SBC of Virginia homecoming and Noble Warriors
The SBCV hosted their annual Homecoming Conference in November at London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach on November 10th – 12th. Church members and leaders from across the state gathered for corporate worship, equipping workshops and fellowship. Noble Warriors was pleased to serve as a men’s ministry partner at this year’s Homecoming.
Here are some of the highlights:
– One ministry table allowed us to engage conversations and share resources with interested leaders.
– Two workshops, Get Out of the Cul-de-sac: Moving Beyond Dead-End Men’s Ministry and Bigfoot Discipleship: Reaching Men Who Are Hard to Find, allowed us to equip over Fifty leaders.
– Fifty Noble Warriors volunteers served a robust tailgate breakfast to over 500 Annual Homecoming guests!
2024 end of year theme
changed men change everything
“when they observed the boldness of peter and john and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with jesus” acts 4:13
As 2024 comes to a close, we are grateful to have played a part, along with our partners, in God’s work through the local church, to strengthen men’s discipleship.
We have witnessed, firsthand, the unmistakable mark of men who walk with Jesus. They stand out in their community, lead their family wisely, and generously serve their local church. These men make an impact for the Kingdom not because of who they are, but because of who God is.
These changed men are changing everything. Here are just of a few impact stories, from this year.
Everything changed
“I’m married to a different man now.” Rachel says about her husband, Calum these days. The first years of their marriage were tough. She knew Jesus. He didn’t. He went to church, but only to make her happy. She tried leading their family spiritually but it wasn’t effective.
Things started to change when Calum noticed that the men at Parkway Baptist Church in Moseley, VA were different. They were visible, active, and engaged. Calum joined one of the church’s softball teams and began getting to know some of the guys he noticed on Sundays. Then, when Calum heard about a ten-week BetterMan study at church, he was ready to jump in. That’s when things started to become real. Calum recognized he couldn’t be the man he wanted to be, the husband Rachel deserved, or the father their four kids needed, without help. He said, “Yes” to Jesus, and everything changed.
Parkway Pastor, Derek Futrell, credits Noble Warriors for helping provide the encouragement and resources needed to create a dynamic and strategic men’s discipleship ministry at the church. Derek leads Parkway with a heart for men. He invests in men personally and makes sure men are visible examples of leadership in their homes and the church, but he doesn’t do all the work. He delegates to godly men who share the vision and who have also been affected by the ministry of Noble Warriors.
Mike Rakes is one of those men. He is the men’s ministry team leader at Parkway. Motivated by Noble Warriors conferences and workshops, he launched the softball ministry and leads others to host catalytic events that point men to small group discipleship as a “right next step.” Then, there’s Nolan Morris. he introduced Calum to the BetterMan study and continues to disciple him as he grows in Christ. Because he’s walked the same road, Nolan guides many men through a process of prayerful repentance and course correction in life, marriage, and fathering. He has long been connected with Noble Warriors and attributes that connection and introduction to tools and resources with the vibrancy of his marriage, family, and his deep desire to invest in other men.
Pastor Derek leads the way with encouragement, Mike leads the team that plans and executes events to draw men in, and Nolan coaches small group leaders to grow with Jesus personally and to lead others well. This cycle of leadership and discipleship is proof of a healthy men’s ministry. Jesus is Lord. Men are learning to lead well. Wives are encouraged. Kids are discipled. The church is growing, and Noble Warriors is working from the sidelines, coaching the players, cheering for the team, and suggesting plays from time to time.
As for Rachel, she says, “The growth that I’ve seen in Calum, surrounded by godly men is indescribable. It’s beautiful and has changed our home!”
The noble man podcast series: changed men change everything
We are excited to offer our first ever Noble Man Podcast series, Change Men Change Everything! Join Mike Young as he sits down with the Jacobs, Derek, Mike, and Nolan from Parkway Baptist Church, to hear more about how Calum Jacobs’ life was changed when he was introduced to Jesus by intentional men at his church.
Check out the Changed Men Change Everything podcast series to hear how the whole story unfolds.
Transformational prayer
We are so grateful for your partnership with Noble Warriors! Your prayers and financial gifts are transforming lives that are altering churches, that are impacting families, that are changing communities! Please continue to pray for Calum Jacobs and the men at Parkway Baptist Church in Moseley, VA.
Pray for Parkway Men
- Pray that the Parkway Men’s Ministry Team will continue to be Kingdom focused.
- Pray for the team to come up with new opportunities and ideas that will help men desire to come to Christ and want to disciple others.
- Pray that Parkway men will continue to surrender to the Lordship of Christ in their lives and be courageous in leading and serving their families and the body of Christ.
Pray for Calum Jacobs and Family
- That I can love my wife like Christ loved the church and gave his life for her and that I can be a sacrificial leader for her and my family.
- That I don’t let my bipolar define who I am and that I am victorious over this thorn in my flesh.
- That God takes my past and turns it into something beautiful to be used for his glory.
- That God would use our story and hard lessons to make an impact on others for years to come.
Making Connections
Betterman
One of the go-to resources we often suggest to churches looking for more strategic men’s discipleship tools, is BetterMan, a series of studies about biblical manhood. Through these weekly live or video teaching sessions, men like Calum, build relationships with other men and learn how to be more like Christ in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
“We get asked to partner with a lot of individuals and organizations, many of them like minded. Every now and then we come across a like-hearted brother. Mike Young is a like-hearted brother. We are grateful for our partnership with Noble Warriors. BetterMan is a great place to start your journey, Noble Warriors will help you finish strong.”
– Dr. Chris Harper, BetterMan Chief Storyteller and CEO
Changes big and small
Featured Media – BLOG: JAMIE MCCLANAHAN
Pastor Jamie McClanahan believes the size of a church has little to do with the size of the impact. He has pastored, Wayne Hills Baptist Church in rural Waynesboro, VA for more than six years. He believes a healthy church starts with a strong and intentional men’s discipleship strategy.
Jamie began to shape the men’s ministry at Wayne Hills when he first arrived. Things were off to a great start until COVID hit in 2020. Momentum slowed, and the ministry dwindled. A couple years ago however, Jamie felt God calling him to begin to rebuild the men’s ministry at the church, but he realized he needed to make a big change. He recognized that occasional large group events were not what the men at Wayne Hills needed. Instead, his guys were looking for something more. Jamie began to pray and discerned that the big change his church needed was the launch of small groups designed for men’s intentional discipleship. Jamie reached out to other men at the church who had the same heart to intercede, encourage, and make disciples of other men. What he found was a handful of “one-on-one disciple-making machines.” Today, Pastor Jamie and these men continue to invest in the lives of many Wayne Hills men. The men’s ministry is growing, which is impacting families and spreading into the surrounding Waynesboro community.
Pastor Jamie shared some of the insights he has gained serving small town churches like Wayne Hills Baptist Church, as a guest writer on our blog. He offers tips, tools, and resources for pastors and leaders looking to make a big impact in their small churches. Read about it here,
Mike also hosted Pastor Jamie McClanahan on the Noble Man Podcast to talk about the benefits of one-on-one discipleship in men’s ministry. Listen here.
Partner's Corner
We’re thankful for partners like you!
We’ve had a wonderful year of serving the church here at Noble Warriors! No resource created, no event hosted, no biscuit handed out at a tailgate, would have been possible without partners like you supporting the work. Thank you for your prayers and financial gifts to our ministry.
We’d like to invite you to consider giving an end-of-year gift to Noble Warriors. A large part of what is given at the end of the year goes to support our work of equipping churches to prepare men to walk with Christ and lead well.
