Record Crowd Enjoys Asbury’s Faith & Family Night

July 31, 2018

Asbury University’s Faith & Family Night drew more than 7,700 guests to Lexington’s Whitaker Bank Ballpark on Saturday for an evening of professional baseball (the Lexington Legends vs. the Rome Braves), music, horses, fireworks and more. The record crowd included 35 church groups. View photo gallery below!

Guests rooted for the home team (the Legends won 4-2 over the Braves), enjoyed a demonstration from Asbury’s Equine Program and stood for the national anthem, sung by Asburians (Kalyn Moran ’10, Zach Jeffcoat ’18 and Ariane Arquisola ’17). Asburians also pitched in with a brass quartet rendition of “God Bless America” (Nathan Miller ’05, Glen Flanigan ’82, Jeff Barrington ’02 and Elijah Jones) and a benediction (given by Asbury student Madeline Smart ’21).

Following the game, fireworks lit up the stadium before a concert by 7eventh Time Down, a Christian band whose single “God is On the Move” topped charts for five weeks straight. Asbury has partnered with the Lexington Legends to sponsor Faith & Family Night for nearly a decade, and previous chart-topping band featured at the event have included The Afters, Royal Tailor and Sanctus Real

“This event helps to bond us together with the community and brings everyone together to have fun,” said Joy Vaughn, a professor in Asbury’s Christian Studies & Philosophy department who attended the event with her husband, Tim Vaughan ’97, and daughter Evangelina. “It’s great to go have family time.”

Community members were also thankful for Asbury’s leadership in sponsoring Faith & Family Night.   

“I think it’s really awesome, because you can tell there are so many people here who are only here because of Asbury sponsoring this,” said Neal Settle, a guest from Richmond, Ky. “Tonight, I could barely get a parking spot, and the stands are completely full. It’s something you can rally around, and have fun being with your neighbors and watch the hometown team play.”