Men of Action 2012

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Break Free • 8-9 PK Events re-engineered for a fresh focus and even better results Tama Tane Malosi - Mighty Men of Valour • 3 First ever Samoan Language Event Refreshed & Released •5 New Pastors’ Conference and Breakout Ministry with Men Webinars • 7 New Webinars launched During Hitler’s fire-bombing blitz on London during World War II my family were bombed out of their home and they moved to a council estate in Dagenham, where I was born. Down the road lived Twiggy, the world famous fashion model, and round the corner was the comedian Dudley Moore. Terry Venables, who became a well known football manager, was “one of the boys”. My family were not Christians and I grew up being told that “seeing is believing”. So anything relating to God or the supernatural was not part of our worldview. Some years later when I became a Christian, it never dawned on me that the Bible was telling me something quite different. I assumed that when Jesus walked on water there must have been a sand bar under His feet. Brian France Continued on page 4 When He fed the 5,000, the loaves and fishes must have provoked the people to get out their sandwiches. When He restored sight to the blind, well, I never worked that one out and I never thought the day would come when I would receive a miracle. I was serving as a Platoon Commander in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s during the time of the “Troubles” when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was endeavouring by force of terrorism to have the six Northern Counties reunited with the rest of Ireland. Two-thirds of the people didn’t want reunification and so the terrorism with its bombings, snipers, petrol bombs, sectarian murders, kneecappings and bloodshed continued. The Royal Air Force Regiment had been deployed in Northern Ireland as part of the peacekeeping forces for some years and this was my third tour of duty there. I was now responsible for the security of the Walled City of Londonderry. It was early March, the weather was cold and damp, but I felt no sympathy for my men who were on the streets providing mobile and standing patrols. They searched cars and pedestrians alike, looking for weapons and explosives, whilst all the time running the risk of sniper fire, petrol bombs and stone- throwing mobs. They were on duty twelve to fourteen hours a day in all weathers and stoically did everything that was asked of them. Saturday morning dawned fine and clear. The city was in the process of coming to life, shops were starting to open, people were beginning to move around, and then the bombs started to explode. By the time the third bomb had detonated and three buildings had been destroyed, leaving a number of casualties, I realised the IRA were targeting my sector and were looking to give us a real

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Promise Keepers NZ publication for men

Transcript of Men of Action 2012

Page 1: Men of Action 2012

Break Free • 8-9PK Events re-engineered for a fresh focus and even better results

Tama Tane Malosi - Mighty Men of Valour • 3

First ever Samoan Language Event

Refreshed & Released•5 New Pastors’ Conference and Breakout

Ministry with Men Webinars • 7New Webinars launched

During Hitler’s fire-bombing blitz on London during World War II my family were bombed out of their home and they moved to a council estate in Dagenham, where I was born. Down the road lived Twiggy, the world famous fashion model, and round the corner was the comedian Dudley Moore. Terry Venables, who became a well known football manager, was “one of the boys”.

My family were not Christians and I grew up being told that “seeing is believing”. So anything relating to God or the supernatural was not part of our worldview. Some years later when I became a Christian, it never dawned on me that the Bible was telling me something quite different. I assumed that when Jesus walked on water there must have been a sand bar under His feet.

Brian France

Continued on page 4

When He fed the 5,000, the loaves and fishes must have provoked the people to get out their sandwiches. When He restored sight to the blind, well, I never worked that one out and I never thought the day would come when I would receive a miracle.

I was serving as a Platoon Commander in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s during the time of the “Troubles” when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was endeavouring by force of terrorism to have the six Northern Counties reunited with the rest of Ireland. Two-thirds of the people didn’t want reunification and so the terrorism with its bombings, snipers, petrol bombs, sectarian murders, kneecappings and bloodshed continued.

The Royal Air Force Regiment had been deployed in Northern Ireland as part of the peacekeeping forces for some years and this was my third tour of duty there.

I was now responsible for the security of the Walled City of Londonderry. It was early March, the weather was cold and damp, but I felt no sympathy for my men who were on the streets providing mobile and standing patrols. They searched cars and pedestrians alike, looking for weapons and explosives, whilst all the time running the risk of sniper fire, petrol bombs and stone-throwing mobs. They were on duty twelve to fourteen hours a day in all weathers and stoically did everything that was asked of them.

Saturday morning dawned fine and clear. The city was in the process of coming to life, shops were starting to open, people were beginning to move around, and then the bombs started to explode. By the time the third bomb had detonated and three buildings had been destroyed, leaving a number of casualties, I realised the IRA were targeting my sector and were looking to give us a real

Page 2: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION2

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2012. The year of new initiatives for Promise Keepers!

We live in a constantly changing world. To remain strong and relevant, as a ministry we need to adjust to that change.

After 18 years of Promise Keepers in New Zealand, as a Board we felt it was time for a complete and extensive review of everything we do and how we do it to ensure we remain relevant and effective for the future.

It was a case of not merely fine tuning the engine but rebuilding the car from the ground up!

This process was both challenging and exciting. As a result we have seen multiple new initiatives start and develop. A number of these new initiatives are revealed and explained in this issue of Men of Action.

For some years we have been urged to hold a Samoan-speaking Promise Keepers Event so that language did not become a barrier to Samoan men who struggle with English. This year we are holding the inaugural Tama Tane Malosi (Mighty Men of Valour) Event in Auckland. If you know any Samoan men - this is their time, this is their Event!

This year, not only will we have a separate Refreshed & Released pastors’ ministry breakout at each Event, but we have also held a Refreshed & Released pastors’ conference for the first time. We believe it is crucial to do whatever we can to assist pastors, as they are at the forefront of the spiritual battle and need all the support and encouragement that we can give. The desire to support pastors was at the heart of this conference.

It has been absolutely amazing to see the results achieved through developments in Coaching since November 2011 which are now reflected in the new Men’s Ministry webinar series. You can read more about this on page 7. The results from the first series have been profound and highly significant. The next webinar series will be held in October. Put the dates in your Men’s Ministry calendar now!

Finally, dramatic changes have been made to the format of the Promise Keepers Break Free Events this year. It is always difficult to change something that has been so effective and successful in the past. However as we looked ahead to the next five years, we felt it was important to focus on building the impact and

effectiveness of these Events, and of course the relevance to the next generation.

Considerable thought, effort and prayer have gone into these changes which will be evident from the first Event in Christchurch from 24-25 August. If you have friends who haven’t been or haven’t been for a while, why not invite them to come with you to experience God in a new and fresh way?

Our vision and purpose and remain clear: to see men transformed throughout New Zealand, and indeed the world, through the power of God. God bless

THE 7 PROMISES OF A PROMISE KEEPER

A Promise Keeper is committed to...

1Honouring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.

3 Practicing spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity.

4 Building strong marriages and families through love, protection, and biblical values.

5 Supporting the mission of his church by honouring and praying for his pastor and by actively giving his time and resources.

6 Reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.

7 Influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Plumbline for Life

I n t o d a y ’ s w o r l d we have access to more technological toys giving us more information than at any other time in history. Unfortunately this technology and information overload can distract and divert us, leading us to live superficial lives.

What is our purpose in life? Where are we going? How do we live lives that leave a lasting legacy of influence and impact?

God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It is our GPS. Unfortunately, we often don’t switch this GPS on or load in a destination!

With the busyness of today’s life, many men want a quick reference guidel ine for l iving, to keep them on track as they walk through a challenging culture, so that they can protect and preserve their spiritual dest iny and leave a powerful legacy for the next generation.

This is the purpose of the 7 Promises of a Promise Keeper. They are designed to provide a quick reference plumbline for every area of a man’s life.

These promises he lp k e e p u s f o c u s s e d on the most important foundations for our life, our relationships. Firstly, our relationship with God, then our family and ultimately those around us. We cannot afford to fail at these relationships, as failure affects not only our own lives but those near and dear to us. The 7 Promises encourage us to examine our hearts and make the adjustments necessary to preserve those relationships. Our heart is vitally important, as it reveals our motivations and ultimately determines our actions.

We believe God is looking for faithful men, men who do what they say they will do. The guideline of the 7 Promises reminds us as men to be faithful, to be men of our word, men of integrity.

T h e r e w a r d i s a meaningful life, being a worthy example and model of what it means to be a man after God’s own heart, fulfilling all that we have been called to be and ultimately hearing those words “well done good and faithful servant”.

You can be that man. Why not start today? Look on the 7 Promises of a Promise Keeper as a plumbline for your life. Evaluate where you are, establish what needs to be adjusted and live it out - then you can go on to fulfil your purpose and destiny.

From Paul’s Desk

Paul Subritzky National Director

Page 3: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION 3

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O le Promise Keepers o se faalapotopotoga ua lauiloa I le lalolagi I galuega fesoasoani mo le itupa o alii ina ia avea I latou o ni tama tane malolosi I le itu faaleaiga, faaleagaga, galuega, aemaise o ekalesia.

Tavale’s VisionThere have been many requests to have

a Promise Keepers Event in the Samoan language. Pastor Tavale Matai’a is involved because he says, “This Event will help us work together across the denominations and be unifying for men.”

Tavale has seen the benefits of Promise Keepers to him as a leader and to his ministry. The resources for Ministry with Men have also been a benefit.

“The issues men face are addressed at PK. There are also cultural issues, for example, it is not a Samoan thing for a man to say to his wife, ‘I love you’. Appreciating and honouring women is a very healthy thing coming out of this forum,” Tavale says.

Tavale expects many positive outcomes for every church represented at the Events. Often the women are at the forefront of church projects but the men are in the background not really contributing. Promise Keepers helps men to realise that they need to take responsibility and help the church. Also the area of discipleship is important.

Promise Keepers also involves the different generations. Tavale believes when the older men become enthusiastic, that captivates the younger generation and gets them involved.

While hundreds of Samoans have been able to participate in Promise Keepers Events over the last 18 years, Samoan-speaking men have not been able to access the transformational messages, and experience what Promise Keepers offers men.

Every year throughout New Zealand thousands of men come together at the Events, which are held in the main cities, where they are given many skills and biblical principles to help them become godly husbands and great leaders in the family.

This year, from 27-28 July, Promise Keepers will be hosting its first conference in the Samoan language. Pastor Tavale Matai’a and Pastor Lui Ponifasio, who are members of the PKNZ Board, are spearheading this exciting

initiative. Many of the Samoan speakers, musicians and

singers who have been on the platform at Events will now be leading Tama Tane Malosi in their own language.

The special Promise Keepers dynamic of bringing men together from many different churches and denominations for a masculine event will be part of Tama Tane Malosi.

Currently the PKNZ Board is working closely together with many other Samoan pastors and churches right across Auckland to help build up men in their respective churches to be mighty men of valour and integrity.Please encourage any Samoan men you know to be involved in this unique event.

Speakers include: Tavale Matai’a, Iliafi Esera, Kuki Aloalii and Lui Ponifasio.

