Athletes in the Community: First year baseball player Henry Hutchingson reflects on his faith and his future

If you were to see Henry Hutchingson around, he would be more than likely be wearing these three essentials: an Apple watch, a cap of some sort, and a cross necklace made out of baseball bats. As I got to know Henry and his story, I found that the necklace was a good analogy of how important baseball and his faith is to him.

Hutchingson, a Ewing, New Jersey native, came to Eastern because he was looking for a Christian school where he could grow in his faith and as a person. Hutchingson also was accepted into the Templeton Honors College and is on the baseball team as a pitcher. Hutchingson has been playing baseball since he was 7 years old, so a chance to play baseball while in college was a benefit.

For Hutchingson, being a theological studies and philosophy major  in Templeton Honors College go hand in hand. “The Honors college was very helpful in my decision to come here because it offered a good opportunity and environment to learn,” he explains, “so far I’ve learned a lot about the christian faith as a whole. I didn’t realise how little I knew before coming in to college..I’ve learned more about different denominations and what it means to actually be a believer.”

Hutchingson spent a lot of time in the church growing up, since his mom worked at his home church; he spent almost every single day there, especially in the summertime. “I knew who God was, and since I grew up in the faith, I really didn’t have much of a choice but to believe. Yet, I never really had a personal relationship with him,” Hutchingson reflects, “then during my freshman year of high school I went on a youth retreat, and I was praying..and it was with that answered prayer that really showed me who God really is and that he is faithful.”

After Eastern, Hutchingson is looking to attend seminary; this is the next step in order to fulfill God’s call for him to become a senior pastor and lead a church. He received this calling at a youth retreat in Michigan. At this retreat, they were going over a passage in Matthew and were talking about Peter getting out of the boat and walking with Jesus. “In that moment, the speaker asked us what our boats were and asked where God was calling us into,” Hutchingson says,  “the speaker then asked if we were going to stay in our boats or do what God wants us to do and trust him in the water. That is when I knew I was called to preach God’s word and lead a church.”