LaGrange and All Things New

Before I get started, it is important that I make one final request for everyone who lives in or around LaGrange to attend our fundraiser this Sunday night at 5:30 at First Baptist Church on the Square.  Anyone can come, but if you get a chance, please RSVP to Allthingsnewlagrange@gmail.com  Thanks in advance for making this a wonderful event!

All Things New was incorporated in Jacksonville, FL in February of 2013.  Jess and I were both working in Jacksonville and, while we sold our house prior to the move, we have kept an apartment in Jacksonville and it is where we live when we are in America.  A lot of our sponsors live there, most of our board members live in Jacksonville, and a lot of the business we do takes place there.  While all of those things are true, it is absolutely and 100% true that we would not exist as a ministry if the city of LaGrange, GA was not behind us.  Every single year someone new from LaGrange steps up and blesses us, every single year the fundraiser helps us to meet the needs of our kids and employees, and every single year the people of LaGrange pray for us and support us in amazing ways.  Let me list a few of the ways that LaGrange has stepped up in our ministry:

• My family is still in LaGrange and helps out however they can.
• We have a board member who lives in LaGrange…Evyn Crocker.
• Our very first sponsoring church was FBC LaGrange.
• Our first non-family supporter was Shirley Barnes who lives in LaGrange.
• We have 2 churches who send teams from LaGrange…First Baptist and Clearview Chapel.
• We have an annual fundraiser in LaGrange, and if it were not a success, we would not make budget each year.
• Carlo Heard put on a basketball fundraiser for our organization last year and just a few weeks later Lisa Alford and Inner Path Yoga Studio put on a Turkey Trot fundraiser for ATN.
• We actually had a person, Andy Porter (visit Casually Dapper’s Facebook page and contact him if you are in the market for a bow tie), who hand-made bow ties for all of our boys (including myself).
• A team from LaGrange (Pictured Above) came and did a week of pampering our house moms earlier this year.  This pampering included manicures and pedicures one day, and this group did an incredible job.

The truth is that I could go and on with different stories about how people in LaGrange have stepped up to help us personally and our organization.  I know that sometimes people exaggerate and say things like, “we would not be where we are without you” or “we couldn’t accomplish these things if you were not behind us.”  In the case of All Things New and LaGrange, those statements are true.  Without the generous support and faithful prayers of the people, churches, and businesses in LaGrange, ATN would not exist in its current form.  Thank you for everything, and please consider coming out once again to support us in our fundraising effort this Sunday.