BUILDING moMENtum

A man was in a new sales job. He prayed that the Lord would give him sales, and the Lord gave him a supernatural gift. By his own admission, he was not particularly personable. Yet, he sold at a rate four times the expected average; was the office's lead salesman for weeks running; and, at one point, was one of the top five salesmen on the East Coast.

He believes that the Lord gave him the job for a "season" to demonstrate to his co-workers that there is a living God who is at work in his life, and can work in theirs. Twice in one week, when talking to customers, the customers said: "I'll take it!" before he was even able to quote a price. He said: "I'm not selling, I'm just delivering!"

..........................................................................................................

C&MA Men’s Ministry National Coordinators met August 26-27, 2005 in Charlotte, NC with the following outcomes:

Received a report from Jim Peterson, National Director, that he was resigning effective October 1, 2005.
Appointed Len Ruffner as interim national director.
Appointed a search committee to assist the National Office in selecting a new national director..
Allocated $500 for development of video featuring testimonies of local coordinators on the impact of men’s ministries.
Decided that January 27-28, 2006, National Leadership Team meeting will focus on equipping district coordinators. Location: TBD.
Decided to survey districts to assess the status of men’s ministries in Alliance churches.
Reviewed National Project plans to send four new workers on each of three short-term missions in 2006 (Ecuador (April), Argentina (May) and Paraguay (July)).
Committed to pray for C&MA Men’s Ministry on Thursday mornings. You are invited to join us!
Reviewed the financial report for the year ending June 2005. The balance in designated accounts at year end was $25,428.47, including $17,347.09 for the National Project. The General fund deficit at year end was ($1396.20). Send donations to C&MA Men’s Ministry, P.O. Box 519, Linwood, NC 27299.

..........................................................................................................

Fathering and Cultural Impact
An article by Man in the Mirror faculty, Rev. Pete Alwinson
From ByFaith Magazine

“My three children hate me and won’t speak to me. I don’t know my grandchildren. My second wife and I aren’t doing too well and the marriage might not last. I’m 70, and using football terminology, I’m in the fourth quarter of my life. Is there anything I can do about my family?”

The retired hot-shot Philadelphia lawyer’s words yanked my heart into my throat. I stared into the questioning man’s eyes for what seemed an eternity. And though I’m not normally at a loss for words, I struggled for something to say. To read the rest of this article, click here

Fascination with Evil by Steve Gallagher
The images the investigator saw on that video haunt him to this day. “I’ll do anything you want,” she pleaded with the beast that held her captive. Click here to read the article.

..........................................................................................................

Men's Ministry in the 21st Century: The Encyclopedia of Practical Ideas -- Multiple Authors, Group Publishing: Loveland, CO, 2004.

It's "tool time" for your men's ministry! This all-in-one collection of practical, fun, easy-to-follow ideas is the perfect resource from which to build all your men's ministry programs. Use these effective lessons and activities to connect with your male audience in an array of events including retreats, "Guy's Movie Night," father/child outings, ready-to-go Bible studies, service projects...plus you get secrets to a successful men's ministry, and more! Includes a topical index.

Why Men’s Ministry So Often Fails …
Women’s and children’s ministries flourish in practically every U.S. congregation, but few churches are able to establish or maintain a vibrant men’s ministry. For example, there are 35,000 United Methodist congregations in the U.S. but only 6,000 offer a chapter of the United Methodist Men’s Organization.

Furthermore, most attempts to start a men’s ministry end in failure. Why is this? Here’s an example of a typical men’s small group. See if you can figure out why it’s not growing. To read more, click here.

Men’s Ministry in the Local Church.
Five different half-day seminars for men’s ministry leaders will be conducted every other Saturday, beginning October 1, in the following locations:

The seminars are conducted by Vision New England Men’s Ministry. Call (860) 223-8136.

2006 New England Men’s Conferences.
These very popular “Iron Sharpens Iron” conferences will be held...

March 4, 2006 in Hartford, CT
March 18, 2006 in Albany, NY
April 1, 2006 in Boston, MA
April 29, 2006 in Portsmouth, NH

The conferences are also conducted by Vision New England Men’s Ministry. Call (860) 223-8136.

Man in the Mirror Hosts First Leadership Summit
Man in the Mirror hosted its first Leadership Summit on August 18-20, laying out our emergent vision for a Leadership Community. 55 leaders from around the country converged in Orlando for this “think tank” on new ways of using technology to connect leaders together in the Battle for Men’s Souls.

David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church, was the plenary speaker at the Leadership Summit. He says his message is not to call men back to the church, but rather to call the church back to men. Visit David’s website at www.churchformen.com.

Attendees included national, regional and local leaders and pastors who are passionate about reaching men with the gospel, and have been working with Man in the Mirror in various ways. More than 15 presentations were made by attendees, including case studies and breakout session reports.

..........................................................................................................

“The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.”

We met God on the mountain top but we live in the valley. That is where the battles are. Our battles involve carving out quality time with the Lord, investing time in nurturing our marriages and families, being honest and developing healthy relationships on the job, investing time in serving others, and reaching out to the lost.

In the valley we cannot see the battlefield. Our vision is limited to what is happening right in front of us. Spiritual warfare is the day-to-day, moment-by moment conflicts that keep us from being everything and doing everything consistent with God’s will for our lives. Spiritual warfare takes place in the valley. It takes place where we live.