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THE BUILDER MAY 2023

Charles

THE
BUILDER
May 2023

NEXT MEETING MAY 22
Indian Hills Christian Church
www.ihccdanville.org
1200 Lexington Rd.; Danville, KY
Fellowship Meal at 7 P.M. (EDT)
General Meeting at 8 P.M. (EDT)
Speaker: Doug Martin, Director of Alumni & Church Relations (Kentucky Christian University)

THANKS
Thanks to First Christian in Elizabethtown for hosting our April meeting. There were 111 men present from 24 congregations.

2023 MEETING SCHEDULE
June 26—Burkesville First Christian
July 24—Rolling Fork Christian
August 28—Lebanon Christian
October 23—Campbellsville Christian
November 27—New Life Christian

MEETING HOSTS FOR 2023
If your church is willing to host our September 25 meeting, please contact our Secretary, Jim Pope, at james.e.pope.civ@mail.mil.

QUOTES FROM WALLY RENDEL AT APRIL 24 MFC MEETING
“If living men knew what dead men know, this world would be saved in 24 hours.”
“People like to go to church where people like to go to church!”

POWER OF POSITIVITY
We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Some have yachts, some have canoes, and some are drowning. Just be kind and help whoever you can. (Damian Barr)

BILLY GRAHAM QUOTE
“Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask.”

MOTHER’S DAY QUOTES
“A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.” (Unknown)
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” (William Makepeace Thackeray)
“A mother’s hug lasts long after she lets go.” (Unknown)
“All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” (Abraham Lincoln)
“The mother’s heart is the child’s school room.” (Henry Ward Beecher)

HISTORY OF FATHER’S DAY
In the U.S., Father’s Day was founded in 1910 thanks to Sonora Smart Dodd, in Spokane, Washington. Dodd’s father was a Civil War veteran, William Jackson Smart. He was a widower and raised his six children alone. Dodd went to shopkeepers, churches and government officials to gather support for a day to recognize fathers. She was successful as Father’s Day was celebrated in Washington state on June 19, 1910. Despite being founded in 1910, it was not until 1972 that the date became an officially recognized holiday in the U.S. There was a lot of push back from people during the 20s and 30s, and in fact many tried to end both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, wishing to replace them with a joint Parents’ Day instead. It was officially recognized as a holiday in 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed Proclamation 4127. In this document Nixon wrote “let each American make this Father’s Day an occasion for renewal of the love and gratitude we bear to our fathers, increasing and enduring through all the years.” Observed the third Sunday in June, Father’s Day will be June 19. (Copied)

QUOTES FROM MARK BATTERSON AT PRAYER SEMINAR (THE COVE)
“There is no expiration date on prayer!”
“Some day we will thank God for the prayers He didn’t answer!”
“Your legacy is not what you accomplish but what others accomplish because of you!”
“Tears are liquid prayer.”
“Prayer is how we write history before it happens.”
“We need to stop living like Jesus is still nailed to the cross.”
“Our focus determines our priority.”
“It’s easier to act like a Christian than to react like a Christian.”
“Any time we add an adjective to the Gospel we are subtracting from the Gospel.”
“If you filter your Bible philosophy through your political philosophy, it is idolatry.”
“If you get into an argument with God, you lose! If you lose, you win!”

UNCHURCHED AMERICANS
Despite openness to religious conversations and relationships with Christians, few unchurched Americans have ever had someone explain exactly how to become a Christian or why they should think about doing so. Only 3 in 10 unchurched Americans (29%) say a Christian has ever shared with them one-on-one how a person becomes a Christian, according to Lifeway Research. Only slightly more say a Christian has told them about the benefits of participating in a local church (33%) or the benefits of becoming a Christian (35%).

ONLINE CHURCH
According to Lifeway Research, 45% of Americans say they watched a Christian church service online during the COVID pandemic, including some who say they don’t normally physically attend. “It’s not surprising to see churchgoers using online options to view a church service, but there are also those who have not been church attendees who have at least checked out a church service.”

GROWING OLDER
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, 17% of Americans are 65 and older. In FACT’s study, 33% of U.S. congregations are senior citizens. Not only are congregations growing older, so are their leaders. The average clergy member is 57 today compared to 50 in 2000, according to the FACT study.