O le taua o le mafuta o alii o se avanoa lelei e faailoa atu ai i tama e mafai ona iai se suiga lelei o lona aiga I le va ma lona toalua aemaise o le fanau. One of the greatest things about men getting together is that it provides an opportunity for men to realise they can make a change in their lives that will impact their family, especially the relationship with their wife.

Pastor Faasoo Auvaa

O koneferenisi e pei o le Promise Keepers o se tapenaga e faamalosia ma unaina ai alii ma tane ina ia savavali mo le Atua. E ese le lagona e te maua mai ai, e le pei o se sauniga lotu. Events like Promise Keepers are great to encourage men to keep walking for God. It is very different from a church setting and it is encouraging to see all those men worshipping God. P Wilson

E faapefea ona avea au o se tama lelei ma se toalua lelei. E faapea ona ou tausia ma aoaoina si au fanau i ni auala lelei. E faapefea ona ou tuuina atu se taimi e faaalu i lou toalua ma lau fanau. Ia avea au o se tama e tausi ma faamaoni i lana upu ma ana folafolaga fai i lona aiga. How to be a good husband and father. How to be creative in raising my children. How to pay attention to my wife and kids. To be a man of his word – integrity. J Aiga

Auckland 27-28 July 2012

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pasting. As these bombs continued to explode, houses and shops were damaged or destroyed and people were killed or injured. By the time we got to bomb number five, we were really into the swing of it. As unexploded bombs were discovered, my men cordoned off the area and called the Bomb Disposal Squad. In dealing with the aftermath of bomb explosions they did what they could for the injured and kept people from entering damaged buildings.

I was alerted to unexploded bomb number six by a radio message from our control room through the radio receiver in my right ear. My senior sergeant and I made our way to where we were told it was located. Taking a short cut through a line of terraced shops and houses and entering a bakery by the back door, I found myself in an empty room about four metres square. In front of me was a counter and I was looking out through the front windows of the bakery at a line of terraced houses set at 90 degrees to where I was standing. The front doors of these houses opened directly onto the street, and every door was ajar with a person’s head peering around it, apparently looking at me.

It took a second or two for me to realise that what they were actually looking at was the shop I was standing in, waiting for a bomb that had been planted to explode. I turned to my left and was going to shout “get out” to my senior sergeant who was coming in behind me. I never quite spoke those words, as at that instant an estimated fifteen pounds of high explosive went off a metre behind me.

In a flash, my entire world was dominated by the exploding bomb, as the sound of it momentarily became my whole existence. The detonation completely demolished the room I was in, stripping the linings off the walls, bringing down the ceiling and blasting a large hole in the floor. It picked me up in its destructive grip, endeavouring to destroy me as it hurled me out the front of the bakery, along with a mass of debris.

The force of the blast threw me about eight metres from where I had been standing and I found myself lying on the road at the front of the shop with bricks, smashed wooden beams and a mass of rubble around and over me. The front doors of the houses now opened and people came out towards me. I knew I was badly injured and one of two things was about to happen. If these people now coming towards me were IRA sympathisers they would complete the work the bomb had started. If

not, they would offer assistance; it was a 50/50 chance. Thankfully they picked me up and I was draped over the shoulders of two burly Irishmen who took me to one of our Standing Patrols some distance down the street. My men applied field dressings to the worst of my injuries and called an ambulance which took both me and my senior sergeant to the Londonderry General Hospital.

Fortunately I was wearing a flak jacket made up of laminated layers of fibreglass with a green nylon cover.

The jacket’s function was to protect my vital organs of heart, lungs,

kidneys etc. That’s exactly what it did. The nylon outer covering was vaporised by the explosion and the back and sides of the jacket were impregnated with pieces of steel, wood and concrete flak that the bomb had unleashed at me. Undoubtedly the jacket saved my life, and had I not been wearing it, the outcome would have been very different.

The end result of being blown up was that I was

invalided out of the RAF with no hearing, and legs that didn’t work properly because they were full of shrapnel. Walking was painful, with hundreds of tiny pieces of metal in my muscles, knees and ankle joints. My hearing was so bad as to be non-existent. When I asked to have hearing aids I was told, “Sorry fella, you don’t have enough hearing to amplify; they’ll do you no good. So get used to being profoundly deaf. That’s how you’re going to spend your life”.

I came to New Zealand and for three years lip-read and guessed my way through conversations with

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“umm”, “well I never!” and “is that so?” being my major contributions. I refused a wheelchair and did all I could to get my legs functioning again.

One sunny day I was shopping in Darfield and bumped into a small group of Christian street evangelists, who on discovering I was deaf, asked if they could pray for my hearing. Don’t forget, I was brought up with the understanding that “seeing is believing” - but I figured that I couldn’t hear now, so they couldn’t do me any harm. I’d let them give it a go.

I went with them to a nearby house, into the lounge, where they sat me in a chair and prayed for my hearing to be restored. Absolutely nothing happened and I went to bed that night as deaf as I had ever been. However, in the morning I was awakened by the ticking of a small electric clock that sat on my bedside table. I leapt out of bed with incredible relief, realising that I could hear and the deafness nightmare was over. This was a life-transforming moment.

God’s healing power had restored the damage the explosion had caused and it changed my life. I went from being largely unemployable, depressed, non-productive and feeling useless, to suddenly having a full life again, apart from my legs which only functioned with considerable pain.

A week or so later, I was again shopping in Darfield and bumped into the same group of Christians. I told them of my healing and thanked them profusely for praying for me. They jumped around shouting “Hallelujah!” and “Praise the Lord!” We chatted for a few minutes and were about to part when I had a sudden thought. They had prayed for my hearing and it had been restored,

what if they were to pray for the pain in my legs? They enthusiastically agreed to do this and took me to the same house, into the same room and sat me in the same chair. Placing their hands upon my legs they asked the Lord

Jesus to remove the pain. As they prayed I felt the pain drain down my legs and out of my feet. I have had no pain in my legs since.

God really got my attention that day, and I realised that the “seeing is believing” worldview on which I had been brought up was false. I now realised that what the Bible says is true, that “believing is seeing”. If we want to minister in miracles, we must first accept that God is a supernatural God of miracles, just like the Bible says.

Brian France is the Coaching Director for PKNZ. His passion is to see the men of New Zealand encouraged and inspired to become the men that God designed them to be, reaching their full potential in Christ Jesus. Brian will be speaking at this year’s Break Free Events.

Is Seeing Believing? Continued from page 1

The detonation completely demolished the room I was in

PHOTOS: Belfast,Charles TANKBOY Knight

Page 5: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION 5

“There will be plenty of time to share and get ideas from others attending. There will be opportunity for you to ask questions and interact, as well as times of prayer as we seek God together and also receive prayer. I will give you some keys that I have learned that will encourage you and help you win the battle, and see your church grow stronger.”

Key Benefits:

• Fellowship with other pastors

• Personal ministry

• A touch from God to help you in difficult situations

• Healing and restoration

• Resources

“...So that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Refreshed & Released ministry to pastors is an ongoing Promise Keepers initiative. It follows the first pastors’ conference in June 2012. At Break Free there will be Refreshed & Released pastors’ breakouts which will be focused on care and personal ministry for pastors.

Geoff Wiklund has a heart to see pastors who are struggling healed, and to bring a spark of encouragement to their ministry. Refreshed & Released will give tools to encourage and equip pastors. It will be a time to grow together and come to a great place in God.

Geoff says, “Refreshed & Released is designed to assist you as the pastor to be more effective in your role. As I minister in many churches and speak with other pastors at events, I see that many pastors find their role is no longer enjoyable. I want to address some of the problems we pastors face. More than half our number do not continue in the ministry.

Pastors who attended Refreshed & Released Pastors’ Conference commented…Pastors standing for prayer at Promise Keepers.

Pastors on stage being prayed for by the men at Promise Keepers.

Acts 3:19

PK Promise #5 A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honouring and praying for his pastor and by actively giving his time and resources.

This time has been significant. Giving out, dealing with people/issues is draining. Having time to sit under good, easy to listen to, solid teaching strengthened by personal experiences has been very encouraging. The style, openness and honesty of how things were presented was excellent. Thanks for sharing the years of knowledge. Andrew Time of prophecy, prayer and encouragement

absolutely amazing. I have never experienced this before. Anon

Thank you for the initiative and heart to put this together. Personally I have benefited,

feeling strengthened and encouraged. Also the aspect of getting alongside others in leadership and sharing with each other has great value. Steve

The PK Refreshed & Released Conference has been a very beneficial and impacting event for me personally. God has used it to re-vision and encourage my ministry in a powerful way. I recommend it to any minister as a catalyst tool to revitalise, refresh and refocus on the things that will enhance your personal, family and ministry life in God. Dave

Page 6: Men of Action 2012

Gary Fursdon – Field RepPromise Keepers has been at the core of me coming back to Christ. I went to the Event in 1997 [The Making of a Godly Man] when it was at the Walter Nash Stadium. Ever since then there has been something about it that has hooked me and really it has been central to my growth as a man of God. For that reason I very seriously believe in the concept of Field Reps, because there is someone out in the regions who can be a link or a linchpin for local churches to get in touch with regarding Men’s Ministry. It means that there is not that delay in waiting for someone to help out or give advice, or just to bounce ideas off, because that is what we can do. We can come in wherever you are at; we can add value to what you are doing. The whole idea is to build men for Christ. It’s not about building ministries - it’s about building men so that they can reach men for Christ.

I live in Upper Hutt. I was born in Auckland and my parents moved down to Maungaraki in Lower Hutt before I was a year old. I first met Jesus Christ through my friends. They took me along to a Boys Rally, which is a Brethren organisation, and at the age of 12 I gave my life to Christ at one of their regional camps. Unfortunately, when I was 20 I walked away and didn’t walk with Him for another 17 years. In 1997 I gave my heart back to Christ.

At the church we are in at the moment, I’m leading the Men’s Ministry. We are following the guidelines from Promise Keepers. We have been working on that for just on two years now, so it’s starting to grow, it’s

starting to build.

Gary is a Field Rep for Promise Keepers, based in the lower North Island. He has been the manager of a supermarket for 24 years and is happily married with two children, three stepchildren and four grandchildren.

MEN OF ACTION6

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CoachingThe All Blacks are world champions, and it is

their coach who made the difference. Without a skilled coach they could have been also-rans. World champions don’t just happen; they are made through world-class coaching.

Do you want your Men’s Ministry team to be winners, just like the All Blacks? Then get the best Coach available. Promise Keepers can offer your Men’s Ministry a powerful dynamic where experienced Coaches come alongside pastors, Men’s Ministry leaders and their teams. At a modest cost Promise Keepers will provide a valuable service of advice and encouragement. This will put in place a strong foundation and ongoing support.

