Today I joined with some friends from Acworth United Methodist Church to celebrate the life of Elliott Arnold. Elliott passed away Tuesday evening in his sleep. He was only 20 years old.
Over the years, Elliott ran with a lot of different people. I hadn’t seen him in quite some time, but judging by the huge crowd in the chapel, Elliott touched many people’s lives.
I first met Elliott in September of 2000 when I was hired as the student ministry pastor at Acworth UMC. Elliott was part of the trio “Austin, Elliott, and Tyler”. Those three guys were always up to something and always a lot of fun! It was hard to see Austin and Tyler today without Elliott.
Elliott had a different way of doing things and a special way of making people laugh. His family has been in Acworth, GA for a long time and his dad and his uncles are very well respected in our town. It was touching to see all the people who came simply because of their respect for the family.
Elliott was a good kid. He didn’t always make the best choices, but I don’t either. My prayer is that through his short life, many might come to know Christ. I know that would be his hope too!