C&MA Men Living the Adventure

Spiritual preparation – bathing/cleansing. This was to be a holy journey. God was going to perform a miracle. The people needed to be spiritually prepared to witness it. Is the reason we do not see God at work because we are not spiritually prepared.

A man was challenged to pray with authority. Before going to bed one evening he received an e-mail that upset him. He could not get to sleep because of his anger. In prayer, he confronted Satan, commanding him in Jesus name to leave. The thoughts left but returned a few minutes later. He prayed again and Satan was gone. He slept peacefully through the night.

NEWS
eNewsletter. This issue of your newsletter marks the start of our fifth year. You will note some changes in content and format. We will feature either a local church or district men’s ministry as our ministry of the month. In addition we will suggest a tool each month that you can use in making your men’s ministry more effective. We welcome your comments, suggestions and contributions. Contact us at editor@cmamen.org.

From Jose Cornier, Puerto Rico district coordinator. On May 31 2008 we celebrated a Re-encounter of the Alliance Men in the city of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. This is a new activity begun after our annual men’s retreat. Re-encounter is a follow up to testimony about what God has been doing in men’s lives in their churches and in their homes. We had testimonies of salvation, holiness and miracles. Another Re-encounter will be held in August on the west coast of the island. Praise God for these reports we all know is God's will.

From Mike Swain, men’s coordinator, Sacramento Gateway Fellowship. We had a great time at our Boot Camp for the Soul. There were 51 men and God healed hearts and motivated many men to be involved in our men's ministry. We were able to play Paintball, rode four ATV's and had great worship. Also another church from the Natomas area was at the Camp having a men's retreat. So we were able to worship with them and made some good connections for ministry back in Sacramento-Natomas area.

From Jim Woods, Rocky Mountain district coordinator. On June 10, we left for El Paso and ultimately Rio Chico, Mexico about six hours into the interior of Mexico in the Chihuahua Mountains. Our team of 28 people worked on a camp and retreat facility started by Pastor Tomas Bencomo. This facility has grown through the years, and though still very isolated, its been ministering to hundreds at a time during the summer. The Rio Chico stream that runs by the camp has dried up so there is only enough water for the animals and essential needs.

From Don Aldous, Western PA district coordinator. We held a Dad's Seminar May 31^st. We were blessed by the interaction between the presenter and the men who were there. We had about sixty or seventy men say they were coming but thirty one came. While attendance was lower than expected, God reminded me that it is about Him and not me. The men were excited to take the material that we gave them back to their churches and start small groups. PRAISE THE LORD isn’t that what I was hoping for in the first place? He is so much better at this than me!

Paradise Men on Short-Term Work Team. "We were told to ask God to open our eyes," says Chris, a participant in a Paradise (California) Alliance Church short-term missions trip. A recent believer at the time, Chris was apprehensive but ready to learn about God. "I said, 'Okay, God, show me!'"

The trip was sponsored by a Paradise men's outreach called Good Deeds, Good Will, Good News. The ministry, based on Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven," is designed to reach non-believing coworkers as well as recipients of the good works with the gospel. The men were encouraged to invite unsaved friends to join them on a trip that would have an eternal impact on the lives of three men, including Chris. Go to @life to read the rest.

New on the Website

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH: Grace Alliance Church, Lexington, NC.

There are about 45 men in our congregation. Between 12-15 men meet regularly on the first Saturday of each month. We serve a full, hot breakfast, share prayer concerns, pray and have a devotional study. This year we are working through the second of Jim Cymbala’s books, “Fresh Faith”. Cymbala’s main focus is prayer. It has been fascinating to watch how God reveals to each man, in a unique and different way the role and importance of prayer in their lives.

Men, as with all believers, grow at different rates, and watching the men of Grace grow as God leads has been both extraordinary and frustrating. We have tried various formats for our meetings and the Saturday breakfast seems to work best. We have also discovered that “if you feed them they will come.

We keep reminding ourselves that it is not about the number of men that attend, it is about the Holy Spirit working in a man’s life to draw him closer to Christ. Seeing the change in a man’s life as he yields to the Spirit is what ministry to men is all about. For more information contact Len Ruffner at 336-247-0152. Go to Grace Alliance.

What is God doing in your men’s ministry?
Let us know at editor@cmamen.org.

PERSONAL TOOLKIT

Equipping the Man in the Mirror is a daily devotional magazine for men. It will provide you with short “man-sized” daily devotionals, optional daily Bible readings, and great ideas to use with small groups, encouraging articles on relevant “man” subjects, and inspiring interviews with men just like you from around the country. Everything is aimed at men—men with busy careers, active families, fathers, husbands, grandfathers, men enjoying retirement and, most of all, men who are looking for a deeper, richer experience with Christ.

For example, here is a challenging thought found in the devotional for July 8, 2008.

“In John 15, Jesus says He is the grape vine and His followers are the branches. The vine and the branch shares the same genetic structure – that is integrity. They are connected – that is intimacy. And as long as the branch stays connected to the vine, the life flow will be maintained – that is intensity.”

*Equipping the Man in the Mirror is currently only available for shipping within the United States. Subscribe at the Man in the Mirror bookstore - $25 for one year, $43 for two.

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT

Tool: Relationships. An effective men’s ministry is based on prayer and relationships. Of the two, prayer may come the easiest. Relationships, on the other hand, seem to fall into the category of rocket science. What is key to building relationships among your men? Read more.

A Men’s Ministry for the Small Church by Karl Kloppmann, Xulon Press, 2004 . This book is a thorough and well-documented study on why churches need to develop effective men's ministries. It contains a wealth of vital information and provides a solid treatment of the biblical basis for male leadership in the church. Kloppmann begins with a needs assessment and then identifies eight core needs of men. He then illustrates how a men’s ministry can meet those needs in a small church. While the author

Clich here to download past issues and scroll down to C&MA Men’s Ministry.

Subscribe to this e Newsletter: If someone forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe go to the Man in the Mirror eNewsletter page. On the eNewsletter page, enter your e-mail address in the space provided and “Go” to the subscription page. Check the boxes for the newsletters you wish to receive on the left and enter your profile data on the right. Then click Subscribe at the bottom of the page.