Pandemic ‘good for business,’ says men’s ministry executive

UM Men INSIGHTS

Pandemic ‘good for business,’ says men’s ministry executive

“You might say ‘the pandemic has been pretty good for business’.”

That’s what Dr. Rick Vance told 11 participants in a September 17 on-line meeting of the Men’s Ministry Committee of the General Commission on UM Men.

The director of the Center for Men’s Ministry explained that the virus and social isolation has slowed things down so men have begun to seek answers to troubling spiritual issues. “There has been an exponential increase in requests for resources during the pandemic,” he said.

Rick noted an increase in the number of virtual Class Meetings, a gathering of eight to ten people who talk about their experiences with God. The classes are based on a practice introduced by John Wesley as describe by Dr. Kevin Watson in his book, The Class Meeting, Reclaiming a Forgotten and Essential Small Group Experience. These meetings center on ways to put discipleship into action. It is not about knowing more; it is about doing more.

Last fall Gil and Rick led a total of four Class Meetings. Participants in those meetings have subsequently formed their own groups.

The Rev. Dr. Rick Vance is director of the Center for Men’s Ministries at the General Commission on UM Men.

An increase number of resources

“This year, we published three new resources,” said Rick. “The first, Mission Stories from a Reluctant Volunteer by Gil Hanke, is given to those who provide financial support for the commission. The second, Thirty Stops on the Journey, is a 30-day devotional sent to all charter subscribed churches. The third resource is a virtual publication entitled United Methodist Men Pray for Peace with Justice; it is available for anyone to download.”

The commission continues to provide Amending Through Faith, an eight-week study series for men who are passionate about ending violence against women.

The commission also provided a video to conference presidents of UM Men to use in their conference sessions. The staff also posted a number of videos of webinars addressing different topics and videos of five national days of prayer are available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UC_9MW6WKoEywHdSARau8Kxg.