“Coaching is one of the best investments our church has ever made. The step-by-step advice I have received so far has been amazing. Why reinvent the wheel of Men’s Ministry when Promise Keepers already leads the way?” Peter Coaching is designed to bring a strategic focus that

will develop and grow a church’s Men’s Ministry, helping to give it structure, direction and a godly underpinning. The Coach is also a facilitator and sounding board for suggestions and ideas on an ongoing basis.

Men are not interested in failure, they want to be successful. Men are challenge-driven; they want to rise up and conquer the challenges, achieving the goals that have been set. The Coach can help meet the challenges and help strategise the way forward so that men can succeed. The greater the challenge, the higher men will rise to overcome the obstacles.

A single man alone can only achieve so much, but

when men are working together as a team and going in the same direction they can achieve so much more.

“Before we had Promise Keepers Coaching we found that as a team we weren’t heading in one direction... Now the whole team has a single focus. We have synergy amongst the members and we are heading in the same direction.” Wayne Promise Keepers’ survey results reveal that the

greatest desire of men in the church today is to grow spiritually. The desire is there, but in many churches the process is not. Sometimes there is no structure available to develop men’s spirituality or to grow men into leaders. Men want the revelations of Christianity to propel them forward spiritually. This will enable them to grow into the mature men of God they were designed to be. Coaching will help to ensure that ongoing spiritual growth is the norm for your Men’s Ministry.

Men’s Ministry leaders usually have great enthusiasm and drive. They may not have a lot of experience in building and leading a team or in organising the planning meetings that are needed to strategically grow a Men’s Ministry. Coaching can help ensure that the administrative side of the ministry is well structured and goal-orientated.

Once a church decides on Coaching, a contract is established and regular contact initiated. The cost of the Coaching is met in part by the church with the balance subsidised by Promise Keepers.

To get started, or for more information contact Brian at Promise Keepers on 0800 PROMISE (776647) or [email protected]

A Positive Way Forward for Men’s Ministry

Field RepsPromise Keepers Field Representatives have proven ability in succeeding in Ministry with Men. They are all volunteers with diverse life and career experience, who are committed to seeing growth in Ministry with Men and are willing to share from their experience.

Page 7: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION 7

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Creative use of web boosts course participation nationwideOver the last couple of months Promise Keepers has run an amazing Men’s Ministry course via webinar. This type of web seminar is broadcast via the internet so it can be viewed from any computer, whether at home or at church. It is an ideal set up for Men’s Ministry teams to participate as groups.

Comments and feedback were given and received from Promise Keepers and participants. Participants contributed ideas via the chat function. These ideas were monitored and discussed from the studio and feedback was given by the Promise Keepers team. Some questions were also answered by other participants via the chat text box, which quickly grew a sense of community. Men nationwide were all in the same conversation.

Selected groups from Kaitaia to Gore were also brought in to the webinar via Skype video so that all the viewers could see a typical Men’s Ministry team discussing the course questions with the presenters in the studio.

“REALLY appreciated the webinar. A fantastic way to get the info and contacts.” Karl, CityLife Christian Centre

Many pastors and Men’s Ministry leaders are looking for the key that will unlock an enthusiastic and vibrant Men’s Ministry. Statistics show that as a Men’s Ministry grows, so does the church, with 93% of new Christian men bringing their families into the life of their church. This expands the church’s resources, both skill-wise and financially. The webinar course equips men with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully promote and run a dynamic and power-filled Men’s Ministry.

“The webinar transformed the church leaders’ thinking and elevated Men’s Ministry to a recognised status, including giving us a budget. Thrilled with how it’s going.” Damien, Bethlehem Baptist

The webinar topics have been carefully thought through to provide a foundation upon which to build an effective and powerful Men’s Ministry. The webinar starts with the concept of creating a compelling vision and an effective strategy that links the Men’s Ministry’s activities together. This enables the momentum from events to be captured, so it does not dissipate as sometimes happens. The aim is for Men’s Ministry to involve all the men of the church, encouraging them to participate in this vital part of church life.

Having one man head up a Men’s Ministry is a recipe for failure. The webinar sets out the importance of a team and explains why having a cohesive team is so important.

“...the team are really on board with their roles... [Men’s Ministry leaders’] workload reduced.” Damien, Bethlehem Baptist

“[The group dynamic] has initiated new thoughts and directions.” Bill, Spreydon Baptist

To maximise the effect of the webinar, it is best to gather as many men as possible and have them participate in the webinar as a group. Groups can watch the webinar on a large TV screen or use a data projector. This way group interaction can happen, ideas are brainstormed, the men can process information together and discuss how to apply it.

Promise Keepers has kept the cost of the webinar to a low $99 per church for all four sessions. These can be viewed as many times as necessary by all the men in your group.

To register for the next webinar phone the Promise Keepers office on 0800 PROMISE (776647) or go to www.promisekeepers.org.nz to the online shop.

Next webinar series: Tues 16 October, 30 October, 13 November, 27 November

“[Promise Keepers] did SUCH a good job. I am most impressed with [the] knowledge, tact and encouragement.” Karl, CityLife Christian Centre

“Men’s Ministry on Wednesday night showed a huge positive shift.” Wayne, Leeston New Life

“Overall impression... incredibly professional. Very well produced. More than the content per se, it has inspired me to think big.” Michael, Elim Christian Centre - South

Get connected, get empowered, get online

Live in studio with green screen.

Page 8: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION8

A dramatic change of venue will give the Break Free 2012 Promise Keepers Event in Auckland a different look and feel, as well as opening up a range of new opportunities.

Moving to the Victory Convention Centre brings Promise Keepers close to Westhaven and the vibrant new Wynyard Quarter. The Victory Convention Centre has just undergone a multi-million dollar redevelopment and upgrade as part of the Victoria Park tunnel project. New side rooms overlooking Westhaven have been added as well as a cafe area, outdoor decks, plaza and new church offices. A new 300 space secure car parking building is in place.

National Director Paul Subritzky says, “Promise Keepers had a great experience at Telstra Pacific Stadium, but we expect to be able to deliver a better overall Event at the Victory Convention Centre”.

Key features include:• Same seating capacity as Telstra Pacific (in

excess of 2,700) • All seats are now forward facing and upholstered.• Good onsite parking capacity at the same cost

as previous venue. Many other commercial parking sites nearby as well as street parking. Detailed parking information will be available before the Event.

• There are many recreational facilities in the adjacent area including Westhaven, Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter, Viaduct Basin and Victoria Park (including an excellent skate park).

• Many local food options as well as outdoor space to self cater.

• Located in Central Auckland on SH1 Northern Motorway with good transport connections.

• One of the largest church auditoriums in Auckland with outstanding architectural design and acoustics. In-house technical facilities almost eliminate the hiring in of sound, lighting, projection and staging.

The change of venue is one way that Promise Keepers is responding more f lexibly to a changing environment while maximising great outcomes for attendees.

The Promise Keepers Break Free Event will build and strengthen a church’s Men’s Ministry in a number of ways. To start with, although the Event itself is totally organised for you, attendance at the Event has to be motivated and organised at a local church level.

This is a great opportunity to get your Men’s Ministry team functioning. They will need to consider the challenge of how to get a Group of men to the Event and then gain the most benefit from it. This is a great team-building activity. Once team members are involved they will develop their own organisational skills and appreciate the effectiveness of the team. This expertise can then be used for future Men’s Ministry events.

The team needs to encourage as many men as possible to register for the Event to create maximum momentum on their return. Remember, it’s no use telling a man something once. Most of us need to see and hear information half a dozen times before we act on it.

Attending the Event costs money. In today’s financial climate most of us are short of discretionary money. Why not start a fund now that is designed to subsidise the men of your church who genuinely cannot afford the full registration fee? This builds a sense of brotherhood and unity. This funding concept can also be used to invite men who are outside your church and for whom your men have been praying.

Accommodation is another issue that needs to be considered for those travelling from out of town. For some men, a sleeping bag at the local church hall or the arrangement of billets will suffice. For others it will be a motel unit.

It’s valuable and worth some effort to ensure that your men travel as a Group in one vehicle, if possible. This encourages men to interact and express to each other what they expect to receive from the Event, and discuss action points and highlights on their return.

Once there, make sure your Group sits together, eats together and stays together during the Event.

This is an opportunity for pastors and Men’s Ministry leaders to be with their men for a good period of time.

The Promise Keepers Event is the highlight of the year for many men. It’s a time when they are inspired and receive some great teaching. It projects them into the world of men in a way that no other event can. It engages them in concepts and encourages them to consider issues that they would not normally consider.

The Event produces enthusiasm, motivation and a

desire to do something more. So use the momentum that the Event generates to maximum effect - it is too valuable to be wasted. To capture this momentum and prevent all the effort being dissipated, a range of post-Event activities should be offered. These will need to be planned beforehand.

The Event will have bonded men together, so new Men’s Small Groups are a real possibility, whether they are open or closed. Check out resources for Men’s Ministry at the Event. There are also very good courses

that can be offered – e.g. Winning at Work & Home, Quest for Authentic Manhood and Valiant Man. A men’s breakfast, seminar or camp are examples of follow-up opportunities that can also draw in even more men, including those who didn’t go to Promise Keepers.

Promise Keepers Events can be used as an annual reinvigoration of your Ministry with Men, setting it up for a strong finish for the year and a platform for growth for the next year.

So enjoy the Event and use it as a very real part of the structure that can help to build your Men’s Ministry. Coaching is also available to assist with a customised step-by-step approach to building your Men’s Ministry. Field Representatives are here to assist you to achieve results. There are also extensive free resources and how-to information sheets available at www.promisekeepers.org.nz or call 0800 PROMISE (776647).

It projects them into the world of men in a way that no other event can

Page 9: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION 9

EVENT FEES SCHEDULE ADULTIndividual

ADULT Group

STUDENT Full Event

Super Discount (8 wks prior)Christchurch [Mon 16 July]Wellington [Mon 23 July]Auckland [Mon 13 August]

$84.00 $79.00 $59.00

Early Discount (3 wks prior)Christchurch [Mon 6 August]Wellington [Mon 27 August]Auckland [Mon 17 September]

$89.00 $84.00 $64.00

Full Rate $94.00 $89.00 $69.00Transition $20.00 $15.00Vocational Pastors’ Rate $49.00Partial Attendance Rate[Fri pm] [Sat am] [Sat pm]

$35.00Per Break

REGISTRATION OPTIONS:1. Register online at www.promisekeepers.org.nz

This reduces processing costs for Promise Keepers.2. Fax your registration with credit card details to 09 627 3526.3. Post your registration with a cheque or credit card details.Note: Registration wristband may not be swapped/shared with another person during Event.

For help with Group registrations ph 0800 PROMISE.Go to the website for updates and terms & conditions.

Promise Keepers PO Box 163083 Lynfield Auckland 1443

Ph: 0800 PROMISE (0800 776647)

www.promisekeepers.org.nzBreak Free QR Code

Powerful new changes have been developed by the program team to bring a fresh dynamic to the Break Free Events in 2012.

