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GA06117
Presbyterian Men's Dinner
Speaker describes place and need for men's gifts
by Shane Whisler
BIRMINGHAM * "Some of you are out of uniform," President Floyd Gilbert of the National Council of Presbyterian Men proclaimed during dinner Tuesday night.
So Gilbert happily circled the room distributing the group's logo in the form of lapel pins to all who weren't wearing one.
In part of the litany led by Keith Daniels, participants recited the priorities of Presbyterian Men: disaster assistance, fighting racism, Bible study and mentoring.
The Rev. Roger C. Harp, Synod of the Mid-Atlantic executive, shared ways for congregations to celebrate the gifts of men in church, which will help encourage greater church attendance.
"Some men seem to be sick of the church," Harp said. "Some experience that the faith isn't connected to their daily life."
He said the "average Presbyterian" is purported to be an Anglo woman in her 60s. It is time for congregations to increase the relevancy of church activities to address the identities and interests of men and women of all ages and ethnicities, he said.
Harp suggested that congregations better communicate the place and the need for the gifts of men, including construction projects, role models for youth, mission work and cookouts. He said men will help with contemporary worship services "even if it isn't their cup of tea."
While affirming the year of celebrations of women's ordination, Harp called for celebration of the gifts of men in the church.
"Men want and need respect and opportunities for challenge," he said. = The National Council of Presbyterian Men can be helpful to women, Harp said, noting that a woman pastor in Kansas contacted the group seeking ways to reconnect with the men of the congregation. Gilbert later added that helpful information is regularly added to the presbyterianmen.org Web site.
Vice Moderator of the General Assembly, elder Robert Wilson, offered his encouragement at the conclusion of the dinner. Wilson is a past president of the Presbyterian Men.
"Presbyterian Men is in my heart," he said of the organization which is in covenant with the PC(USA). "I wear the (lapel) pin everywhere I go."
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