Tebow coming to local church — but no tailgating, please

By Richard N. Velotta

Friday, March 2, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Tim Tebow spends many of his Sundays reading National Football League defenses.

This Sunday in Las Vegas, he'll be reading Scripture. Saturday, too.

Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback who became a household name as much for making public displays of his Christian faith as for leading his team to improbable come-from-behind victories last season, will speak at four worship services this weekend at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in northwest Las Vegas.

Canyon Ridge is expecting as many as 20,000 people to attend the services, scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 and 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Pastor Kevin Odor said services also would be live-streamed on the church's website, www.canyonridge.org.

Canyon Ridge, which normally draws 6,000 people to weekend services, features an auditorium that seats 4,200 people. The church has erected a tent in a parking lot that can seat 1,700 more.

Odor said that in a change of pace from most of Tebow’s church presentations, he’ll be interviewed by the pastor. Normally, the quarterback preaches during his appearances.

"He gets really fired up when he preaches, just like he does on the football field," Odor said. "I could just hand him the ball and let him run, but I think in an interview format we'll be able to get to understand him more as a person and he'll say a few things that he might not necessarily say when he’s preaching."

Canyon Ridge first made inquiries about Tebow speaking last fall when he was third on the Broncos' depth chart at quarterback. Odor said the church usually arranges to bring two special speakers a year as part of its evangelical outreach to the community.

"We try to bring in a person with a story that excites people so that our members invite their friends and our neighbors can get connected to God, and maybe they'll come back next week," Odor said. "We saw Tim's name on a list of speakers, and then I saw that as a third-string quarterback he was endorsing Jockey T-shirts. I figured that if Jockey saw something in his character, there was a lot more to his story, and we decided to approach him."

Tebow's fortunes changed mid-season when he was named starting quarterback for the Broncos' Oct. 23 game in Miami. Critics said his style as a running quarterback who couldn't pass well would doom him to fail, but he responded with a string of miraculous fourth-quarter comebacks that made him the toast of Denver. The team won seven of its first eight games with Tebow as the starter, including three in overtime, en route to making its first playoff appearance in six years.

The Broncos then upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs in overtime before their season came to an end with a loss to the New England Patriots.

Tebow became a polarizing figure because he often knelt in prayer on the sidelines and always gave credit to God when addressing the news media. His kneeling pose was adopted by fans and celebrities and became known as "Tebowing."

"I think a lot of people who watch the NFL are tired of some of the bizarre end zone dances and routines that players use to call attention to themselves," Odor said. "To me, it's refreshing to see someone drop to a knee and give thanks to his God."

Tebow confirmed his appearance at Canyon Ridge — one of just seven churches at which he's appearing during the offseason — in December. He made a trip to Las Vegas after the Super Bowl to treat his offensive line to a Las Vegas experience during which Odor helped arrange for him and his teammates to visit terminally ill children at Sunrise Children’s Hospital.

An honorarium the church is paying for Tebow's appearance will go to his foundation, which is building a hospital in the Philippines, where his parents lived as missionaries for many years.

Tebow's mother, Pamela, will attend a Saturday service. She's in Las Vegas in an unplanned scheduling coincidence — she's speaking Sunday morning at Shadow Hills Baptist Church.

Canyon Ridge, at Jones Boulevard and Lone Mountain Road, will open its parking lot at 8 a.m. Saturday for people to stand in line for wristbands to be distributed on a first come, first served basis. People won't be admitted to the auditorium until 45 minutes before each service. There is no admission charge.

Although the church has a casual dress policy and people are welcome to wear football jerseys, it's forbidding any overnight camping or tailgating on church grounds.