How do you get the man who is more interested in golf
than God to give up a Saturday morning round of 18
holes to come hear about God's perfect plan for his
family? How do you motivate the man who is experienced
in the joy of sports but has never felt God's joy to
attend a two-day spiritual leadership conference? How
do you inspire the man who is a casual attender in
church to show up at a men's conference that will
change his life?
These are the hard-to-reach men that conference
planners are praying will show up for the Steve Farrar
Conference—Men Leading the Charge—on February 8
and 9, 2008. First Baptist Church Centerville and
Westside Baptist Church in Warner Robins have teamed
up to bring this dynamic men's spiritual leadership
conference to the Middle Georgia area and are hoping
to reach 500 men from this area as well as from
Tifton, Dublin, Cordele, and Forsyth. Conference
planners have distributed information packets to 100
area churches of all denominations.
The speaker for the two-day conference will be
popular author Steve Farrar, well-known for his
best-selling book Point Man: How A Man Can Lead His
Family. He speaks frequently for men's leadership
ministries conferences.
"I think Steve Farrar is the best communicator
to men in our generation. He has a strong message—and
he hammers home that message—for men to live the
lives that God intended for them to live. He will
challenge every one of us," said Walon Smith,
Director of Men's Ministry at First Baptist Church
Centerville.
"Our sole motivation behind hosting this
seminar is to challenge men to follow God's design for
the family, to be the spiritual leaders of their
households. A study has found that when Mom and Dad
both attend church regularly, 72 percent of their
children remain faithful later in life. When only Mom
attends, 15 percent remain faithful. * Steve Farrar
will encourage men to get active in their churches and
to live out their faith in their daily lives,"
Smith said.
Smith hopes that the follow-up men's small group
Bible studies will assist in building stronger men's
ministries in area churches. "The apathy among
men in church is overwhelming. Many churches don't
even have a men's ministry, and if they do, its only
activity is offering a quarterly pancake breakfast.
The small group Bible study for men is so important
because men's issues need to come to light and be
dealt with, and a small group of men offers that
setting," Smith said.
The conference will be held at First Baptist Church
Centerville, located on 108 Church Street in
Centerville. It begins on Friday, February 8 at 5:30
for dinner. The conference lasts until 10 p.m. and
reconvenes on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. for
breakfast. The conference ends at noon. It costs $40
to register by January 15. After January 15, the price
is $50.
For more information and to register for the
conference visit www. MiddleGASteveFarrar. com. You
may also register at Westside Baptist Church
(478-785-1024) or First Baptist Church Centerville
(478-953-3387. )
*Source: Robert and Debra Bruce, Becoming Spiritual
Soulmates with Your Child (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman, 1996), 52
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