Sunday morning was the obvious time for the Green Bay Packers to open training camp, confirming football's place among the religions of the state.

"We all went to church real early so we're trying to combine both things," coach Mike Holmgren said.

If not, Rev. Reggie White, ordained Baptist minister and pass rusher, provided an impromptu sermon afterward when a reporter asked why his autographs include reference to I Corinthians 13, the Bible's love chapter.

The convergence of White, the Packers and Sundays is certainly something sent from heaven, according to the citizens of God's country. The Minnesota Vikings opened the National Football League's "Cheese League" on Thursday in Mankato, Minn. The Kansas City Chiefs opened Saturday in River Falls, Wis. The Bears open in Platteville on Monday. But the Packers started Sunday. So did the New Orleans Saints in LaCrosse, Wis., but after all, they are the Saints.

Ever since free-agent White announced he would sign wherever God sent him, the Packers have felt blessed. Holmgren, a devout man, left a message on White's answering machine saying: "Reggie, this is God. Go to Green Bay." The Packers offered more than a prayer, of course-$17 million more, to be exact.

The wooing of White began at last season's Pro Bowl in Honolulu, where the Packers' Sterling Sharpe, Brett Favre and Chuck Cecil pitched the club to the dubious defensive end.

"I told Sterling, `I'm worried because there's hardly any black people there,' " White said Sunday. "Sterling said, `White people need to get saved, too. I can get you a church.' "

White had said he wanted to minister to people in an inner city, which is hard to find here.

"I was with a friend one night who said, `God told me to tell you not to worry about the ministry,' " White said. "When I heard that, I realized this could give me an opportunity financially to do some things I need to do and want to do."

White can't get over the irony of his decision to play for the one team he had eliminated from his early list.

"I was a Cowboys fan when I was a kid-that's sad, isn't it?" said White. "I would tell my mama I was going to be a pro football player, but not in Green Bay. Too cold. I saw that game (1967 Ice Bowl) and didn't want to play here. I don't mind now. Just put extra clothes on."

Clothes he can afford. But White says he has experienced no animosity about the $17 million contract, nor does he think it will change him.

"When you strap those shoulder pads on, that $17 million don't make any difference," he said. "It's not laying out there on the field for you to go get. When I wake up on Monday morning and we just got our tails whipped, that check won't do anything for me."

Green Bay affords atmosphere money can't buy, he said.

"One of the most intriguing things about Green Bay is there's hardly anything here to do," White said. "You've got to concentrate on what Vince Lombardi said: God, family and the Green Bay Packers.

"Some guys on some teams want to be in movies. In Green Bay, you can't think about that because this is no Hollywood-type scene."

Actually, it is a scene made for the silver screen. Cops stopped traffic on the four-lane street separating the practice fields from the locker room and kids on bicycles crowded around the gates to offer players rides across the parking lot.

"Reggie told me he's never felt better about a football team than he's felt with us," Favre said.

"I don't think we're particularly closer to winning than Philadelphia, but I think the atmosphere is causing the upbeat attitude," White said.

"Thank God he's on our side," Favre said of White, who separated Favre's shoulder during an Eagles-Packers game last season.

The Packers were 23nd in the league on defense last year. With White, they are picked to win the NFC Central Division.

"I talked to some of the guys last night and pretty much let them know and (line coach) Greg Blache let them know this is not my defense. This is our defense," White said. "I am not going to be the savior of this defense."

White left Philadelphia because of differences with owner Norman Braman and signed with the one team in the NFL that has no single owner.

"That was a big attraction," White said. "I never knew Green Bay was owned by the community. To know you don't have to fight with a single person was a big factor. People who have stock here are fans and they want to see everything possible for this team to win. And these are some of the nicest people I ever met in my life."

All of Wisconsin says amen.