The Builder is published by Men for Christ at Indian Hills Christian Church in Danville, KY.
Publisher: Judy Clay (judyclay01@gmail.com)
Editor: Charles Young (cw.young@windstream.net)

THE BUILDER APRIL 2023

Charles

THE
BUILDER
April 2023

NEXT MEETING APRIL 24
First Christian Elizabethtown
1811 North Miles Street
Fellowship Meal at 7 P.M. (EDT)
General Meeting at 8 P.M. (EDT)
Speaker: Wally Rendell, Retired
(Jessamine Christian Church)

THANKS
Thanks to White Mills Christian for hosting our March meeting. There were 90 men present from 23 congregations.

2023 MEETING SCHEDULE
May 22—Indian Hills Christian
June 26—Burkesville Christian
July 24—Rolling Fork Christian
October 23—Campbellsville Christian
November 27—New Life Christian

MEETING HOSTS FOR 2023
To assist with the planning of our meetings, please contact our Secretary, Jim Pope, at james.e.pope.civ@mail.mil to reserve one of the remaining months: August 28 and September 25.

A THOUGHT
“You would worry less about what people thought of you if you realized how seldom they did.” (Copied)

LIFE’S BURDENS
As we walk our individual life journeys, we pick up resentments and hurts which attach themselves to our souls like burrs clinging to a hiker’s socks. These stowaways may seem insignificant at first, but, over time, if we do not occasionally stop and shake them free, the accumulation becomes a burden to our souls. (Alan Christoffersen’s Diary)

A GOOD FATHER
When a child speaks, a good father listens. How much more does our Heavenly Father listen to our prayers?

CHURCH
It is never “my church” so long as it is “those people” who are keeping it going.

A member never belongs to the church unless the work of the church belongs to him.

Maybe folks shouldn’t seek a church to match their views, but one that will change them.

The church gives people what they need; the theatre gives them what they want.

The church that is not a mission-minded church will soon be a missing church.

WHO IS HE KIDDING?
When a person claims he can’t stay awake through a twenty-minute sermon but he stays home with his newspaper, television, hobbies, novels, who is he kidding?
When a man says Sunday is his only day of rest but he gets up at 4:30 to go fishing or spends the day on the golf course, who is he kidding?
When a person says the church pews are too hard but he sits on a bleacher for hours and watches football players push one another back and forth across a mud lot, who is he kidding?
When a person says he can’t afford to tithe but he lives in a comfortable home, drives a new car, and eats well, who is he kidding?
When a man says he doesn’t have time for Christ and the church but he spends evenings shopping, bowling, watching television, with hobbies., who is he kidding? He’s certainly not kidding God!

CHURCH BLOOPERS
“During the absence of our minister, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon from a great minister.”

“The Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door!”

“The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment, and gracious hostility.”

“The minister will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, Break Forth Into Joy!”

THE VALUE OF A SMILE
A smile is nature’s best antidote for discouragement. It brings rest to the weary, sunshine to those who are sad, and hope to those who are hopeless and defeated. A smile is so valuable that it can’t be bought, begged, borrowed, or taken away against your will. You have to be willing to give a smile away before it can do anyone else any good. So if someone is too tired or grumpy to flash you a smile, let them have one of yours anyway. Nobody needs a smile as much as the person who has none to give.

GOOD ADVICE
A man is on the operating table about to be operated on by his son, the surgeon. The father says, “Son, take good care of me. Remember, if anything happens to me, your mother is coming to live with you.”

The Builder is published by Men for Christ at Indian Hills Christian Church in Danville, KY.
Publisher: Judy Clay (judyclay01@gmail.com)
Editor: Charles Young (cw.young@windstream.net)

THE BUILDER MARCH 2023

Charles

THE
BUILDER
March 2023

NEXT MEETING MARCH 27
White Mills Christian Church
Fellowship Meal at 7 P.M. (EDT)
General Meeting at 8 P.M. (EDT)
Speaker: Jacob Cabe, Mortons Gap Christian Church

THANKS
Thanks to Columbia Christian for hosting our February meeting. There were 126 men present from 26 congregations.