Some of the many changes include...

• Keynote and specialist speakers - This year will feature some keynote speakers and lots of shorter segments with specialist speakers.

• Group interaction - There will be an emphasis on processing the concepts in groups through discussion and prayer.

• Live guest appearances - Some experts will be interviewed live from their home bases around the world.

The technical team will be busier than ever

bringing you live segments and gripping videos as well as the usual quality sound and lighting. Slice of life dramas and worship will be as awesome and impacting as ever.

Break Free will continue to have the essential DNA of Promise Keepers at its core – large Events that equip and empower men through the transforming power of Jesus. The masculine spiritual experience will be as important as ever, and the way the Event is experienced will be enhanced.

The team is excited about the potential of this new format where the whole experience adds up to so much more than just the individual components.

You are invited to be part of Promise Keepers re-engineered for 2012!

BreakoutsMen experience many challenges at different

life stages. It’s not often that you find events specifically designed to equip men to capitalise on the opportunities and experience freedom. That’s why Promise Keepers puts so much energy into these specialised breakouts – because all men are important. These breakouts focus on men’s God-given potential and how to realise it.

TransitionYoung men 11-17 yearsSaturday afternoon

This is the time in your life when you are becoming your own man and making decisions that will shape who you become. You are leaving the familiar comfort zone and overcoming the issues that confront you as you pursue your God-given destiny and dreams.

“The youth elective, Transition, had some really inspirational speakers that have truly spoken wisdom into my life.” Levi

StanceYoung men 18-30 yearsSaturday afternoon

This is a critical time in every young man’s life. A time of major decisions, with an impact that will last a lifetime and determine your future. Stance will help guide you in making wise decisions to give you confidence in your direction and fulfil your purpose in life.“[Stance] changed me and I know I could feel God talking to me... and from then I knew that I was here for a purpose.” Funaki

Refreshed & ReleasedPastors & Men’s Ministry LeadersSaturday morning

Geoff Wiklund has a heart to see pastors who are struggling healed, and to bring encouragement to them. This Refreshed & Released pastors’ breakout will be a time to grow together and come to a great place in God. This will be a short sampling of the full Refreshed & Released Conferences which will be held in November 2012.

“Highlight – ministry to pastors by Geoff Wiklund in the morning on Saturday.” Steve

Thank You Promise Keepers appreciates the support of the advertisers which has made the production of this newspaper viable. Please support these advertisers and mention that you saw their promotion in Men of Action.

Men of Action published by Promise Keepers NZ PO Box 48123 Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0644Ph: 09 627 0101Email: [email protected]: John Subritzky

Editorial Assistant: Brenda ForrestAdvertising: Ray Curle, Christian Media Services Ph: 09 281 4896Design: Alistair Craig, SeriousMed.comPh: 03 455 9144, [email protected]: Gisborne HeraldCirculation: 32,000

PROMISE KEEPERS REGISTRATION FORM 2012One form per registration please. Photocopy for additional forms

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY

ID No (from your mailing label if available): ___|___|___|___|___|___

First Name:_____________________ Surname:_______________________

Address:________________________________________________________

Suburb:_________________________________________________________

City/Town:__________________________________ Postcode:___________

Phone wk: ( )________________ Phone hm: ( )___________________

Mobile:__________________________________________________________

Email:___________________________________________________________

Full name of Church attended (if any):

_________________________________________________________________

If you are on our mailing list please provide your previous address if this has changed within the last 12 months:

Address:________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

PLEASE REGISTER ME FOR:

r Christchurch 24-25 Aug 2012 r Wellington 14-15 Sep 2012 r Auckland 5-6 Oct 2012

I WISH TO ATTEND: rFull Event rFull Event + Transition rTransition Only

NB: If attending as part of a Group please provide Group/Leader names.

Group Name:____________________________________________________

Group Leader’s Name:___________________________________________

Event Fee: (see schedule / dates)Reg. Disc: rSuper rEarly rFull

Reg. Type: rIndividual rGroup

Reg. Rate: rAdult rStudent rPastor $__________

My gift to help Promise Keepers reach more men: $__________

Total: $__________I AM PAYING BY: rCheque rVisa rMastercard

Name on card:___________________________________________________

Card No: __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__

Expiry Date: ___|___ Signature:___________________________

Post or fax to: Promise Keepers, PO Box 163083, Lynfield Auckland 1443 | Fax 09 627 3526

Find Freedom Together at Promise Keepers!

Make Break Free a rallying point for the men in your church!

Go together to Promise Keepers and reap the benefits of long lasting friendships. Travelling together, spending time together and processing Break Free together will be an unforgettable experience that reignites your passion and vision.

Bring the enthusiasm back to your church from Promise Keepers. That excitement could build the Men’s Ministry and launch more Men’s Small Groups!

Get a Group together and really enjoy your experience Breaking Free!

Ideas and resources to help you organise your Group are available on the Promise Keepers website.

Break Free Men’s Events CHC 24-25 August | WLG 14-15 September | AKL 5-6 October

CHRISTCHURCH WELLINGTON AUCKLAND24-25 August 14-15 September 5-6 OctoberLa Vida Centre

34a Hansons LaneChristchurch

Lane Park16 Lane Street

Upper Hutt

Victory Convention Centre 98 Beaumont Street

Auckland City

Speakers include…Mike Connell

Mike a lways br ings b i b l i c a l t r u t h , f r e s h revelation and remarkable experience to Promise Keepers. His teaching style is a great balance of humour, compassion and truth. Be ready to find new freedom in Mike’s message.

Bishop Richard Ellena

A man with a lot of experience, especial ly in music and education, Richard has risen up to lead the Nelson Diocese. He brings to Promise Keepers great humility, honesty and humour as he leads men with his unique gifting.

Tom O’Neil

Tom’s vast experience in helping people reach their full potential, find career solutions and achieve their goals will impact men at Break Free to find their path to greater freedom. Tom is energetic and inspirational.

See Break Free brochure and website for more speakers and updates.

Page 10: Men of Action 2012

In 2003, Aron Ralston was hiking in the Utah Canyons. He was caught in a rock fall and had his right arm pinned by an 800-pound boulder. After five days of agonising pain and after running out of water, he realised his chances of survival were bleak. Aron chose to free himself by amputating his arm with a pocket-knife, and then began hiking to safety. After surviving the ordeal, he told his parents there were four possibilities: he could wait to be found by someone, he could try to move the boulder with his climbing gear, he could chip away at the rock, or he could cut off his right forearm with a pocket-knife. To Aron, the

fifth alternative – dying – was not on the list.

Your dreams and ambitions will die if you choose to stay where you are!

This is the important point highlighted by Aron’s plight. This was also my own experience

in South Africa.Waiting for a client

to arrive for a meeting at a car dealership one day,

I suddenly found myself surrounded by four thugs

brandishing firearms, who demanded cash from me. Life becomes pretty sobering when you are staring down the

barrel of a 357 Magnum revolver! Thank God, passersby noticed what was happening and intervened to scare them

off. I was able to walk away from that horrifying ordeal unscathed; however the incident shook me up

and, in a drastic way, caused me to take stock of my life. This was a major deciding point for my future

direction in life. I had to make the painful choice to ‘cut away’ from my comfort zone in order to follow God’s call. Yes, I was making a lot of money at the time, but our lives were more precious. So, still reeling from post-traumatic stress, we decided to sell up and move to New Zealand in 2000.

However, not everything went according to my plan.

MEN OF ACTION10

Before leaving South Africa, I had sold my prospering business as a financial advisor. I was hoping to live off the interest from the sale whilst I studied full time as a teacher in Auckland. Unfortunately the purchasers didn’t pay me, resulting in me standing to lose a lot of money if I remained in New Zealand instead of

returning to fight for my money. I sought God for His direction as I knew He had led us to make the move to the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. I believe that He laid these words on my heart that led me to remain, “Whatever I have blessed you with in South Africa, forget it, as I will bless you anew.”

My first job in New Zealand, after owning my own business and l iv ing a luxurious

lifestyle in South Africa, was working at Burger King. Not as a manager or in any senior position but starting off at the bottom doing the ‘graveyard’ shift: cleaning the toilets and floors, and eventually moving into the kitchen to prepare food. But I knew as a child of God that my worth was not determined by the job that I did! I progressed from there and began packing shelves as a night filler, also doing ‘graveyard’ hours, all whilst I studied full time as a teacher. I questioned God in prayer as to what His purpose for me in New Zealand was, seeing that I had been well off in South Africa and could have served Him effectively

Life becomes pretty sobering when you are

staring down the barrel of a 357

Magnum revolver!

Page 11: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION 11

there with my lucrative business. God responded and laid these words on my heart, “I am going to take you from the pit to the palace, like I did for Joseph.” These words went on to inspire a new era and change in my life. They also became the title for my first book, From the Pit to the Palace, based largely on the life of Joseph, who was well known as the ‘dreamer’.

Joseph also had to break free in order for his dream to live. He did this by forgiving his brothers who threw him into a pit and sold him off as a slave. One of the major reasons Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him was because of a certain fine coat that their father Jacob had given him. The first thing his brothers did was strip him of that coat.

Joseph’s clothing got him in trouble again when he was in Egypt. Potiphar’s wife became enraged at Joseph for refusing to commit adultery with her. She grabbed his coat and held on to it as false evidence, claiming that he had tried to take advantage of her.

What is so significant about Joseph being stripped of his garments? In both instances, Joseph did not hold on to them, but chose to let them go. In both instances the loss of the garments signalled a change in Joseph’s life because God was actually preparing him for new beginnings. As Joseph’s story further unfolds in Genesis 41:14, he is summoned from prison to appear before Pharaoh and given a new set of clothes – part of his transformation from slave to royal advisor. And then, having interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph is clothed in “fine linen” by Pharaoh himself. Joseph’s diligence and obedience to God were rewarded. His brothers could keep his old coat; Potiphar’s wife could have his old garment – because God had provided something much better – royal robes!

I like what George Mueller says about this, “Our heavenly Father never takes anything from His children unless He means to give them something better.”

I learnt from this that there will be times in our lives when God allows things to be cut away, like

what I was experiencing with the sale of my business falling apart. If we don’t cut free from our past we can sabotage the great plans God has for us in the future. Understanding how God had worked in Joseph’s life despite the loss and humiliation he suffered, also broke the chains of unforgiveness, bitterness and failure I had endured. These could so easily have prevented me from receiving the greater things that God had in store for me.

