It began as a typical men’s prayer breakfast on Sunday morning. Wally Christiansen began the devotional by quoting several verses from 1 Timothy 3. As the men discussed the requirements of bishops and deacons, they covered all the usual points of being the husband of one wife, not being a drunkard, etc. But Christiansen stressed the quality of helping others as the most important trait that qualified a man to be a leader of the church.
Soon everyone was sharing stories of when others had helped them or of how they were at the right place and the right time to help someone else. When the discussion started to wind down, Lewis Shipowick mentioned that he had talked to a lady in the congregation who was recently widowed. She related how she needed help with her yard. He then asked if any of the men would be willing to help following the breakfast.
Nine of them volunteered for two to three hours, pruning the vineyard, cleaning out dead branches and leaves around shrubs, and tilling the garden and some flower beds.
The Gladstone Park men’s ministry is continuing to grow as an active part of the church’s ministry. They have helped widows, helped erect a wall for the new Fellowship Hall, participated in the Follow the Star program, had a Valentine’s breakfast for all the ladies in the church, and even reroofed the home of a family in need. The group is not a country club that meets once a month for breakfast, but is a close-knit group that exist for the ministry of the church to families in need.
Paul Rivera works to clean out some flower beds.
