April 13, 2007 (Vol. 17)

The gathering of UMM Conference Presidents and leaders March 1-4, 2007 in Nashville was an historic moment in our history, and a new beginning for the future. Glenn Wintemberg, NACP National President comments:

"Sometimes we get caught up in the mechanisms of what we do and lose sight of the cross. At our NACP meeting a newly created eight-foot cross stood at the front of the room. It was there as a visible reminder to us of the real reason we come together as men, to grow spiritually ourselves so that we might help others know our savior."

United Methodist Men:
Men growing in Christ, that others may know Christ.

WesleyMen is underway, and you can join the movement! Check out this new way to explaining discipling men in the local church:

The life of the disciple-making ministry to men in any church can be seen in four “phases.” Each phase is related to the others, but no phase is wholly dependent on the others. As you look at this structure below, identify the areas of strength and weakness in your own church’s approach to discipling your men.

Phase One: Strategy. Develop an intentional strategy to disciple the men in your church. A solid model will utilize every activity and program the church offers to show men the gospel and help them grow into mature Christians. In the United Methodist Church, we have adopted the No Man Left Behind Model from Man in the Mirror precisely because it focuses not on creating a bunch of new programs, but on maximizing the present opportunities first, and then adding activities where needed.

Phase Two: Discipling Leaders. Too often, we put our most mature men to work without making sure that they are continuing to grow spiritually. Our partners at Wesleyan Building Brothers provide a yearlong curriculum for a team of committed disciples that helps them grow personally and prepares them to disciple others. Make sure your best guys don’t get used up!

Phase Three: Engaging Men. Many men in the church are just “going through the motions.” They are hungry for something that will show them the relevance of the gospel and the church to their every day lives. The Walk to Emmaus offers an intense weekend retreat experience for men who seek to be spiritual leaders and grow in Christ. For men starting on their spiritual journey, Man in the Mirror offers Success That Matters, a Friday night/Saturday morning event for men. Both events will channel men into discussion groups during the event, and small groups afterwards.

Phase Four: Reaching out. Use a non-threatening outreach event to draw men from your community into the church. Letters from Dad events meet a felt need of all men – leaving a legacy for your family and loved ones. A simple barbeque kickoff will lead to new men returning to your church for several weeks for fellowship and focusing on what is most important to them, all in the context of writing letters to those they may leave behind.

We encourage UMM leaders to take these crucial steps within every UMC conference:

1. Get the books “No Man Left Behind” and “Spiritual Fathers.” Read them yourself, and get them into the hands of as many lay and clergy leaders - as soon as you can.
2. Schedule at least one No Man Left Behind training event in every conference, and work with a larger UM congregation to host it. Best is the full 2 ½ day course. A one day mini course is also available.
3. Schedule a Wesleyan Building Brothers leader training event called WBB Male Leadership Experience. Generate clergy interest with the 6 hour WBB Clergy Overview. (Requires the support of your bishop.)
4. Schedule at least one Letters from Dad event in your conference to create new interest and momentum reaching men.

Our ministry partners are booking and holding events and training right now, nationwide. Leaders committed to reaching every Methodist man in their church and community are already recognizing the value of this investment. We have only partnered with nonprofit ministries that have high quality material. Each of our ministry partners has a UMM contact leader ready to help you join God's movement of men. Don't wait; make contact soon. Read these exciting reports from them:

“So far in 2007, six United Methodist churches have scheduled regional No Man Left Behind Conferences. These UMC hosted events will be held in Cary, NC, Houston, Dallas, North Alabama, and in Louisiana. A successful NMLB training event was recently held at Christ UMC in Jackson, MS. In addition, hundreds of leaders have purchased the No Man Left Behind book for themselves and their pastors. I'm excited about the eagerness I'm seeing in pastors and leaders to see their men make Christ real in their lives.”

Bob Keiderling, Man in the Mirror - www.maninthemirror.org
bobkeiderling@maninthemirror.org - (407) 472-2122

Wesleyan Building Brothers started last summer in Nashville, and this January in Kansas. Congregations in Louisiana and Kansas now have Wesleyan Bands of Brothers meeting. 11 key cities nationwide have high interest in holding MLE training events. Most events are targeted for the August - November 2007 timeframe.
Christian Hawkins, Building Brothers -  www.buildingbrothers.org/wbb
christian@buildingbrothers.org - (970) 402-2571

Letters From Dad is raging throughout the UMC, reaching literally thousands of men for Christ. "It has been exciting...Since July '06 we have had 41 United Methodist churches kickoff. We have had 20 more churches sign up sign up since July '06 and many will be kicking off within the next 5 months. We have had an additional 70 churches contact us. By the Fall, more than 2500 men will have experienced Letters from Dad. The testimonies that have poured out of the churches are incredible."
Monte Strother, Letters From Dad - www.lettersfromdad.com
monte@lettersfromdad.com - (800) 527-4014 x314

WesleyMen is underway, and you can join the movement. Each of our ministry partners has a UMM contact leader ready to help you join God's movement of men. Don't wait; make contact soon.

MEN'S MINISTRY SPECIALIST [MMS] UPDATE

Much work has been underway behind the scenes on the Men's Ministry Specialist program. For those of you who have already expressed interest and commitment to become MMS, your patience and prayers are appreciated. It will be worth the wait!

It is an honor to work alongside all of you who have a heart for ministry to men.  God is with us!

Your Brother in Christ,
Larry Malone, Director, UMMen Ministries / GCUMM

For Your Entertainment: The "Wonder Twins"

Man in the Mirror’s own David Delk and Brett Clemmer have made their YouTube debut. Check out their brief “Wonder Twins” clip on YouTube. Click here to see the video. Please share this with others who have good taste in online movies, and keep checking back for more cinematic ‘masterpieces’ in the weeks to come.

For Your Women: Something That Lasts Longer Than a Flower

The Mission Mother’s Day Book Giveaway is now in its fourth year of reaching women in churches around the country. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) has joined the program as a partner this year. Don’t forget to order books for all the women in your church this Mother’s Day. Remember: if you just give them flowers, they’ll be dead in a week (the flowers, that is). For about $1 each, you can give them Becoming a Women of Prayer, Five Star Families or pick from a half dozen other titles. Go to the Mission Mother’s Day website to order today.

On second thought, you might want to give them a flower and a book.

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Reach More Men: Pass it Along

Is there some interesting fact or thought-provoking idea in this e-mail? Don’t keep it to yourself! Why not forward this e-mail along to some other men in your church? We want as many people as possible to own the vision of reaching every man in America with a credible offer of the gospel and

the resources to grow. Click Forward on your e-mail handler, or use the link in the footer of the e-mail. Thanks!

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Train Your Men: Men’s Seminars

All around the country, churches are hosting men’s seminars. At Success That Matters, Rewired, Seven Seasons of a Man’s Life, Dads That Make a Difference, men are hearing the Word, accepting and rededicating their lives to Christ, and joining six-week small groups. Pray for the events being held this month in Ohio - Tennessee - Georgia - Florida - California - South Dakota - North Carolina - Montana – Virginia. Then, think about hosting one in your church.

Click here for locations and details.

Train Your Leaders: Men’s Ministry Conferences Near You!

Teach Your Men: Help Them Learn How to Share the Gospel

Studying the Personalizing the Great Commission Group Study, your men will pray for 3 men to come to Christ; learn to give a 3-minute testimony; learn how to tell the Gospel story; find out it’s easier than they think! Call 800-929-2536 to order or available online by going to www.maninthemirror.org.

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