Had I chosen to return to South Africa earlier I could I have missed His calling for my life. Through sharing my dramatic experience and writing a book about it, God has opened doors for me to minister in churches throughout New Zealand, to speak at Promise Keepers Events, and to write several books. Through writing former All Black Inga Tuigamala’s autobiography, Inga: My Story, I had the opportunity to get to know

the South African Bulls rugby team, travelling and sharing Bible devotions with them, during their Super Rugby 2010 and 2011 tours of New Zealand. In September 2011, I also wrote Springbok Pierre Spies’ autobiography, More Than Rugby, which resulted in me becoming friends with the Springbok team during the 2011 World Cup and sharing devotions with them.

It was God who opened these doors to a whole new world of opportunities for me. If I had not followed God’s leading to New Zealand none of this would have been possible.

When I grew up during the apartheid era in South Africa, rugby was followed and played by mainly white people and certainly not Indians. I only became interested in rugby when I arrived in New Zealand.

We also despised speaking Afrikaans, which we were forced to learn at school, and referred to it as the ‘language of the oppressor’ and rugby was the ‘sport of the oppressor’. However, a change came over me in New Zealand. Whenever I met a fellow South African I would speak Afrikaans and also talk about rugby and the progress of the Super Rugby and Tri Nations. Now I am uniquely placed, as an Afrikaans-speaking Indian who is mad on rugby, to minister in Afrikaans churches in South Africa. God took rugby and Afrikaans - two things that I had previously despised and which had worked against me - and He turned them around to work for good in my life. Sound familiar?

This is the valuable lesson I learned from Joseph, that no matter what harm is committed against me, God can turn it around for good to accomplish His

plan for my life (Genesis 50:20). When I decided to quit walking around carrying the burdens of my past hurts, setbacks and failures, I cut them off and moved on by coming to Jesus and laying them down at His feet. The power of God was released in my life when I chose to forgive.

If we don’t forgive, we may be causing ourselves more harm than we think and preventing ourselves from reaching the greater things God has in store for us. “When you forgive you set a prisoner free, but then you discover that the real

prisoner was yourself.”Breaking free may be just what is needed to kick-

start or revive past dreams and the destiny that God has for you in the future!

This worked for Aron Ralston, and was certainly successful for Joseph. It also transformed my life, and I believe that it can transform yours as well.

If we don’t cut free from our past we can sabotage the great plans God has

for us in the future

Myan Subrayan

Myan has been a speaker and MC at Promise Keepers, and is the author of books on rugby icons

Inga Tuigamala and Pierre Spies. Excerpts in this article are taken

from his books From the Pit to the Palace and You Can. www.hope2overcome.org

Stay connected to the Promise Keepers Team online! We are clocking up the hours online every week building the Promise Keepers community.

FACEBOOK You can see frequent updates and join the conversation with us on Facebook.

All the interesting things we find and do get shared with you there. There are links, from the funny to just awesome, as well as some giveaways and prizes - so call past and “like” Promise Keepers NZ.

YOUTUBE, GODTUBE and VIMEO host many of our top videos. Enjoy the best of Promise Keepers on these sites. With more videos than ever coming out of our studio, you

can find some powerful videos. Become a subscriber to be notified as new videos are posted.

EMAIL NEWS News and updates in your inbox. Easy to

follow links to more information about events in your area and topics relevant to men. Subscribe now and go into our prize draw! (See page 13 for details.)

WWW.PROMISEKEEPERS.ORG.NZWe spend about a day each week updating content on our website. This is your go-to place for event information and resources.• Events: All the details you need are here. As new events

are added, all the relevant information goes online.• Men’s Ministry: Comprehensive resources are right

here. Whether you want ideas, courses, Coaching or specific information like starting and running Men’s Small Groups, this should be your first place to explore.

• Resources: As well as the large number of free resources on the website, there are also many items available for sale from the online shop.

• Get Involved: Info and links to the multiple ways that you can be involved with Promise Keepers. From volunteering and prayer, to financial support, the options are here for you to consider.

• About PK: Learn more about what makes Promise Keepers tick.

Page 12: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION12

Real Mission with the NZ Church Missionary Society

www.nzcms.org.nz

1 Kane Street Pirongia 3802

Ph: 07 871 9161 Email: [email protected]

Web: www.mmm.org.nz

MMM New Zealand

Use your practical skills to serve the Christian community!

Trades or Handy people, D.I.Y’ers

We are a volunteer mission committed to providing building and maintenance assistance to Christian groups, includ-ing missions, camps, schools and churches - To learn how to get involved part time or full time, contact us or send for our free promo DVD….

Open Men’s GroupsEvery Church Should Have OneCrucial for Men

One Open Men’s Group that meets weekly at 6.30am each Friday is even more important and relevant today than it was when it began 18 years ago. It has an average of 18-20 men attending.

In the men’s own words, here are some of its key strengths:

• Unity – men experience true biblical unity and camaraderie as they grow relationally and spiritually together.

• An Open Men’s Group is less threatening - you are not forced to participate until you feel comfortable.

• Men are like icebergs. Most of their emotions, thoughts and feelings are submerged beneath the surface of their lives. Men’s Groups provide a safe environment for openness and vulnerability where these issues can be brought to the surface and worked through. Confidentiality is the cornerstone for openness and trust.

• With the different ages and levels of experience there is tremendous corporate wisdom and advice available. As you give and receive you can learn together.

• Develops character through persistence, leadership through experience and example and understanding through knowledge of God’s Word and how to apply it.

• Diversity of cultures and backgrounds are understood, appreciated and valued.

• Topics change each week, creating a sense of anticipation and a vibrant dynamic. Also, if you miss a week you don’t lose out.

• Men’s needs are met. You have brothers who will stand faithfully with you through your circumstances. “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.” Mark 2:3

• Open Men’s Groups equip and encourage men to be focussed, fuelled and armed for ministry and mission. For example – a large variety of missions and ministries are supported, including marriage, care for the aged, healing and prayer rooms, missionaries in China and Tibet and Promise Keepers.

Crucial for the ChurchAn Open Men’s Group is a vital resource that

every church needs. Men want to know that the church has something relevant for them. They want to feel part of the church, and an Open Men’s Group is a non-threatening way to connect them easily to the church and allow both new and existing men to build friendships with others.

Benefits…• Connects new men entering the church and gives

them a platform to build lasting relationships with men already in the church.

• Closes the back door of the church. As relationship builds in an Open Men’s Group, so does loyalty and faithfulness to the church. The friendships built can be the glue that holds men in the church.

• Core for Men’s Ministry activities. Because groups are meeting on a regular basis, they become a powerhouse and foundation for Men’s Ministry in the church.

• Continued prayer and support for men with ongoing needs. Sometimes one-off prayer is all that is needed for healing and restoration. However on many occasions ongoing prayer is necessary, for example - for work, family or financial issues or physical healing.

• Creates leaders for the church. Open Men’s Groups allow you to identify the giftings, abilities and interests that men have. They also reveal character – ie

whether they will do what they say they will do, their teachability and faithfulness.

• Captures momentum from Men’s Ministry events held in the church and prevents the ups and downs

that often plague Men’s Ministries. If the men attend an event, there are often things they need to work on afterwards. An Open Men’s Group gives them

the forum to dig deeper, ask questions, and receive advice, encouragement and wisdom.

• Catapults men into the missions and ministries of the church, often assisting with much-

needed resources. Both new and existing ministries are supported, equipped and developed.

• Critical mass for evangelism. Men reach men. As men become victorious in areas of their lives they want to share that victory with others. Often an Open Men’s Group is a less threatening place for an unchurched man to come along to than a Sunday service.

• Concern for marriages and families, along with valuable advice given by men who have “been there, done that”.

• Community works. Open Men’s Groups often form a core workforce – they are a pool for resources, both financial and material. All those skills are in the room together.

Seven times faster! The number one desire of Christian men is to grow spiritually.*

In a small group, men will grow spiritually up to seven times faster than they will in any other setting, including attending Sunday services, important though that is.

This is because:

• Men learn by asking questions and can’t do this in a church service.

• In a Men’s Small Group men ask questions they’re too embarrassed to raise in any other forum.

• Men learn how apply what they have learned as they process information.

• A Men’s Group is the only place where everyday issues facing men are addressed on a regular basis.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17*Promise Keepers NZ national church surveys 2007-2012

A Men’s Group is the only place where everyday issues facing men are addressed on a regular basis

Page 13: Men of Action 2012

Breaking free from unsuccessful patterns by setting achievable goals

Imagine if Noah decided not to build the Ark or if Moses thought he was just too busy to lead the Israelites from Egypt… Thankfully this is not the case, as the Bible is a history of godly men and women working hard to fulfil the destiny He has laid out for them.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5 (NLT)

Sadly most people spend more time planning an overseas holiday or buying a used car than they do planning their life and career. God wants us to have a firm vision, plan and purpose for our lives, rooted deeply in His will. To be a true man of destiny, it’s very important to have a clear understanding of what your God-led short and long-term goals are. As well as this, if you clearly understand your long-term goals, your short-term choices and decisions will be easier to make.

Three steps to setting and reaching your goals

1. Seeking God’s plans for your life through prayer, reading the Bible and wise counsel

God wants us to fulfil our potential in every area of our lives. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8

Questions to pray about and ask yourself include:

LONG TERM

• Where do I ultimately want to be in my life, spiritually, professionally and personally? Get specific in where you would like to be in twenty years’ time in terms of your family, ministry and career.

• What are 100 things you want to do/have/achieve before you ‘kick the bucket’? (i.e. your ‘bucket list’).

CAREER/PASSION

• What are my strengths and what do I do well? To help you answer this, ask ten family members and friends to give you honest feedback.

• What are my weaknesses and what sort of things do I struggle with? Again, ask your family and friends for their honest thoughts.

• What sort of job would I love to do right now if I could walk into any role?

• What further training or qualifications do I need to attain?

• Can I do these part-time while I am employed?

Praying through these questions, seeking God in His word and getting wise counsel from godly friends, family

and church leaders will help you understand what your gifts are and where you should be heading in the future.

2. Diligently planning your short, medium and long-term steps in light of His revelation

Once you feel you have some good direction in terms of where you want to start taking your life, it’s vital to focus on putting pen to paper and creating ‘SMART’ goals. ‘SMART’ goals help you create tangible plans that you can measure, ensuring you stay on the path to success. A well written goal should have the following components:

•SPECIFIC - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal.

•MEASURABLE - Establish solid criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of

each goal you set.

•ATTAINABLE - You can attain almost any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and

MEN OF ACTION 13

establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps.

•RELEVANT - Your goals must be relevant for your life. Therefore remember that each goal

can be refined or even deleted as your life changes.

•TIMELY - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s

no sense of urgency.

Good SMART goals include:

• Lose 10kgs within the next ten weeks.

• Pay off personal loan of $6,000 within 3 years – ($38.50 a week).

Bad SMART goals include:

• Lose some weight and get fit

• Get out of debt

A good way to get started is to make a list of the key areas of your life (for example faith, health, family, fun, career, financial security etc.) Once you have a list of the key areas and drivers in your life, write down the short, medium and long-term goals you can put into place, to live out the vision God has for you!

