History of the Manger Build

Prior to Christmas 2005, Mike Young would take his three boys into the garage shortly before Christmas to build a manger that would be placed before the family Christmas Tree. The manger served as a visual reminder of the significance of Christmas. Mike led his family in discussing God’s gift to us in Christ and the gifts that the family had given to Christ over the past year.

Christmas 2005: As Christmas approached and Mike started planning to build a manger with the Young boys he inquired to see if any of the men who were participating in Men’s Fraternity through Noble Warriors would like to join him. He expected less than ten men to participated. Surprisingly, 21 men expressed interest in building mangers with their children. So, on December 24th (Christmas 2005 was on a Sunday) 21 men brought their children to the Bethia United Methodist Church fellowship hall and built mangers with them. Material had been donated by Kevin Kirwan and was prepared by Mike.

Christmas 2006: During the year, men from the 15 Men’s Fraternity groups heard about the 2005 manger build and began asking about it. Five churches volunteered to host events for their local communities. On December 23, 2006, approximately 130 men took their children to five different locations to participate in the manger build. Material was donated by NB Goodwyn and Sons Lumber and prepared by teams who hosted the events at local churches.

Christmas 2007: The manger build grew modestly in 2007. Approximately 150 men built mangers with their children in seven locations. The greatest excitement in 2007 was generated by the fact that Noble Warriors entered a float in the Ukrop’s Richmond Christmas Parade. This was a neat way to share the message of Fathers engaging as the spiritual leaders of their households by building mangers with their children. Click here to see photos from the parade.

Christmas 2008: The growth really picks up! Over 300 men built mangers for their children at 13 locations in central Virginia and four locations in other states. A number of manger kits were sent to ministry contacts in other areas. The location with the greatest participation was Swift Creek Baptist Church in Midlothian. Over 50 men built mangers with their children in this one location.

The Richmond Times Dispatch covered the event with a color photograph on the front page of the Metro section and significant article. The story was picked up by newspapers in Lynchburg and Danville as well. The Suffolk News Herald carried the story of an event at Hillcrest Baptist on their front page.

Christmas 2009: The manger build date is set for December 19, 2009. As of June 2008, 40 churches in Virginia and beyond have already expressed interest in hosting manger build events. We are praying that a Manger Build coordinator will step forward to advance this one aspect of Noble Warriors ministry and expand its impact to help men lead their families and bring glory to God who gave us the great gift of Jesus his Son!