He told me he basically lived in the church. The world he knows is the world I live in, the church world. He felt very at home with us and is always welcomed because this man’s faith is real. He loves the Lord and loves the gift he has with basketball to share his faith with so many.”