3. Following up those plans with practical action, continually praying and seeking God’s direction as you progress

Once you have set your goals, take action towards achieving them as soon as possible. As well as this, keep submitting them to God, making sure He is the one who is guiding your paths and lighting your way. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

As Promise Keepers we want to be godly men of destiny. Take some time today to seek God about His plans for your life, spend time making your goals, then get started changing the world for Christ!

As well as being an enthusiastic supporter of Promise Keepers, Tom O’Neil is an international author and motivational speaker, and consultant on personal and career achievement to TVNZ and The NZ Herald. Tom will be speaking at this year’s Break Free Events.

AchievementExpert.com

Tom O’Neil

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If you aim at nothing, you will hit

it every time. Goals give our lives

purpose and direction. Bringing

other people to Christ as Saviour

also means that we have to be

prepared and intentional.

Mark Beale has been doing this in

many ways for many years. As well

as planting a church, he has been

involved in community projects

to control graffiti and organise

an annual Christmas in the Park

event and he is also a regular

prison visitor. Mark has seen a gang

leader become a Christian, leave

the gang and join his church.

If we demonstrate the effect of Jesus

in us – a life characterised by peace,

joy, generosity and service to others,

people will see in us an attractive

lifestyle. Then words can be used to

explain the reason for our hope.

Keep your eye on the goal!

John Subritzky

When we think about mission, so often what comes to our minds is overseas missions

and missionaries. The work of these missionaries is vital to the kingdom of God. But

it is of equal importance to think and work for the mission of the gospel in our local

context. To be effective in this we need to follow certain critical guidelines.

Canon Michael Green, a significant world

evangelist, held a mission at our church

in Clendon, South Auckland. During this

mission he said to me, “It is important to

scratch where it itches”. This means it is

important that we understand the critical

issues in the communities where we serve.

As churches it is important that we then

pray and work at how we can constructively

assist in addressing these issues in the light

of gospel truths.

In Clendon in 2008, four horrendous

unrelated murders occurred in the

community. This raised for the community a

serious issue of feeling safe. Because of the

nature of today’s media it was easy for the

issue of these tragedies to be blown out of

perspective and people in the community

felt that they were being labelled as a

violent community. I soon discovered when

I visited people in other parts of

New Zealand that this label

was real in their eyes. I

was frequently asked if

I needed to wear a flak

jacket to protect myself

when I walked around

the community. These

impressions of Clendon

were creating large

problems for people in

terms of self-worth and

self-belief. This was

an urgent “itch that

needed scratching”.

How was the church

in its mission with a

gospel of hope to be

a part of turning this

around?

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he says, “I

want you to be happy, always happy in the

Lord; I repeat what I want is your happiness.

Let your tolerance be evident to everyone:

the Lord is very near. There is no need to

worry; but if there is anything you need pray

for it… Finally dear friends fill your minds

with everything that is true, everything that

is noble, everything that is good and pure,

everything that we love and honour, and

everything that could be thought virtuous or

worthy of praise.” Phil 4:4-9 ERV

Having lived in the community for 23 years

I was aware that this image of violence was

not a true reflection of the community as a

whole, so with this passage in mind I felt it

was important for the church to help the

community focus on what was good and

see the goodness of God in their midst.

To achieve this we set about

making the world’s largest

bowl of soup - 25,000

litres. To make this

record-breaking bowl

of soup we needed the

involvement of many

large businesses in the

community as well as

many local people. For

a period of months

people’s attention

was distracted from

the fear of violence

to the excitement of

feeding over 12,000

people with free,

healthy veggie soup

- and being part of a

Reaching Your World February 2012

By Mark Beale

Freedom Through Forgiveness

Transforming men!

“Ifoga” – Seeking Forgivenessby Tavale Matai’a

In early 2003 my older brother, Matai’a Pili, passed away in Samoa. He was a paramount chief in our village, Sato’alepai. My younger brother, Tom, and I decided to travel to Samoa for the funeral.

While the funeral service was in progress in the church, a pickup truck loaded with people, food and ie-toga (fine mats – the most valuable artefact in the Samoan culture), pulled up in front of our fale. In the truck were three matai (Samoan chiefs/orators) from the village of Sataua, three elderly women and three beautiful young girls. One of the women was the estranged wife of my deceased brother, and the three girls were my nieces.

Understandably, the estranged wife and especially the daughters wanted to express their last farewell to my brother. But there was a huge problem. The wife had committed adultery two years previously and she had left my brother secretly, taking with her the three daughters. Therefore, under no circumstances should she besetting foot again in our village, because she had shamed my brother and my family. Traditionally, her only hope of being accepted again by my family was through the Samoan cultural practice called ifoga. But even that is no guarantee of any reconciliation between her and my family.

There was a commotion among the young men of our family behind the main meeting fale where the chiefs were sitting cross-legged on the hard concrete floor. The young men were ready to attack the loaded truck in revenge. Fortunately the chiefs intervened and told them to be patient and wait for their command.

Meanwhile the visiting family proceeded with their ifoga. They chose their most paramount matai to be covered by a huge ie-toga as he was kneeling on the sand about ten metres in front of the meeting house. The sun was beating down at noonday. The outside temperature was about 31°C, so underneath the fine mat it was extremely hot. He could not see anything from his position and he was totally at the mercy of

my family.   This chief could have been the father of the guilty woman and he was practically offering himself up as a sacrifice on behalf of his daughter, seeking forgiveness from my family. While he was shaking with fear underneath the ie-toga, the chiefs of my family were deciding his fate - either to let him live or

Forgiveness is not something we do for others, we do it for ourselves so that we can get well and move forward. Not forgiving someone is allowing a person you don’t like to live rent-free in your head!

These are two powerful quotes I read recently. Repentance and forgiveness are incredibly important keys to experiencing the love of God and being able to express love to others. It’s a choice between wholeness, wellness and blessing – and bitterness, illness and loneliness. Yet people curse themselves when they say, “I could never forgive that person”.

Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:23) It seems to me that when you are offended, unless you forgive the person, then you are the one who retains the hurt. It is a wise idea to keep short accounts. Go and see a person who has offended you and try to sort it out. Forgive them. Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath (Eph 4:26) is a good standard to aim for, especially with those people closest to you.

May you know His peace every day.

John Subritzky

May 2012

When we communicate we are generally conveying two things: what are the facts and how we feel about a situation.

As men we can be very good at conveying information, even if we don’t always do so well at receiving and applying those facts. We receive it through filters of our own perspective, worldview, education and experience. A self-centred man might be thinking only about how the information applies to him personally instead of considering the perspective of the communicator. His response might be to reply with a story of his own.

Men listening to women is the biggest communication challenge. We are looking for the facts. If something is wrong we want to offer a solution and fix the problem.

I have slowly learnt that my wife wants to communicate her feelings to me in the hope that I can understand her better. She wants to know that I am on her side, that together we are a team. If I don’t listen empathetically and really try to understand where she is coming from, then she does not feel that I have heard her heart, and defensive walls start to go up.

That, in a nutshell, is the true importance of listening and communicating well. Trust, joy and intimacy depend on us as men willingly and wholeheartedly going the extra mile and listening well.

This newsletter has some brilliant advice to help us all do better.

Bless your communications!

John Subritzky

March 2012

By Jim Hurn

Communication Breakthrough We are not born with the ability to communicate well. It is a learned skill. Many are brought up in homes where they never see or hear good communication in action, so they don’t learn how. In some homes communication means “shout louder”. Without a doubt role models are needed to assist learning.

The Five C’s of Communication

1. Be Correct – Have all the facts before you open your mouth.

2. Be Clear – Be understandable. Use enough words so people can understand your meaning.

3. Be Concise – Everyone is busy so keep what you say brief and to the point.

4. Be Complete – As far as possible, think through all aspects of the issue at hand before you speak.

5. Be Courteous – Be careful with your body language, tone and volume.

The Lord’s Prayer has 56 words

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address has 266The Ten Commandments have 297The US Declaration of Independence

has 300But a Price Control Order in the United States concerning cabbages contained

26,911

There is a process that takes place in all communication: Firstly there is the source, which is the person who is desiring to communicate. The message is the information they are wanting to share and this may contain illustrations, symbols, words or images that will help convey their meaning. Thirdly, there is the medium used to deliver the message – ie writing, speaking, texting, Skyping. Lastly there is the recipient. It is important for the person communicating to consider the personality and attitude of the recipient of the message and make it relevant to them, as they have the task of decoding it.

Two important points to consider in all communication:

1. WHAT WE SAY

“Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and nudge me when I’ve said enough!”

What we say has four kinds of words:

• Attack words - “you never” or “you always”.

• Defence words - “are you sure you’re right?” or “I don’t like the sound of that”.

Transforming men!

God Makes Us Holy

Transforming men!

Partakers of His Holinessby Derek Prince

Holiness is a unique attribute of God. God has many other attributes—such as love, wisdom and power—which we can understand to some extent by reference to people or things in the natural realm that display these attributes. But holiness has no parallel in the natural; it is unique. John Wesley defined holiness as “perfect love”. However, I prefer to define holiness as a combination of God’s righteousness and love. Love invites you to come; righteousness says that you are unfit to come. There is this built-in tension in holiness.

A Characteristic of God’s PeopleGod’s Word tells us that holiness is to be a characteristic of the people of God. Consider Hebrews 12:9–10: “Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He [God] for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.”God’s desire is that we may partake of His holiness. Verse 14 of Hebrews 12 adds, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”First, we are to pursue holiness—we are to make it an objective.Second, to achieve holiness, we must pursue peace with all people. We are to attempt to live peaceably, not allowing

quarrelling or disagreement that is within our power to avoid. The writer of Hebrews here also issues a very solemn warning. He says we will not see the Lord unless we become partakers of His holiness.A scripture that expresses God’s desire for holiness in His people is 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification”. What, precisely, is sanctification?Any verb ending in -ify means “to cause to become” that which comes before it... Sanctify means “to make sanct”. Sanct is the same as saint... All three words - sanctify, saint, holy - are derived from one basic Greek word hagios, meaning holy. Very simply, therefore, sanctification is “the process of making holy”.Thus, we can accurately translate 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, that you be made holy... that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification [a condition of holiness] and honour”. This verse contains a common phrase in modern English: “know how.” It takes scriptural know-how to achieve a condition of holiness.A person’s vessel is his body—the earthen vessel of the human spirit. Many Christians speak as if the body were something evil—something to be ashamed of. The body is not evil, it is good. It is one of the supreme achievements of God’s creative genius. David said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). He viewed his body with awe and wonder.

Often as men we struggle with issues that we see as causing us to be separate from God. In some way, we don’t feel “good enough”. Holiness goes to the heart of this.

