Men Only

Why is it always so difficult to reach out to men? I am not just talking about reaching men with the gospel of Jesus Christ but reaching out to men in the general sense. My own particular efforts have failed to make any progress in the past few years, beginning with the Men’s Group at Seymour House where there was a constant reluctance on the part of the male residents to engage with the groups we ran, even when it was about football, gambling or the war!

I am experiencing the same reluctance on the Ivy Estate with our Men Only drop-in, we are yet to see one person attend this group, I know it is early days but I have seen the pattern so often before. If we then take a look at church; most of those coming to Christ seem to be women; most of those heavily involved in the activities of the church are women as well.

Perhaps it is because many of the men in church are trying to hold-down difficult and demanding jobs that are at times all consuming? Unfortunately this is something that doesn’t just affect men this days, women are also falling foul of a society that values the worker more than the parent. The government investing more and more in free pre-school places so that women can return to work soon after the birth of their children.

But returning to men again, this presents us will a real challenge as it is essential that we engage. If they are difficult to reach then they are the ones we need to reach! So we are not going to give up, we are going to persevere through prayer and innovation so that eventually we will reach men, not just on the Charter Estate, but in society as a whole.

“make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:5-8