2023 MEETING SCHEDULE
April 24—Elizabethtown First Christian
May 22—Indian Hills Christian
June 26—Burkesville Christian
November 27—New Life Christian

MEETING HOSTS FOR 2023
To assist with the planning of our meetings, please contact our Secretary, Jim Pope, at james.e.pope.civ@mail.mil to reserve one of the remaining months: July 24—August 28–September 25—
October 23–

GET READY FOR SUMMER CAMPS
Camp Calvary, Mackville, KY
859-375-4376
www.kycampcalvary.com

White Mills Christian Camp
270-862-3933
www.whitemillschristiancamp.com

THINK ABOUT THESE
“We have replaced Christianity with church attendance!” –Kerry Allen
“Do not criticize when you can get no one to serve if you have not made any efforts to equip them to serve.”—Kerry Allen
“If your church was gone, would the community be further in darkness?”
—Kerry Allen

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Fifty men registered for the March 18 Leadership Seminar held at White Mills Christian Camp. Sponsored by Men for Christ and the Camp and led by Kerry Allen, President of Louisville Bible College, the event was designed to encourage men to Embrace the Opportunity to Lead Christ’s Church Today. Bro. Allen’s presentation focused on A Biblical View of Leadership, The Need for Leadership, and How We Can Develop New Leaders. The speaker concluded with: “The path to a truly satisfying life includes serving the Lord. Right now be bold enough to do two things. Pray that God will reveal how He wants you to serve Him. Second, pray that He won’t give you peace until you do it.”

LOOKING TO EASTER—
THE RESURRECTION IS CRUCIAL
We cherish the birth of Jesus, His wisdom, His loving deeds, His courage in the face of a brutal death, but it is Christ’s resurrection which is absolutely crucial to Christian beliefs. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul explained that the Resurrection was the foundation of our Christian belief system. He insisted that if Christ had not been raised from the dead, then we who believe in eternal life have no hope for it at all. “If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (I Corinthians 15:16-17, NRSV). Finally, Paul expresses very clearly how critical the Resurrection is to our Christian hope. ‘”If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (I Corinthians 15:19, NRSV). (Copied)

QUOTABLE QUOTES
Regardless of what your gift is or where God has placed you, you have been given a gift from God to fulfill the mission of the church. (I Peter 4:10 Summary)
You were created on purpose for a purpose. –Lysa Terkeurst
Sometimes to get back on your FEET in life you need to get back in your SEAT at church. –Tommy Galloway

“Jesus fed 5000, but only 500 followed Him after lunch. He had 12 disciples, but only 3 went further into the Garden. And only 1 stood with Him at the cross. The closer you get to the cross, the smaller the crowd becomes.” You see some people are afraid to get TOO CLOSE.
–T.F. Tenney

SYMPATHY EXTENDED
Faithful member of Men for Christ, Noble Perry, 97, of First Christian in E’town, passed away February 25.

IN LOVE
Have you ever considered that God has fallen in love with you? He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you sunshine every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He listens to you. He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose you, your heart. God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way. Amen (Unknown)

THE DEVIL’S PRAISE
“Complaining is to the devil what praise and thanksgiving is to God.” Stop and think about that for a moment; let it sink way down deep inside. Andrew Wommack says, “Praise isn’t like the caboose that just follows what happens, it’s more like the engine of a train that makes things happen.” Praise is the big gun of faith. If these two statements are true, then complaining is the engine that makes things happen on the negative side. Furthermore, complaining is a big gun of doubt and unbelief. No one wants a big gun of doubt and unbelief working on their behalf. I know I don’t! I Thessalonians’ 5:18 says: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

STICK TO YOUR STRENGTHS
There are some things we want to do but simply are not equipped to accomplish. I, for example, have the desire to sing. The problem is, I am what you might call a jailhouse singer – I never have the key, and I’m always behind a few bars. Paul gives good advice in Romans 12:3: “Have a sane estimate of your capabilities” (PHILLIPS). In other words, be aware of your strengths. When you teach, do people listen? When you lead, do people follow? Where are you most productive? Identify your strengths, and—this is important—major in them. We cannot meet every need in the world. We cannot please every person in the world. We cannot satisfy every request in the world. But some of us try, and in the end we run out of fuel. So have a sane estimate of your abilities and stick to them.—Max Lucado; Daily Devotion 3-8-23.

The Builder is published by Men for Christ at Indian Hills Christian Church in Danville, KY.
Publisher: Judy Clay (judyclay01@gmail.com)
Editor: Charles Young (cw.young@windstream.net)

WANTED
Knifley Christian Church is looking to purchase a small church van. Please contact Barry Bennett at marsha.bennett@firstandfarmers.com.

