by Sarah Grano
Interim Worship Pastor Marty Rhyne performs during the men?s rally at Denver Baptist Church Saturday, March 24. (Sarah Grano/DW photo)
DENVER ? Denver Baptist Church members want to teach men to be more courageous fathers.
The church held a men?s rally Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24, to promote faith, fatherhood and leadership.
?It?s not only about being leaders in the church, but being leaders in the community,? said Steve Waters, associate pastor of education and discipleship. ?It starts in your family and then your church and then goes beyond that.?
The event kicked off Friday night, March 23, with a? barbecue dinner and a showing of the movie ?Courageous,? which focuses on the importance of fatherhood.
?It hit the guys between the eyes,? Waters said of the movie. ?We think we?re being okay dads, but being okay isn?t good enough.?
On Saturday, the rally?s more than 60 participants shared breakfast, worshipped through song and attended sessions with pastors.
?It?s a vision thing for our church,? youth pastor Josh Benfiled said. ?Our pastor is teaching us to have a three-fold vision ? men, marriages and mission.?
Attendants received Those attending were given handouts with statistics from the National Center for Fathering including ?24.8 million children (33 percent) live apart from their biological fathers.? Waters believes the way society views fatherhood have changed.
?It?s not as valued as it used to be,? he said. ?It?s getting worse and worse.?
He and other organizers of the rally plan to work to change that.
?You?re number one when it comes to taking responsibility for your child or children,? he said.
Benfield agreed.
?We teach our men to make a difference (in) our homes, to make a difference with our wives and kids,? he said.
The men were encouraged to spend time with their children, show affection, pray together and discipline with a gentle spirit.
During the rally, the roles of fathers in the Bible were examined, including the role of God as a father and the importance of father-led families.
?We?re focusing on the Bible, and we?re going to touch on other things,? Waters said.
Being a leader within the family was only the beginning of the rally?s message to men. They were encouraged to participate in Bible study and become leaders within church and beyond that, in the community and the world.
?We?re trying to lead men to the international field to spread the news of Jesus,? Benfield said.
The goal is to positively affect as many people as possible.
?We want to make a difference,? Benfield said. ?I don?t want to just hang around. I want my life to count.?
Organizers hope the rally results in larger numbers of men participating in Bible study, missions and other events including Operation In As Much.
Operation In As Much, which takes place April 28, will have volunteers working to help organizations such as East Lincoln Christian Ministry and East Lincoln Pregnancy Care Center.
For more information, visit www.denverbaptist.org or call 704-483-3030.
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