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Presbyterian Men at Germantown
Share Their Formula for Success

by Ernest Mellor

We are still basking in the light and joy of last year's Annual Gathering for the Men of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This national meeting was held in our church and jointly sponsored together with three other congregations in this easternmost suburb of Memphis. The record attendance of 375 together with rave reviews about our speakers, food, and hospitality was gratifying indeed.

We continue our four-year history of weekly Bible study and prayer breakfasts every Friday morning from 6:30 to 7:30. Two years ago, we decided to divide our organization into four committees to better serve the forty to fifty men who gather for this fellowship and study.

TEACHING: Our Parish Associate is the main teacher, with four laymen on his team who also teach at various times. The 301 Depth Bible Study Series from Serendipity, (800) 525-9563, is an excellent resource and easy to use. We have studied Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, James and the Parables in the last three years. Having finished James, we have now scheduled seven outstanding Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist pastors to share their call, their life and their work with us from 6:50 to 7:20, leaving 10 minutes for prayers.

ATTENDANCE: One of our men, assisted by three others, keeps the roll up to date, sends an E-mail to all members each week, checks the roll and assigns one inactive member to an active member for him to sponsor and telephone as a reminder on Thursday nights. This group of four puts out the Bibles, the name tags, and promotes the participation of all men in our church.

FOOD: We have a main "chef" with four associates who each take a Friday morning for preparing the breakfast, usually of scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, biscuits, coffee, oatmeal, grits, fruit, cereal and doughnuts, all for $2.00. They also take the responsibility for getting the dishes in the dishwasher and other clean-up.

MISSION: Our mission chairman and his team of four lead our tutoring team at the Germantown High School for at-risk Juniors and Seniors one hour once or twice a week. Fourteen men and women are involved in this ministry. This team sponsors a perpetual clothing drive for the homeless who eat at the Soup Kitchen in downtown Memphis every Sunday. Ministering to our older adults through simple home repairs plus transportation for non-drivers is central to their work. We also sponsor a worship team for services, twice monthly, in two Assisted-Living Homes nearby. A recently distributed survey to our older adults will keep us on track for their further needs. This team promotes mission trips to Brazil, Mexico, and Russia where we have a twin-sister church and pastor. They sponsor visits, upon request, to other churches interested in starting or upgrading their Men of the Church organizations. Call (901) 754-5195 for Ernest Mellor or (901) 684-0229 for Terry Bishop for additional information.

Around the Synod: Helping Children

2002 is the Centennial Year for Buckhorn Children's Foundation. An important part of the celebration is the gala gathering on the Buckhorn, Kentucky campus on June 1, 2002. For more information, contact Sally Baker at 606/398-7000 or e-mail sally.baker@buckhorn.org.

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The Children's Review Program has ranked Bellewood's Louisville Campus, located in Anchorage, number 1 in Kentucky when compared with 51 other similar programs. In addition, the programs at Bellewood Center in Bowling Green were ranked number 3 in the state and Bellewood as an agency was ranked number 2 in the state when compared with the 34 agencies evaluated. Bellewood's other site, the James H. Akin Home in Lexington, was not rated.

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Children at Risk - Hope for the Future, a symposium on the Church and its ministry with children, was held March 22 & 23 at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The event featured keynote speakers, workshops, worship and reflection upon the Church's ministry with children. The conference was jointly sponsored by Louisville Seminary's Center for Congregations and Family Ministries and Presbyterian Children's Homes and Related Ministries (PCHARM).

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