Our mission is to serve churches as they equip men to walk with Christ and lead well. The evolving Regional Teams (RT) concept is helping us engage more churches and leaders across the state and beyond.

We’ve seen exciting developments in 2018 and there is much opportunity on the horizon. Current RT leaders have helped us standardize our communication and gathering concept to make it reproducible. Developing a library of teaching videos with support documents is making it scalable. There is much opportunity, yet we are limited. I’m hopeful and prayerful that God will provide resources for video production and operational support.

Yearend gifts of $60K in November and December 2017 helped us launch the Regional Teams initiative. Our goal for 2018 is $100K to help expand the initiative to new communities so we can help more churches reach and build men.

Would you ask God what He wants you to commit to Noble Warriors to catalyze even more stories like the ones you’ll read below…

Serving Adventurously,

Mike Young, Executive Director

Tell the Story. Your partnership makes these connections possible.

In April 2018, Carl Benjamin threw his hands up and said… 

“Okay God, I give. Let’s do this men’s ministry thing full time.”

Carl had spent the last 37 years in the corporate world as an IT database coordinator for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, but it was Promise Keepers events in the 1990s that first got him interested in men’s ministry.

“I loved it and I’ve been involved [in men’s ministry] ever since. in whatever church I was in, either starting or leading men’s ministry activities.”

Carl continued to serve in various forms of men’s ministry and was introduced to Noble Warriors when his church held The Manger Build event. He said that particular event was a lot of fun but was also eye-opening for him.

“We actually had a guy come into the church for the Manger Build who didn’t even know how to use a hammer. We had to help that guy, teach him, so he could help his kids build a manger. I just saw that as really neat stuff. Noble Warriors just wanted to help men become better Christian men. I realized that’s what I wanted to do too.”

Carl’s interest in Noble Warriors slowly started growing as he began to investigate and volunteer more.

“Every year you do a little bit more, and a little bit more. I had some big conversations with Mike and then I got to the point of ‘Maybe this is what I’m supposed to be doing.’”

After much prayer and many conversations with his wife, Terrie, Carl made the shift from the corporate world to full-time ministry. He says it’s a huge culture shift but has been working with Noble Warriors for 6 months and is loving every minute of it. He doesn’t mind working late anymore and loves getting out and talking to men and pastors.

“The Lord is working in a lot of men in a lot of different ways. I’m constantly running into guys who say, ‘You do that?!’ So that’s a lot of fun to be able to introduce Noble Warriors to different guys and pastors and be able to say, ‘Look what we can do for you! We are here to help you and we want to see your church succeed and build godly men.’”

Most of his efforts right now still revolve around raising support, but his primary goal, however, is to promote lasting change in the lives of men.

“A lot of times we say we want to have an impact on men, but I want to do more than just having an impact. I want to see change in men’s lives and I want to see that done through the church.”

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In the last post, you learned a little bit about Carl Benjamin and his Noble Warriors journey. In April 2018, Carl took a leap of faith and jumped feet-first into full-time men’s ministry. Since then Carl has been traveling around Southwest Virginia spreading the word about Noble Warriors.

One particular day he found himself at a Christian Business Leaders Breakfast. Carl and his wife, Terrie, were volunteering at the breakfast when Terrie pointed out someone to Carl. It was David Argabright.

Terrie encouraged Carl to go speak with David, the Men’s Ministry director at East Gate Church of the Nazarene in Roanoke, Virginia. Carl introduced himself and gave him the overview of Noble Warriors. They exchanged business cards and agreed to meet again.

“A couple weeks later, I met him at Dunkin’ Donuts and sat down and gave him more information about Noble Warriors. I hadn’t even decided to work with NW full-time, I was still an Anthem employee at that point. I told him about the Leading Noble Men Conference that takes place every January in Richmond and sent him information about it.”

In January it “just so happened” David was in Richmond for a meeting and decided to attend the conference. Carl says he loves those “just so happened moments.” Carl and David ran into each other at the conference.

