In our men's group recently we had a conversation about men in the church - why it is that joining a church community can be hard for men in particular, and what the church has to offer that is helpful for men. The response was interesting: leaving aside for a moment the 'God-shaped vacuum' in each of us and the opportunity to meet God in community, the deep need that the church can potentially meet for men is relational. Much has been written about the "epidemic of loneliness" in society generally (the US Surgeon General published an 80 page document last year on that subject, subtitled the "Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community") and several commentators note that this epidemic is particularly prevalent among men - we are often "less skilled than women at making friends".
The group shared stories of times they had seen the Church get this right - offering real, life-changing community to men - and the key ingredient seems to have been for that experience to be relaxed and friendly, as opposed to intense and 'spiritual'. Often the most effective of these groups had a low-key connection to a church, even meeting off-site. In such groups, the major focus is simply on offering friendship and community (much like our Social Knitwits ladies group). I'm not sure that a men's knitting group would have too many takers :) but is there something informal we could start to offer community and friendship for men within and beyond our walls?
On a related subject, we are busy tidying up and re-organising our many books at WMC. I have heard several people suggest that a bookclub would be a great way to get people together over a shared interest ... does that give anyone any idea they'd like to run with?
The group shared stories of times they had seen the Church get this right - offering real, life-changing community to men - and the key ingredient seems to have been for that experience to be relaxed and friendly, as opposed to intense and 'spiritual'. Often the most effective of these groups had a low-key connection to a church, even meeting off-site. In such groups, the major focus is simply on offering friendship and community (much like our Social Knitwits ladies group). I'm not sure that a men's knitting group would have too many takers :) but is there something informal we could start to offer community and friendship for men within and beyond our walls?
On a related subject, we are busy tidying up and re-organising our many books at WMC. I have heard several people suggest that a bookclub would be a great way to get people together over a shared interest ... does that give anyone any idea they'd like to run with?