THE M&M’s
(Men’s Ministries)
Concept
I’d suggest that we use the
M&M’s as a way to market our Men’s Ministries to the men of the
congregation and others.
Use the metaphor of men and
the candies M&M’s. The men of the congregation are like M&M’s. Their surface
may be hard coated, but inside they are softer and sweet. Some are even nuts!
Just like M&M’s, the men of the congregation come in many colors. As
M&M’s are marked with a letter; we as Christian men are marked with the
symbol of the cross which represents our belief and redemption.
The different color M&M’s
represent our different interests and the types of activities we engage in for
recreation and the ministries we support.
To help communicate to the
men the metaphor, I’d recommend we prepare small plastic bags with a few
M&M’s in them and attach a paper with the metaphor being described. These
bags would be handed out at the January 21, 2007 dinner as something for them
to take and eat, but also to understand how the Men’s Ministries of TLLC can address
a variety of interests and activities.
To help build the suspense
among the men, I’d suggest we don’t fully divulge the full metaphor description
until the January 21, 2007 dinner. We can tease them with information and
announcements in the bulletins and The Butterfly newsletter to help prepare for
the dinner and the organizational program.
Preparations:
1.
Place the
following announcement in the bulletin and The Butterfly newsletter- To all men of the congregation: “M&M’s
Are Coming January 21, 2007.”
(Suggest
we place the announcement in the bulletin’s beginning November 13. It should be
repeated in the bulletins throughout the remainder of November and December. It
should also be placed in the next Butterfly newsletter.)
2.
Prepare a survey,
which can be distributed to the men of the congregation in the bulletins each
Sunday for a month prior to the January 21, 2007 dinner.
The
survey would allow men to identify their interests and allow them to be
informed of future activities.
A
sample survey is attached for consideration.
Organizational Elements
·
Instead of
organizing men’s activities by “committee”, I’d suggest we refer to groups as
“Teams”.
·
The Team concept
might help men relate to each other a bit better and we are used to the concept
of working together to accomplish or achieve a common goal.
·
In organizing
individuals with various activities by Teams, we could have:
o
Softball Team
o
Retreat Team
o
Book Team
o
Car Team
o
Bowling Team
o
Camping Team
o
Computer Games
Team
o
First Light Team
o
Cooking Team
o
Card Team
o
Cycle team
o
Running Team
o
Fishing Team
o
Community Service
Team
o
Etc.
o
(There could even
be multiple teams within an activity, like a Young Men’s Softball Team and the
Old Timer’s Softball Team, etc.)
o
To help with the
nomenclature associated with Teams, we could have Coaches and Assistant
Coaches, instead of Committee Chairman or Vice-Chairman.
Common Events
The M&M’s 3rd
Sunday evening meal can serve as the common gathering for all Teams and a point
for new men to the congregation to become familiar with the M&M’s
activities and become involved.
Coordinating the M&M’s 3rd
Sunday evening meal with our church year can help us develop programs which
relate to the various seasons. See below:
|
M&M 3rd
Sunday Meal |
Church Calendar Season |
Program Theme |
Possible Meal |
|
January 21, 2007 |
Epiphany |
Organizational Awaking |
Chili |
|
February 18, 2007 *Feb.21, 2007 Ash Wednesday |
Epiphany |
Self Examination: What Do I See? |
Spaghetti |
|
March 18, 2007 |
Lent |
Preparing for a Fishing Trip |
Fish |
|
April 15, 2007 *April 8, 2007 Easter |
Easter |
Ways to Celebrate |
Pancakes |
|
May 20, 2007 |
Easter |
Taking the Next Step |
Hamburgers |
January 21, 2007
6:30 pm*
TLLC Fellowship Hall
*This Sunday is the
NFL’s Championship Games for the AFC and NFC, the precursors to decide who will
go to the Super Bowl. The start time should take into consideration when the
last game is expected to be over. The 6:30pm time may be adjusted to 7:00pm to
accommodate the last game and to encourage maximum attendance.
“Organizational Awaking”
This is the organizational
awaking of the M&M’s. The men of the congregation will experience an
organizational epiphany.
Based on the survey of
activities and interests from the men we could prepare a series of signs to be
placed around the fellowship hall identifying the various possible teams:
Softball Team; Retreat Team;
Book Team; Car Team; Bowling Team; Camping Team; Computer Games Team; First
Light Team; Cooking Team; Card Team; Cycle Team; Running Team; Fishing Team;
Community Service Team; Etc.
These signs should already be
in place when everyone arrives. On the respective tables should be a sign-up
sheet for those wanting to join that team.
After a welcome and a prayer,
the meal should be served. The M&M’s metaphor attached to the small plastic
bag of M&M candies should be handed out to everyone.