We need to constantly focus on our relationship with God and invest time into that. This should not be out of duty but from our desire to know Him better. The natural outcome of that friendship is to leave sin behind. This is not performance-based Christianity, where we have our ‘shopping list’ of sins to overcome. When we fail there, the danger is feeling like a failure as a Christian and becoming somehow disqualified.

If instead we are focusing on our relationship with God, we will want to be with like-minded people, especially other men. A natural outcome is to live in peace with others, not contention.

The quality of holiness is lived out in our lives as righteousness and integrity. The real test of this is how you handle adversity and respond when others create problems for you. People can see integrity in us, that we are reflecting Christ to them.

John Subritzky

June 2012

First, we are to pursue holiness—we are to make it an objective.

John Subritzky

April 2012

The Holy Spirit - Purpose & Power

Transforming men!

You need to be filled with supernatural power before you can go and do supernatural work

There’s got to be purpose & powerBy Steve Berger

C hrist’s final command is actually His strategic perspective for the Church. Over the last couple of

weeks I have bumped into people and said,

“Hey, tell me what Jesus’ final command

was – what was the last commandment that

Jesus gave?” And people rush through their

mind, I can see the Bible pages turning,

you know, and somebody says, “Well was

it love one another?” No, it wasn’t love one

another. And then they go through the

rest of the gospels, and then they come to Matthew chapter 28. “There, that’s it - go into all the world, preach the gospel and make disciples, THAT’S the last command of Jesus, right? It’s the end of the gospels, what else could there be?” MORE! Way more! Here’s the deal: Jesus’ final command

wasn’t in the gospels. Jesus’ final command

to His disciples was in the book of Acts, and

I’ve got to tell you this tonight, the word is

command and not suggestion. The word

is command and not option. The word is

command in the truest sense of the word.

This is Jesus commanding His people. I

want that to get in your heart. Jesus’ final

command is found in the book of Acts –

it is not “go into all the world and preach

the gospel,” but it is in fact what makes our going and preaching the gospel

effective.

And being assembled together with them,

He [Jesus] commanded them not to depart

from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise

of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have

heard from Me; for John truly baptised

with water, but you shall be baptised with

the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Therefore, when they had come together,

they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at

this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:4-8Jesus’ final command to His disciples was

to wait in Jerusalem UNTIL the baptism of

the Holy Spirit happened to them. They

had to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit

before they went to preach the gospel. He

told them in Matthew 28 and Mark 16, go

preach the gospel. But He said, “Before you

do that WAIT, because something needs

to happen to you before you can go and

be effective. You need to be filled with

supernatural power before you can go

and do supernatural work.” Doesn’t that

make sense? And He commanded them,

He didn’t suggest. He didn’t say, “This is

an option”. He didn’t say, “You can go and

do gospel work in human fleshly effort”.

No matter how good your marketing is, no matter how good your

gifting might be, if there is not anointing and authority on your

gifting from Heaven, then it’s not going to produce. It might sound good,

I have experienced and seen the Holy

Spirit do dramatic things. That has given

me a firm conviction of the reality of

God in my life. Even if I ran away from

God, I could never deny the truths I have

known.

I have got to the stage of life where I

desperately need physical exercise. I

walk most days on a loop that takes

me up the street, down a steep path,

through the bush to the coast, then back

via another track. A spot overlooking

the harbour has become the place

where I pause and talk with God. Almost

immediately the Holy Spirit gives me a

download that is personal, reassuring

and loving. This has become really

important to me as I traverse life’s valleys

as well as the mountaintops.My 11-year-old son Isaac has been with

me a couple of times. When we stopped

recently he said, “This is where you talk

with God!” After we paused, I asked him

if God had said anything to him. Without

hesitation Isaac told me the message

that he had just downloaded!The first and last 200m of my walk are

along the same stretch of road. On

my way out, I’m looking uphill at a

streetscape of houses and cars. On my

way back I’m grateful that the last stretch

is downhill! But I’m really appreciative

that the view is out across the Manukau

Harbour. It nourishes my soul.Our walk with God and our view of the

Holy Spirit is similar in a way – it’s the

direction we are looking in. When we

are walking together with God in the

power of the Holy Spirit our eyes can be lifted beyond our circumstances. It’s a matter of perspective.

John

Young men want action. Their natural desire is to go out and conquer the world and make a difference.

Churches can harness this energy by giving young adults opportunities to lead and to take responsibility. Part of the equipping process is mentoring young men in all life issues. Men mentoring men. They especially want to know how to be successful financially, relationally and spiritually. This is a great opportunity for men who are mature in years, experience or faith as we can have a life-changing influence on the younger generation.

Rob Stacey gives an excellent overview of mentoring and the compelling reasons to do it. My friend Owen Mansill explains the impact of mentoring as he has been mentored and is now mentoring others.

The affliction of fatherlessness that is washing over our society can be changed by mentoring. Spiritual shallowness can be addressed by mentoring. Most older men have something to offer others.

How can you use your experience, talents and spiritual understanding to guide others?

John Subritzky

July 2012

In this day and age it is easy to think that all we need can be found on the internet. Just the other day for instance, I grabbed my iPad, went on to YouTube and looked up “how to change brake pads”. Sure enough, up came a step-by-step video on how to change brake pads, made by none other than those people who write the old school Haines manuals for cars. Brilliant! I had those puppies done in an hour and saved myself about $100.

Now once upon a time, guys like me would have had a father or uncle or grandfather who would have had you or me under the car, greased up, pulling these out together. And to be honest, I would have preferred that as a young guy. The problem is, like so many young guys today, my dad wasn’t around. My uncles were all losers and my granddad died before I was born.

Learning how to do something with care and a skilled hand comes through relationship. Something other than expertise is passed on when a mentor shows you how to do something. You gain a respect for the finer details. You learn why, not just how. You sense a passion for the craft and you gain a generational hand-me-down which stitches you into the fabric of manhood.

However it’s one thing to pass on practical skills to young men, but what about the spiritual legacy we can pass on from one generation to the next?

In the book of Deuteronomy we have this amazing encouragement from Moses, one

of the fathers of faith, to the adults (or probably more precisely, the males) to pass on the foundations of a spiritual legacy and heritage that will form the very heart and foundation of a life lived with God.

Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

A spiritual legacy starts in the home and is passed on through parents who live lives saturated by the Word of God and the life Jesus portrayed. Research tells us that when it comes to direction and values for life, our kids – and especially our teenagers – look first to the example and role of us as parents (and our boys, to us as fathers). If that role isn’t filled by a faithful and courageous male role model in the home they will look elsewhere to fill that void. �

by Rob Stacey

Page 14: Men of Action 2012

What a blessing! Volunteering at PK

Last year I was asked if I would be able to commit some t ime to helping co-ordinate hospitality for the volunteers at the Promise Keepers Event in October.

A couple of major attractions for me were that it was volunteer work, it was for Promise Keepers, and it was moving in an area that would reveal the glory of God. I was not disappointed. I have been reliably told that the blessing, worship, healing and miracles fell upon many men who had faithfully answered the call upon their hearts to come to this weekend Event.

I set out by ringing the list of volunteers who had previously given their time, energy and service to this Event to ask if they were available to help again. The response from all the women was fantastic, as young and old were ready and willing to help again. I also added to the team line-up with some new volunteers.

The weekend was a result of the combined effort of everyone. The willingness to work from the time of arrival in any area required - either in the kitchen preparing meals, serving food, cleaning down and resetting, to packing down at the end of the Event - was very apparent. All the women worked where they were asked, they filled gaps when they saw them and served with a heart, smile and attitude that comes from the Lord.

While this Event is for men, the women serving on the hospitality team were very blessed. We were serenaded by the magnificent worship of the men, as their voices raised in worship also reached us in the kitchen and hallways. It was very uplifting and just beautiful.

At the end of the Event the women gathered to share and give thanks. We lifted our voices, this time in worship and praise, gave thanks for the success of the Event and the way our Sovereign Lord had moved over the weekend. And finally the women prayed as a group for each other before we left. It was a very edifying and special weekend for all of us. Praise the Lord.

If you would like to know more about being a volunteer at the Promise Keepers Men’s Event for this year, I unreservedly encourage you to contact the Promise Keepers office. You will be uplifted, encouraged and blessed in your efforts, in your heart and spirit.

The last year has produced great fruit with men having deeper experiences with God at our Events than ever before. We have truly seen many “men transformed” which is at the core of the Promise Keepers vision.

Promise Keepers is beginning the process of realigning the ministry so that it is in a strong position to grow over the next five years. Part of this includes the new initiatives of a Samoan language based Event, Tama Tane Malosi, and the Refreshed & Released Pastors’ Conference. We will also continue to focus on Men’s Ministry training, church-based Events and delivery of resources electronically via websites, emails, videos, webinars and social media.

Promise Keepers’ vision of seeing men transformed by the power of God has not changed but the way we achieve that vision is being refined.

Thank you to the 1393 donors who help keep this ministry robust. We are very grateful that despite the challenging financial situation facing New Zealanders, our supporters have maintained giving at a steady level. Many other charities have had a significant reduction in donations, so we don’t take that support for granted.

Donations are crucial for the ongoing effectiveness of this ministry. The reduction in Event fee income reflects the financial hardships that many men are going through. The number of men requesting financial help to assist with the cost of Event fees has increased dramatically, making donations all the more critical.

Due to the tight financial times in our nation, we have put considerable effort and prayer into carefully and

strategically managing the stewardship of the ministry’s resources. We will continue to do this.

We have undertaken an extensive and intensive review of every activity we do as a ministry to consider its relevance and fruit, particularly as we look ahead to the next five years. As a result of this, we see some very exciting new initiatives being undertaken this year which will lay strong foundations to drive the impact of this ministry to a greater level. The review determined that if fewer national Events were held, it would release time and resources for these new initiatives, both locally and internationally.

This is a time of unprecedented interest and opportunity. To seize the moment and progress forward we need to take the challenges seriously. That means putting men in the field backed up by an effective office. Promise Keepers needs men to invest into this work – individual men, families and businesses. How can you help? Will you be a prayer warrior for Promise Keepers? Can you give ongoing financial support? Are you subscribed to WiseChoices? Can you volunteer your time and skills? We appreciate everyone who joins us in the battle for men’s souls.

Join the team today! Ph 0800 PROMISE (776647) or fill out the form below.

MEN OF ACTION14

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Page 15: Men of Action 2012

MEN OF ACTION 15

Men’s Teams to Widows & Solos Changes Lives

Churches often struggle to meet the ongoing needs of people who are in difficult circumstances or in distress. Men’s Team Ministry to Widows & Solos can help meet these long-term needs.

There are other benefits that extend well beyond helping an individual care receiver, including outreach, and building up the men and the Men’s Ministry. This is a practical way to action Jesus’ command to love one another as He has loved us, so all men will know that we are His disciples (John 13:34-35).

For several years, Harbourside Church in Auckland has based their Ministry with Men around the care of widows and solos. It has become the foundational platform for the rest of their Men’s Ministry.So how does Men’s Team Ministry work?

