When Bill Prater stepped into the pastoral leadership of Fellowship, he had the burden of starting an event for men.  A conference where men of churches could come and hear the Bible preached in a way that would challenge them to be strengthened as Godly men.  To build up men to be spiritual leaders in their homes and churches.
That vision continues on 26 years later with the Amen Conference this coming Friday and Saturday.  We carry on Pastor Bill’s burden of ministering to men in the area through Bible preaching, meaningful worship and heartfelt prayer as a community of men to encourage and strengthen one another.

But as in so many other ministries in the church, we can get so focused on ministering to other men that we forget that we need the ministry offered through the Amen Conference so I’d like to give a few tips on how to make sure that we are present and engaged at Amen Conference.  

It’s not enough just to be physically present, we must be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually present.  We can all identify times when we were physically present but not mentally or emotionally.  Just think of Thanksgiving Day when the entire family is spending time with each other, visiting, catching up, playing board games, etc. except for that one football fanatic glued to the TV.  They are physically present with the rest of the family, but mentally and emotionally, they are somewhere else.

The same happens to us on Friday and Saturday, when we are pre-occupied with work, projects, and family that we are not engaged with the spiritual aspects of the Conference.  It is very easy to get so caught up with food prep, or serving in whichever area that we volunteered that we miss the message of the preached word.  

One practical way to protect ourselves is to anticipate distractions.  Spend some time considering what distractions might come this weekend and how you’re going to handle them.  Plan your weekend accordingly to ensure that you have adequate time to accomplish the work needed before or after the Conference.  Visit with your co-workers and make sure they understand that you are unavailable during that time.  As with anything that we view as important, it’s necessary to set clear boundaries.

Many, many things go on behind the scenes to make the Amen Conference happen and I want to thank anyone and everyone who does even the smallest tasks.  But if something has prevented you from being in the preaching service in the past, please consider alternative ways and additional workers to accomplish those things so that everyone can be present and engaged in the preaching and worship.  If you’re unsure when or how to get things done in the time allotted, ask a pastor for leadership in that area.

Men’s ministry is vital in the church.  The more spiritually healthy the men are, the more spiritually healthy their families are and the church is as a result.  The Amen Conference is not only an opportunity to serve men of other churches, but also an opportunity for the men of Fellowship Baptist Church to be sharpened and strengthened by Biblical preaching, to be spiritually charged by heartfelt worship and encouraged by fellow men of God.  Remember what Jesus said to Martha in Luke 10:41-42 when she was distracted with much serving that she forgot to spend time with Him, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  Don’t be so distracted this weekend that you forget the good part.