Abilene Christian University will honor Terry and Martha "Shipp" Groves with the Parents of the Year award in chapel Friday, Sept. 18. Terry and Martha of Lubbock, Texas, are both graduates of ACU and were nominated by their son Jacob, a sophomore youth and family ministry major.
All seven of their children, Jason, Jenifer, Jonathan, Jessica, Joshua, Jacob and Jocelyn, have either attended or graduated from ACU, and they hope their four grandchildren will also attend ACU one day.
Both Terry and Martha have committed their lives to helping families succeed. Terry has served as a youth minister for 20 years for churches in Plainview, Fort Worth, Abilene and Lubbock, Texas. As a minister and parent educator, he has served several thousand families.
Terry is president of the National Center for Parenthood Enrichment, a non-profit organization. He has spoken to more than 850 parenting programs in the United States, England and South Africa. He currently serves as the preaching minister for Idalou Church of Christ in Idalou, Texas.
Martha has served for 10 years as a parent educator with Lubbock Independent School District and cofounded the Lubbock Youth Leadership Academy in 1997. She currently serves as a Building Strong Families conference chair, South Plains Special Needs facilitator and WorkForce Youth advisory chair. Martha is also on the National Board of Women for Abilene Christian University.
A reception for the Groves will be held immediately after chapel in the Living Room of the McGlothlin Campus Center
If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office or call (325) 674-2696.
