HOUSTON—A growing group of Christian NFL players brought a strong testimony to the week of celebration culminating in Super Bowl Sunday.

According to Baptist Press, Christian parties, celebrations, concerts and awards are now part of preparations for the year's biggest football event.

"This is our Super Bowl too," said former Minnesota Vikings star receiver Cris Carter, co-host of HBO's "Inside the NFL." "A group of us Christian players got together and said, ‘Why can't we have something which rivals the best the other side has to offer?'"

More than 100 NFL players whose teams did not make the final game came to Houston Super Bowl weekend for a time to share Christ.

"People who know me wouldn't ask me to go to parties I shouldn't be at," said Carter, "but other people who ask me to go to their parties, I use that as a prime opportunity to tell them why I can't go and why they should be going with me."

"Young people need to know that there's going to be a winner and a loser Sunday night," said Carter, "but we can all be winners through out faith in God."

God won't ask to see people's trophies and rings when they get to heaven, Carter continued, but He will demand an accounting of what they did to serve Him.

More than 1,000 Christian athletes, team executives and fans also participated in the annual Athletes in Action Bart Starr Awards Breakfast Super Bowl weekend. The event honors players who best display Christian attitudes and values as a public example for Christ both on and off the football field.

"You can never tell how one testimony from one player can help somebody out," said rookie Atlanta Falcons cornerback Bryant Scott.