Aaron Ingle '08 is an assistant pastor at Charlotte's Hope Community Church
Aaron Ingle '08 Joins Charlotte Ministry
Former Greenie basketball player studying to become full-time pastor
Adrenaline. Butterflies. Nerves. Call it what you like. Aaron Ingle '08 can harken back to the pregame tension he felt as a Christ School basketball player whenever it comes time to deliver a sermon to the congregation at Charlotte's Hope Community Church. Ingle was a guard for three Greenie state championship teams (2005, 2007, and 2008) before going on to become a walk-on player at Wake Forest University. Hope, which is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), has two Charlotte locations and hired Ingle as an assistant pastor in early June. His official title is Director of Men's Ministry & Visitor Integration. Ingle is hoping to be fully ordained sometime in the fall.
Question: Tell me about your early experiences so far for the church? I notice that some of your sermons are available online (through http://hopecommunity.com/sermons).
Answer: It has been really humbling. I think it would surprise some people who knew me in high school. They wouldn't have expected me to do this. It's just cool how God has called on me to do this. It's kind of surreal. It's funny. I'm not a guy who loves being the center of attention. Preaching does feel the same as preparing to play a game. You get the butterflies, you get the nerves. It's a good kind of nervousness. Having basketball as kind of a reference has helped me feel more comfortable.
Question: The Charlotte Hornets traded one of your former Christ School teammates, Miles Plumlee, in June. That must have been tough after being reunited in the same city?
Answer: It was. We got to hang out three or four times which was really nice. I was starting to get used to it. It was difficult.
Question: You came to Christ School from Weaverville, NC, which is just outside of Asheville. Do you get back to the area much?
Answer: My parents are still there. My wife Sarah and I moved here to Charlotte a little over three years ago. We haven't come back as much this year, but we get there a good amount. And my family has a lake house on Lake Norman, which is an hour or less from where we live.
Question: What are your memories of your time at Christ School?
Answer: I just think about all the relationships I made, and the different type of high school experience that I got. It prepared me well to go on to Wake Forest which also shaped me in big ways. I just don't know what my high school experience would have been like if I had stayed in public school. The camaraderie at Christ School was really neat. Everyone is so close, the teachers and the students, you get to know everyone. It's just a really cool community.
