Well THAT was fun. Our first ever AU Parent’s Night was a hit, and we appreciate all of you who made the effort to attend. I laughed so hard because we thought we were dismissing the parents after Will’s message so the kids could play dodgeball, but NO. You guys stayed and actually played!! You rock. Seriously.
I don’t really understand the pointing, though.
Must be a guy thing.
And what’s not to love about a dad that’s so committed they will play in their dress clothes?
Thank you, well dressed competitor.
And thank you, parents, for showing up in a big way. No wonder your kids are so much fun – the apples don’t fall far from the trees.
Will delivered an incredible message about how to spread the gospel. He challenged our kids to take a ‘gospel risk’ this school year by establishing relationships and being intentional about sharing the love of Christ. He also shared the 7 ‘R’s that encompass the idea of sharing God’s truth: Real, Relational, Relying, Relatable, Repetitive, Rock-solid and Risky. Our prayer is that we are ALL willing to take that risk in the days to come!
Speaking of Will, we want to say a HUGE thank you to this guy and his counterpart, Harv. What an incredible gift they are to us and to our children. Without their leadership, commitment and dedication to these boys, Armour Up would not be where it is today. They spend countless hours each week making sure every slide, every game, every video, every detail is perfect. They show Jesus’ love to every one of our kids and have made such a big impact in lives of the people in this community. 
Several of you have asked how you can thank and support Will Washington and Nathan Harvey. Please feel free to visit our homepage and click on the DONATE button. This money goes to the ministry of Armour Up at large, but also to financially support these two guys. We greatly appreciate your support of our ministry, and look forward to a full school year of Bible studies and another great summer of AU in 2017.
To view our end of summer video, please click on the title of this blog post (in blue above).
Another group deserving of our thanks is the awesome AU committee of 2016. Wow! They were thrown into the pool quickly and all learned how to swim. We appreciate everything you have done this summer – especially sacrificing your time each Wednesday night – to help further our mission. You have risen to the challenge and we truly are grateful. Thank you to the following: Genny Montgomery, Cathy True, Cara Pierce, Leslie Fitzgerald, Jen Roberst, Paul Hyde, Jennifer Munoz, Nicole Brewer, Kate Bryant, Rachel Omundson, Michelle Pletcher, Kathy Fagan, Adelaide Skinner, Elise Harper, Lindsay & Matt McMahon, Marcy Simmons, Becky Sherwood, Rebecca Montgomery, Rebecca Gum, Lanier Monk, Beth McFarlane, Melanie Jackson, Rebecca Whitaker, Amy Benson, Jennie Elverum, Michelle Horan, Heidi Parker, Michele Peck, , Erin Duncan, Cari & Toby Trotter, Liz Farley, Kathy Parkhurst, Julie Lippman, Heather Basso, Laura Thornton, Deedee Selner, Paige Sowden, Cammie Heflin, Lezley Nugent, Heather Lipscomb, Linda Clifton, Melanie Betzold, Erin Schreyer, Melanie Resansky, Emily Wakefield, Catherine Sharpe, Stephanie Linder, Casey Schuhmacher and Courtney Wiles (and anyone else I forgot to mention!!).
I also wanted to take the time to thank the AU CREW & Sal & Ronnie Rivas. This is the first year we’ve had a leadership team and these boys set the bar SO HIGH. Not only did they show up and help for over 3 hours each week, but they also had the opportunity to speak to the younger kids. One of our biggest goals is to raise up next generation leaders and I feel like we are off to a great start. Click here for an awesome video produced by Alex Moock.
I also want to thank all of the families that fed our boys this summer: Pogue, Puckett, Thomason, Morris, Silva, C. Williams, Johnners, Graft, Montgomery, Lodewick, Petty and Royall. We are SO grateful for your generosity, and you can see that nothing goes to waste when you are talking about feeding teenage boys.
Lastly, a big thank you to Mark Clifton Homes for sponsoring our newsletters each week this summer. Click AU Newsletter 8.17.16 for the last newsletter of the summer. Please don’t miss this one as it has a list of fall programs around town for your kids to get involved. For all the summer newsletters, please click here.
Personally, this has been a rough summer for me as I lost a dear friend a little over a week ago to a long battle with cancer. But last night was such a good reminder that we are put on earth to be a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. Our verse for the summer was John 16:33, which says, ‘…in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” God has wonderful plans for each of us, but He doesn’t promise a perfect life or a smooth ride. He does promise that He is sovereign, however, and that He is big when we feel small. Through Armour Up, I am committed to helping each of our boys discover their unique gifts and use them for God’s glory no matter what the journey. Thank you for joining us in this great adventure!
The AU TEAM
John 16:33