Small groups of four men spend two hours each month serving the same care receiver until the person no longer needs help. All the teams get together for breakfast, planning and teaching before they go out. This works well because men are growing by doing significant work together, it becomes missional when the person tells others why a team is willing to help them, and finally, there is the power of a large group of men when the teams come together for breakfast each month.

At Harbourside, the Men’s Team Ministry is called Team 1:17, after the verse Isaiah 1:17. The monthly breakfast meeting becomes a large open men’s group. Some of the ladies cater for these breakfasts. Interestingly, one current and one former care receiver presently help out, allowing them the opportunity to give back to the ministry.

The church also holds three annual super breakfasts which go for one and a half hours, include a speaker, and are open to all the men in the church. These super breakfasts are also a way of recruiting more men to Team 1:17.

Another large gathering is an annual clean-up around the church. Team 1:17 is the basis for a large working bee that includes families and care receivers. It is an opportunity for everyone to meet and relate while focused on a task that blesses the church.

Over time teams can do extensive work on a care receiver’s property. They can also become close like a family. At Harbourside, one team were pall bearers at the funeral when their care receiver passed away. Another team were pall bearers when a care receiver’s disabled son passed away. There is also the outreach aspect to neighbours and relatives of the care receivers. Teams can help others as the opportunity arises. One team is now regularly doing work on a neighbour’s property and garden.

Although care receivers are usually women, there can also be men who need help. One Harbourside team is looking after a 93 year old man.

Men can be good at relationship, but we also need to achieve practical results. With the enthusiastic support of church leadership, men’s teams at HarboursideChurch are getting results and impacting lives.

Contact Promise Keepers for more information.

The Temotu province of the Solomon Islands is remote, isolated and is highly vulnerable to natural disasters including cyclones, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Finding work and earning an income in this environment is incredibly tough and more than 87 per cent of its population relies on remittances from family members living elsewhere.

But slowly, change is coming thanks to nearly 60 Promise Keepers attendees who generously signed up to support World Vision’s work.

This funding has allowed the development agency to start talking to the people of Temotu about a different future. A trust and hope that change is possible is now starting to take hold.

Tilly Redstone, World Vision’s Solomon Islands program manager says: “Establishing trust is a critical first step when we start work in a new area.

“We exist to assist, but ultimately it is up to community members whether or not they want to work with us. They need to believe that by getting involved in designing and leading their own development projects, a better future is possible for them and their children.”

So far, two important steps have been taken, which will set the foundation for lasting transformation.

Firstly, 15 collectives (one in each of the communities where World Vision is working in Temotu) have been set up comprised of highly regarded local men and women. These collectives will now lead a program of work around improving their agriculture and fishing practices. Improved management of the local resources along with better access to technical skills, training and markets are all part of the plan over the next couple of years.

Secondly, 15 Community Disaster Mitigation Committees (CDRMC) have also been established. Each community participated in selecting seven members to sit on their committee. These groups will now be responsible for developing a Community Disaster Risk

Mitigation Plan (CDRMP) for their local area.“The progress over the last year has been really

positive,” says Tilly. “The establishment of collectives and CDRMCs shows that the communities are keen to work with us and will form the platform for essential activity.

“We are very grateful to Promise Keepers attendees for helping us kick-start this exciting journey in Temotu.”

Promise Keepers participants supporting World Vision’s work in Temotu follow in the footsteps of 637 Promise Keepers who have partnered with World Vision to support its work around the world over the last five years.

World Vision facilitator Bridget Tova with children in Ovana community, Weathercoast - March 2012. PHOTO: Alice Banfield

World Vision staff Bridget Tova and Anthony Matelaomao walking to Valekilo, Weathercoast. PHOTO: Alice Banfield

Alice Banfield

Page 16: Men of Action 2012

“Ifoga” – The Power of Forgiveness In early 2003 my older brother, Matai’a Pili,

passed away in Samoa. He was a paramount chief in our village, Sato’alepai. My younger brother, Tom, and I decided to travel to Samoa for the funeral.

While the funeral service was in progress in the church, a pickup truck loaded with people, food and ie-toga (fine mats – the most valuable artefact in the Samoan culture), pulled up in front of our fale. In the truck were three matai (Samoan chiefs/orators) from the village of Sataua, three elderly women and three beautiful young girls. One of the women was the estranged wife of my deceased brother, and the three girls were my nieces.

Understandably, the estranged wife and especially the daughters wanted to express their last farewell to my brother. But there was a huge problem. The wife had committed adultery two years previously and she had left my brother secretly, taking with her the three daughters. Therefore, under no circumstances should she be setting foot again in our village, because she had shamed my brother and my family. Traditionally, her only hope of being accepted again by my family was through the Samoan cultural practice called ifoga. But even that is no guarantee of any reconciliation between her and my family.

There was a commotion among the young men of our family behind the main meeting fale where the chiefs were sitting cross-legged on the hard concrete floor. The young men were ready to attack the loaded truck in revenge. Fortunately the chiefs intervened and told them to be patient and wait for their command.

Meanwhile the visiting family proceeded with their ifoga. They chose their most paramount matai to be

covered by a huge ie-toga as he was kneeling on the sand about ten metres in front of the meeting house. The noonday sun was beating down. The outside temperature was about 31°C, so underneath the fine mat it was extremely hot. He could not see anything from his position and he was totally at the mercy of my family. This chief could have been the father of the guilty woman and he was practically offering himself up as a sacrifice on behalf of his daughter, seeking forgiveness from my family. While he was shaking with fear underneath the ie-toga, the chiefs of my family were deciding his fate - either to let him live or kill him in order for any reconciliation to happen. Alternatively, my family could reject their ifoga and still let the man live.

The whole atmosphere, both inside the fale and outside, was extremely tense. After a heated debate among my family matai one of them stood up and approached the offering outside. The young men followed closely behind him waiting for his command. Suddenly the chief dropped to his knees, pulled off the ie-toga and embraced the shivering man. Mercy and grace had prevailed. Pardon and forgiveness were granted. He was then led inside the fale arm-in-arm and his whole party were invited into the fale. There were tears of joy and embraces all round. Speeches were exchanged. Fine mats, money and food were presented to our family. It was a day of an amazing paradox – rejoicing for the reconciliation, and yet grieving at the passing away of my brother.

MEN OF ACTION16

This is Why Jesus Christ CameThe ifoga in a sense nicely demonstrated for me the

very essence of why Jesus Christ came into the world – to reconcile humanity to the Father. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) That is, Christ identified with humanity and took upon Himself our sin - like the father who offered himself on behalf of his guilty daughter.

In actuality, Christ becomes our righteousness – when we come to God in humility and repentance! This is our message. Verse 20 says: “...He has given us the ministry of reconciliation”. In other words we are His ambassadors. What a privilege!See WiseChoices May 2012 newsletter on website for full article.

In India, Rickshaws are a major method of taxi transportation for people taking short journeys. Those going to and from work and school, shoppers and business people all ride on Rickshaws. They are also used for moving goods and courier jobs. The government promotes their use as they are non-polluting.

Sponsoring a Rickshaw enables an Indian family to have a debt free, good income producing small business that permanently supports them. This provides food, housing, clothing, healthcare, and a proper education for their children.

When you sponsor a Rickshaw for an Indian family, you are sent photos of the family with their new Rickshaw along with a plaque with all of their names, which is personally authenticated by the thumbprint of the husband.

If requested we also sign write the sponsors name and/or message on the back of the Rickshaw. This is a treasure that you can display in your home or office to remember your Indian family by.

Sponsoring a Rickshaw is truly a gift that keeps on giving, day after day, year after year.

Set a family free from poverty online today

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Rickshaw sponsorship, it sets a family free from poverty – forever!

Rickshaws For IndiaSetting Families Free

Tavale Matai’a

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Each month subscribers receive the WiseChoices newsletter as well as their choice of either or both of the Men of Integrity 60 day prayer & Bible guide or the bi-monthly WiseChoices DVD.

The DVDs are packed with valuable resources as well as a featured speaker. Also included are panel discussions, dramas, humour and other clips. By using it as a DVD ROM in your computer you can access other articles, books, photos, Men’s Small Group studies, lots of interesting MP3s and website links.

Promise Keepers suggests a contribution of $10 per month. This helps cover the costs involved and makes the resources available to those who cannot afford them.

How do I sign up?Contact Promise Keepers or use the response form on page .... More info at www.promisekeepers.org.nz or phone 0800 PROMISE (776647).

More wise choices less regrets!

Young men want action. Their natural desire is to go out and conquer the world and make a difference.Churches can harness this energy by giving young adults opportunities to lead and to take responsibility. Part of the equipping process is mentoring young men in all life issues. Men mentoring men. They especially want to know how to be successful financially, relationally and spiritually. This is a great opportunity for men who are mature in years, experience or faith as we can have a life-changing influence on the younger generation.

Rob Stacey gives an excellent overview of mentoring and the compelling reasons to do it. My friend Owen Mansill explains the impact of mentoring as he has been mentored and is now mentoring others.The affliction of fatherlessness that is washing over our society can be changed by mentoring. Spiritual shallowness can be addressed by mentoring. Most older men have something to offer others.

How can you use your experience, talents and spiritual understanding to guide others?

John Subritzky

July 2012In this day and age it is easy to think that all we need can be found on the internet. Just

the other day for instance, I grabbed my iPad, went on to YouTube and looked up “how to

change brake pads”. Sure enough, up came a step-by-step video on how to change brake

pads, made by none other than those people who write the old school Haines manuals

for cars. Brilliant! I had those puppies done in an hour and saved myself about $100.Now once upon a time, guys like me would have had a father or uncle or grandfather who would have had you or me under the car, greased up, pulling these out together. And to be honest, I would have preferred that as a young guy. The problem is, like so many young guys today, my dad wasn’t around. My uncles were all losers and my granddad died before I was born.Learning how to do something with care and a skilled hand comes through relationship. Something other than expertise is passed on when a mentor shows you how to do something. You gain a respect for the finer details. You learn why, not just how. You sense a passion for the craft and you gain a generational hand-me-down which stitches you into the fabric of manhood.

However it’s one thing to pass on practical skills to young men, but what about the spiritual legacy we can pass on from one generation to the next?

In the book of Deuteronomy we have this amazing encouragement from Moses, one

of the fathers of faith, to the adults (or probably more precisely, the males) to pass on the foundations of a spiritual legacy and heritage that will form the very heart and foundation of a life lived with God.Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

A spiritual legacy starts in the home and is passed on through parents who live lives saturated by the Word of God and the life Jesus portrayed. Research tells us that when it comes to direction and values for life, our kids – and especially our teenagers – look first to the example and role of us as parents (and our boys, to us as fathers). If that role isn’t filled by a faithful and courageous male role model in the home they will look elsewhere to fill that void. �

by Rob Stacey

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