Houston Texans head coach says God guides him and uses him ‘for the good of his kingdom.’
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
HOUSTON — DeMeco Ryans required no introduction as he stepped to the pulpit on a recent Sunday night.
Neither fellow members of the Fifth Ward Church of Christ nor fans of the Houston Texans — the NFL team where Ryans serves as head coach — needed to be told his name.
“I am grateful and honored and humbled for this opportunity to stand before you tonight,” Ryans said after Houston’s oldest Black congregation sang familiar hymns such as “Jesus Is Coming Soon” and “We’re Marching to Zion.”
Ryans first placed membership with the Fifth Ward church in 2006, his rookie season as a Texans linebacker. He thanked the elders, especially Barry Gibson, for “hyping up” his guest sermon and “getting everybody to show up.”
“Brother Barry, he challenges me,” Ryans said. “He’s motivated me, always, to step out of my comfort zone and teach and now preach and serve.
“I get it, y’all,” the 40-year-old deacon added. “He’s my elder-coach.”
Ryans’ quip drew laughter from the congregation, which knows the coach — who has led the Texans to two straight AFC South division titles — as a devoted Christian who oversees Fifth Ward’s visitors ministry.
The former All-Pro linebacker expressed appreciation, too, to his wife, Jamila, and their four children: 11-year-old son M.J., 8-year-old daughter Xia, 6-year-old son Micah and 15-month-old daughter Zuri.
“Thank you so much for your love and support,” Ryans said to his family, sitting in the pews.
“They’ve helped me a lot with this sermon,” he told the congregation. “They’ve heard it a few times through it all — through a dog barking, through my baby girl preaching louder than me — but we made it through.”
This story appears in the July print edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo courtesy of the Houston Texans
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