Eden Prairie’s Grace Church is set to once again host the annual “Arise With The Guys” event at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 15.
The men’s only event is being organized by the church in partnership with Tony Dungy, the former football coach turned author and broadcaster, Athletes in Action, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
According to a media release, the organizers bring together professional athletes and sports figures to share their life stories and inspire men of all ages to create meaningful change and positively influence others.
This year’s speaker lineup includes Dungy, former NFL tight end and author Benjamin Watson, Chicago Bears CEO and president Kevin Warren, and Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
Steve Patterson and Dave Beggren will host the event, while Paul Allen, the longtime radio voice of the Minnesota Vikings, and Jason Romano, host of Sports Spectrum’s “Transformed” podcast, make appearances.
Admission is $20 for main-floor seats and $10 for terrace/balcony seats. Attendees who purchase 10 or more tickets will receive a 10% discount on their final order. A live-streamed option will be available nationwide for those unable to attend the event in person.
Roethlisberger spoke last year
Last year, Grace Church hosted about 4,000 men listen to Dungy and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger share their messages of faith, godly values, and legacy building.
Roethlisberger was the event’s 2022 Uncommon Award Winner. Dungy has given out the award at “Arise With The Guys” since 2013 to honor athletes who he describes as never being afraid to follow a higher calling or set a higher standard.
Other recipients include Dabo Swinney, Ben Utecht, Case Keenum, and Peyton Manning.
Dungy recalls hearing the term “uncommon” as a motivational tool from his football coach Cal Stoll as a freshman at the University of Minnesota. In his 2009 book, “Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance,” Dungy writes that Stoll would tell him and other players, “Success is uncommon, therefore not to be enjoyed by the common man. I’m looking for uncommon people.”
Dungy called Roethlisberger an uncommon athlete for playing his entire career with one team and leading them to two Super Bowl victories. He also highlighted Roethlisberger’s personal growth and realization that life was about more than just football success.
“It’s more than that and it’s serving the Lord,” Dungy said.
During last year’s event, Roethlisberger acknowledged that his early fame and fortune from football left him incomplete. In 2018, he decided to be rebaptized “for himself,” saying that rediscovering his faith made him feel whole again.
“Later in my career, I started saying, ‘Listen, God help me. This is your stage, not my stage,'” Roethlisberger recalled. “I’m about to go out of this tunnel in front of 70,000 people waving the black and yellow towels, but it’s really about him, not me.”
Dungy was in the news in January when he faced criticism for sharing an anti-transgender conspiracy theory on Twitter. He has since deleted the tweet and apologized on Twitter, stating, “I saw a tweet and I responded to it in the wrong way. As a Christian, I should speak in love and in ways that are caring and helpful. I failed to do that, and I am deeply sorry.”
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