news article
From the Advocate: Man Church ‘existed for the season that God needed it to exist’
March 1, 2016 / By Drew Griffin
Click below to read the full Advocate online.
So there I was, sitting at charge conference, when our then district superintendent, the Rev. Dave Masland, presented this idea about new faith communities. As I listened to him describe this concept, it occurred to me that this is exactly what I had started in Tioga Center.
You see, about a year before, some young men in our community weighed heavily on my heart; they needed a safe place where they could talk about God, their challenges as teenagers, and how it all fits together. I tried a couple of traditional youth group models – I even tried to do a couple of youth studies based on popular secular novels.
Well, all of my ideas fell short.
Then, with a little nudging from the Holy Spirit, it occurred to me that sports were a common interest for all of these young men. After receiving this divine intervention, I presented the idea to some of my mature Christian friends to get feedback. After having this idea positively affirmed by several friends, I got my final confirmation at a football game one Friday evening. This came in the form of one of the young men reaching out to me as I walked by, asking when we could get together again and play some ball. I was blown away; here was this teenager talking to an old guy like me in front of his friends that didn’t even know me, and he wasn’t even embarrassed.
That was it. I was convinced this was something that I had to do. So I found an available gym and started Man Church. Every Sunday night, approximately a dozen of us would gather at this gym and play basketball, share some food, and talk about the week. After we finished playing, I would read to them from the Bible and share a message as to how the passage could help them with their daily lives. We had a pretty consistent group of approximately four adults in their 40s, two to three in their 20s, and six young men still in high school. Occasionally, we would have others join us too.
It was quite a mixed group – some were United Methodists, some were Baptists, a couple were Mormons, and some had no church connection. Unfortunately, after a little more than three years, Man Church ended. At first, I was very upset thinking that it and I were failures. But then, as I reflected and prayed, I realized that it was a season and that Man Church existed for the season that God needed it to exist.
You see, a couple of things happened all at once. All of my high school boys graduated, and we lost access to the gym at the very same time. However, that doesn’t change the fact that lifelong relationships were made and that lives were changed for the better. And, most importantly, we all grew in our faith and our personal relationships with Jesus Christ.
One of the best moments I had occurred when I was giving one of the young men a ride home. He confided in me about a time when he felt that God had spoken to him. He told me about a party he had been invited to and was about to attend, but at the last minute, he felt a strong urging that he shouldn’t go. The next day, he learned that there had been underage drinking and illicit drug use at this party, and the police were called. As an aspiring Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) candidate hoping for a military career, if he had been caught there, this would’ve ended his chance to be an officer.
This touched me on two levels: That he felt safe enough to tell me about this and, more importantly, that he had heard God! I also learned from Rev. Masland that Man Church inspired other new faith communities that were also based on common interests. So, even though Man Church ended, it was not a failure – it was a success! New disciples were made, and God was glorified.
So, when you’re thinking about new faith communities, don’t be boxed in by what you consider “church” to be. Let the Spirit move you, and think outside the box; or better yet, think outside the walls – your church walls that is. A good friend of mine once said that church is the only institution created for the people who aren’t there yet. This should be our mantra for new faith communities. We need to create sacred spaces that are safe for those that won’t attend traditional church so that they, too, can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You don’t need paid clergy, and you don’t need a big fancy building. All you need is faith, a servants’ heart, and some inspiration from the Holy Spirit!
I still hope that a new season will come again for Man Church, but until then, I will faithfully serve where God leads me.
Drew Griffin is the Binghamton District Lay Leader.