The emcee of the event should
then explain the purpose of the M&M’s (Men’s Ministries) and how joining in
on the teams can provide fellowship, fun and purpose. Attendees should be
directed to the various team locations and time provided for them to sign-up
for the team(s) they wish to join.
Emcee should ask for
volunteers from each team to serve as Coach or Assistant Coach. Those
individuals would then be responsible for organizing future team meetings and
events with their teammates.
After signing up for teams,
the attendees should be given the opportunity as a group to suggest additional
teams that might not have been previously identified. Some blank signs, with
markers, need to be available to create new team signs to reflect the interest
of attendees. Before concluding the evening’s events, these new teams should
have the opportunity to sign-up teammates and determine who can serve as Coach
and Assistant Coach. Coaches and Assistant Coaches should be instructed to make
copies of their team members lists to the “League Offices” (church office).
Future team meetings and events can be announced in the bulletin and Butterfly
newsletter.
Attendees should help
clean-up the kitchen and Fellowship Hall before leaving.
February 18, 2007
6:30 pm
TLLC Fellowship Hall
“Self Examination: What Do I See?”
In the spirit of the Epiphany
season and preparing for the upcoming season of lent, the self-examination
theme helps us focus on ourselves and how we measure up.
Perhaps a speaker who has a
physical fitness background (Association of Christian Athletes) could talk to
us about examining our physical selves and how to make improvements through a
training program. The speaker should also then bring in our mental and
spiritual status. What sort of training program might we participate in to
achieve improvement goals for ourselves both mentally and spiritually.
Time should be allotted for team meetings to discuss their future events and activities.
March 18, 2007
6:30 pm
TLLC Fellowship Hall
“Preparing for a Fishing Trip”
During the season of Lent we hear of Christ’s withdrawal into the wilderness to prepare for the Eucharist of Easter. For the outdoorsman who fishes, there are comparisons to the messages of Lent. The preparations for and participation in a fishing trip help us better understand Christ’s actions during Lent. The fisherman organizes his tackle, rods, reels and special baits. He studies the map of the lake or river to determine possible locations for fish. He carefully presents his lures to catch the attention of the fish. He sometimes encounters a struggle before he’s able to add the fish to his creel. A member of the Austin Christian Bass Club could serve as our speaker. (Note: Rev. George Reswick happens to be a member of Austin Christian Bass Club and an avid fisherman.)
Time needs to be allotted for
teams to meet to plan their activities and events.
April 15, 2007
6:30 pm
TLLC Fellowship Hall
“Ways to Celebrate”
With Easter having occurred
the Sunday prior (April 8), the Easter season is still young. The emphasis will
have been on the miracle of resurrection and the celebration of our risen
Christ. Perhaps we could explore ways to celebrate, our Lord, our families, our
church, our country, our world, our ministries, etc. Maybe we could use the
M&M’s 3rd Sunday Meal could serve as a forum for discussing some
future celebration events. Maybe the M&M’s could sponsor a Memorial Day
celebration for veterans. Perhaps M&M’s could celebrate Mother’s Day by
taking the kids for 3 hours to let Mom rest and spend time on things she
enjoys.
Again, time should be allowed
for teams to meet to plan their events and activities.
May 20, 2007
12:00 Noon
TLLC Fellowship Hall
“Taking the Next Step”
This M&M’s 3rd
Sunday Meal could focus on community service alternatives. As the Easter season
continues, we could focus the M&M’s on taking steps to commit and to take
action to help others. Community service projects, whether it’s Aqua Viva, Big
Brothers, TLLC Youth, Worship, Scouts, TLLC grounds/facilities maintenance,
Habitat for Humanity, etc. This gathering may be part of an M&M’s retreat
at
June, 2007
TLLC Fellowship Hall
Congregational Event:
M&M”s could sponsor a
bar-b-que for the entire congregation. The event wouldn’t necessarily have to
coincide with the 3rd Sunday dinner. In fact, it might be better to
schedule the bar-b-que as a Saturday lunch early in June and forgo the 3rd
Sunday M&M’s dinner for that month. The early part of June might allow for
more congregational participation, as the vacation season would just be
beginning. The Cooking Team could oversee the event and may incorporate a
cook-off competition as part of the congregational bar-b-que.
SAMPLE ACTIVITIES SURVEY
Men, whether you’re a member
of
□ Softball
□ Bowling
□ Football
□ Golf
□ Running
□ Cycling
□ Camping
□ Fishing
□ Cars
□ Motorcycles
□ Cooking
□ Computer Games
□ Chess
□ Cards
□ Horseshoes
□ Washers
□
□ Community Service
□ Investing
□ Coaching
________________________ _________________________
________________________ _________________________
________________________ _________________________
Completing the following is optional,
but would be helpful for planning purposes. Please print:
Name: ______________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Phone: ____________________ E-mail:________________________
Place in Box Marked “Surveys” at Church
Entry
Thanks