Hall of Fame: The Moran Family

L to R:  Butch Moran, Justin Whiaker, Erin Moran, Ben Moran, Natalie Whitaker, Barbara Moran, Brenda Whitaker (1987)

One week from today this blog will celebrate its first birthday with 7 minutes of music and over 13o pictures that cover 28 years of youth ministry.  If you were ever a part of any of my groups, I can guarantee that you will see people you know- and quite possibly yourself!  Spread the word...

Upon our arrival at Springfield Friends Meeting in 1986, it didn't take us long to find out that the Moran family- Butch, Barbara, Jon, Ben and Erin- was going to be very significant in our lives.  Eight years later when we left for Kissimmee it was hard to believe just how important they had become.  Today I honor their friendship and dedication to our ministry by making them the first family inducted into my Youth Group Hall of Fame!

First and foremost,  Butch and Barbara were our best friends during those years in High Point.  We went to dinner and to the movies on more nights than I can remember.  We were often at their home to watch major sporting events on the big screen.  There were great stories (getting Butched is what happens when you eat too much) and so many memories.  We had long talks about the church, faith, family and how much better Carolina was than Duke (just kidding; they were Duke fans, but we loved them anyway!).  Deciding to leave them was every bit as hard as deciding to leave SFM when the time came.

The entire family was immensely important to our student ministry as well.  Jon was already in youth when I arrived, and he was important as we built the group in the early days.  The entire family went with us on both the 1987 and 1990 trips to Walt Disney World (and everone but Butch went again in'93) that had such a major impact on our ministry.  I spent many an evening watching Jon play soccer, and later, watching Ben play basketball.  Ben was a part of the famous Class of '96 that is already in my Hall of Fame; he becomes the first two-time inductee!  Erin and her cousins (of which there were many!) helped hold the group together over the final year, and were amazing in their outpouring of love to Marilyn and I when we left.  Indeed, it is almost impossible to imagine an event during those years without a Moran involved in it.

I have written before about the abnormal number of relatives involved in our ministry at SFM; Butch and Barbara were in many ways responsible for that.  Butch's sisters, Brenda and Bonnie, each had children who became very involved in our ministry.  His sister Debbie contributed her husband Mark Rumley, who became a legend on the 1993 Florida trip (see Chicken Man!).  Barbara's brothers and sisters (Bob, Margaret, Cathy, Becky)  contributed half the youth group, and her father, Max Rees, was my boss!  Their family was the "crossroads" at which our group gathered and flourished.  And I could always count on them to help me anyway they could in every situation.   After we moved, Jon was part of the 1994 Alumni Trip to WDW; Erin came to stay with us at our home in Kissimmee; and the entire family spent some time at Disney and we shared that with them.  We still love to see them in High Point when we can.  They are forever special to us.  And now, they are forever in my Hall of Fame.  Thank you so much for everything, Moran family- but mostly for a friendship that changed our lives!

Because of Jesus,