“He comes over to me with a big grin on his face and says, ‘Carl this is great! I love this stuff!’ We didn’t have much time to chat, but he had a great time.”

David did have a great time and truly benefited from the conference. He was able to connect with other leaders of men as well as help himself grow and improve his own skill set.

A couple months go by and Carl is still debating on joining the Noble Warriors team. David, on the other hand, has started leading the 33 Series at church with several other guys. The East Gate men’s group thoroughly enjoyed it and they have gone through Sessions 2, 3, and 4.

“The series has been a great blessing to me personally and to our men… I think hearing the importance of stepping up and standing in the gap as we lead our wives, families, and our churches have helped us be more intentional about our walk with Christ.”  

David’s wife, Sharon, has also seen a change in the men of East Gate.

“Dave included a man in our church via Skype sessions who was working out of town so that he could be a part of the lessons. His wife commented on what a great impact it had on this man’s life to be included, especially since he was away from family and church during the week.”

The study ended up being a helpful and insightful study for many of the guys including John Rippey, a member of East Gate.

“It made you think of things in ways you hadn’t before. My only critique is that I wish the study was longer!”

More time passes and David ends up taking a handful of men to The Noble Man Conference in Roanoke. According to David, the conference was a great experience.

“This was our first time attending a Noble Warriors event together. We had a blast together and as each shared with other men of our group, I think it was encouraging to all.

John Rippey, who was also in attendance with David’s group, says one moment, in particular, stuck out to him.

“I enjoyed everything, all the speakers and the workshops. But what really stuck out to me most is that one man working the conference went outside and played basketball with some boys across the street and invited them to the conference and they joined us for the day. That was really something; to see someone there who wasn’t just talking the talk but actually walking the walk.”

By the time April rolled around, Carl officially begins working with Noble Warriors full-time as the Southwest Regional Coordinator. He jumps into the Noble Warriors database and begins searching names of people he could contact for support. It “just so happened” that one of those names was John Rippey.

Stay tuned to hear about Carl’s meeting with John in part 3 of this story!

Tell the Story. Your partnership makes these connections possible.

You’ve read about Carl’s Leap of Faith and “It Just So Happened” moments. Next, Carl Benjamin finds himself sitting in the office of John Rippey.

“I [Carl] gave him a call. I had no idea who he was. We set up a meeting to meet at his office. We’re just chatting about Noble Warriors and I gave a presentation and we talk. Then he asks, ‘So, you have a conference once a year in Roanoke. Why don’t you have them more often? We need to have more of those. That was good stuff.’”

Carl and John talk some more and softball ideas and suggestions off one another. As the conversation continues, John says that if Carl will follow through with his goal of reaching out to churches and disciplining men, he’ll be willing to support him.

“As I’m getting ready to leave he [John] gets on his computer and prints something off and says, ‘here you go!’ You get out there and do your stuff and I want to see you back in 60 days!’”

During those 60 days Carl continues to work to raise support and to spread the word about the resources Noble Warriors can offer local churches. After these 60 days are up he gives John a call and they meet up again.

“He asks what I’ve been doing, and I told him I’ve been raising support, talking to people, and talking to pastors. And he says, ‘That sounds pretty good.’”

They chat a little more, then John says he’ll write Carl another check to help keep him going, but he doesn’t want to write a check for the sole purpose of raising funds.

“I want you to be doing something.”

Carl understands and the two agree to meet again in 90 days.

“As I’ve gone out there, talking to guys about raising support and talking to more pastors about the things Noble Warriors can offer, occasionally John Rippey’s name pops back into my head. Recently I went down to Abingdon and talked to 5 pastors down there and I thought ‘I gotta make sure I tell John about this.’ In some ways, I see John as holding me accountable to do what I’m supposed to be doing. Which I find pretty cool.”

Our donors and ministry partners keep us accountable and keep us telling the story of Noble Warriors. It’s because of your encouragement and support that we are able to continue to serve churches as they equip men to WALK with Christ and LEAD well.

Tell the Story. Your partnership makes these connections possible.