Jesse Bradley’s life was going great. He was living his dream of playing soccer professionally as a goalkeeper in places like the United States, New Zealand, and Scotland. All that changed, however, when he went to Africa and took a prescribed medication to prevent malaria. The medication built up toxic levels in Bradley’s system, and he spent a year fighting for his life. The experience continued to have a devastating impact on his body for the next ten years. However, God used Bradley’s experience to bring him to faith. He had first read the Bible in college while attending Dartmouth and taking a world religions class. That experience would later help him in his health struggles. Writing on his website, Bradley described his conversion experience saying, “During this time, my life was transformed in the deepest ways: identity, faith, mindset, habits, career, and relationships. The greatest blessings and growth in life can emerge from the worst situations. This is the grace of God and the hope I want to spread.”

Bradley is now using his experience as a soccer player to reach out to soccer fans during the World Cup. Now a pastor at Grace Community Church in Auburn, Washington, Bradley has partnered with Global Media Outreach (GMO) to create content specifically for soccer fans that shares short 1-minute videos that compare the World Cup and the Gospel. Speaking to Sports Spectrum about the project, Bradley said, “Right now, across the world, people are searching and starving for hope. … Hope is relational. Hope is available. Hope is found in Jesus.” Data collected by GMO has shown that over 200,000 people have indicated they want to start a relationship with Jesus. 

GMO’s involvement doesn’t stop there. The organization follows up with people interested in starting a relationship with Christ by offering next-step information, discipleship videos and linking them up with a local church. Bradley said that growth is the key goal of the effort. “We don’t want people simply to make a decision to follow Jesus. We want them to grow and enjoy that relationship. We want to empower people, and we want to cultivate next steps that are going to help them grow in their faith,” he said. 

The impact during the World Cup has been phenomenal. Speaking with Faithwire, Bradley said, “We’re able to create content where we share the Gospel. I share my story, and people are making decisions to follow Jesus. We’re reaching millions of people. We’re seeing over 18,000 already make first-time decisions.” He stated that despite his two decades in ministry, the fruit of the last two years has been amazing. According to Bradley, there is a “massive hunger across the world now for God, for hope, for faith, for Jesus.” “We all know there’s something much more significant than soccer that we need,” he said. “And I discovered it myself later in life, but our souls are content, and we have joy in peace when we discover a relationship with [God].”