CHRISTIAN STANDARD ARTICLE

Charles

Men for Christ Ministry in Central Kentucky Bouncing Back after COVID Lull
by Christian Standard | 28 February, 2023 | 1 comment

By Chris Moon

Men for Christ, a 71-year-old men’s ministry in central Kentucky, is discovering new life after the COVID-19 storm.
The group is comprised mostly of lay members from Independent Christian Churches across the region. It meets monthly at local churches for fellowship, worship, and a message.
The long-standing mission of the group has been to support new church plants. And the group has a multimillion endowment fund that supports churches with building improvement and maintenance needs.
But the pandemic years were tough on Men for Christ, which has a significant number of older men in its ranks—a group particularly susceptible to COVID-19 complications.
A typical pre-pandemic meeting would have had well more than 100 men present. After COVID-19’s arrival, the group stopped meeting altogether for a year. When meetings resumed, fewer than 50 men were present.
“It had gotten drastically lower,” said Adam Hale, the group’s chairman and the senior minister of Glendale (Ky.) Christian Church. “Personally, I thought [the pandemic] might be the thing that ends Men for Christ.”
But in 2023, things have begun to turn around. More than 100 men attended the January meeting—the first time attendance has reached that threshold in nearly three years.
“I was thrilled to see that many men show up,” Hale said.
FELLOWSHIP AND SONG
Men for Christ was founded in January 1952 as a voluntary association of men from Christian churches in central Kentucky. Its mission is to “promote Christian fellowship and the strengthening and establishment of churches after the New Testament pattern.”
Hale said 23 churches support Men for Christ with their missions funds each month. The group also takes up an offering at its monthly meeting.
Those meetings are “one of the great things about Men for Christ,” said Hale, who has been active with the group for about 15 years.
The group’s monthly meetings include a meal prepared by the host church. That’s followed by a time of worship and then a message by a man selected by the Men for Christ program committee.
“The fellowship is tremendous,” said Russell Lunsford, a past chairman of the group and a member of Columbia (Ky.) Christian Church.
The worship services try to specialize in old gospel songs.
“You got a bunch of old men out there,” Lunsford said. “It’s really thrilling to stand out there with those men and sing those songs.”
PLANTING CHURCHES
Each Men for Christ gathering concludes with a business meeting led by the group’s executive committee.
Today, the group is looking to do more church planting, which has been a core part of the Men for Christ mission over the years.
In its earliest days, Men for Christ was instrumental in the founding of Magnolia Street Christian Church in Harrodsburg, Ky., in 1952 and Owensboro (Ky.) Christian Church in 1953.
Longtime member Allan Courtwright, who attends Campbellsville (Ky.) Christian Church, said his loyalty to Men for Christ grew when he was among the founding members of a new church Lebanon, Ky. The group supported the new church for several years.
“That really got me going in it,” Courtwright said. “I saw what they had done for us, and I saw what they were doing for other churches.”
In recent years, Men for Christ also has financially supported the planting of Elevate Christian Church in Lexington and Church of the Crossroads in Mt. Washington. Those were joint efforts with other organizations.
Hale, the Men for Christ chairman, said the group’s executive committee is hopeful that by the end of 2023, it will have a location for a new church plant and be moving toward getting a congregation off the ground.
Taking the lead in planting new churches is something longtime member Charles Young, who attends First Christian Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., is hopeful the group can resume doing on a regular basis.
“The challenge is the ability to actually start from scratch a new congregation,” he said.
‘A LOT OF GOOD’
Men for Christ also has a substantial fund to help existing churches with building improvement needs.
About 20 years ago, the late Curtis Votaw, a local businessman, left Men for Christ more than $2 million to assist with such projects. The group makes low interest loans to help churches with things like new roofs and building additions.
Seven churches currently have loans from Men for Christ. The current interest rate is 2 percent.
Lunsford, the past chairman, said Men for Christ is hoping to loan money to three churches this year for the building of new sanctuaries. Those churches had put their projects on hold when construction prices spiked with the pandemic.
“We’re really excited about the next couple of years,” he said.
Men for Christ also supports struggling congregations, such as those that do not have ministers in place or that are struggling to pay their bills.
“Over the years, we have done a lot of good for a lot of different independent congregations,” Hale said. “We’re still a group looking to do whatever we can for the kingdom.”
He said he thinks there’s a “restlessness” within Men for Christ to do even more.
“I am hopeful that we are starting to build a positive movement just for kingdom work in general,” Hale said.
Learn more about Men for Christ at www.kymenforchrist.org.

Chris Moon is a pastor and writer living in Redstone, Colo.

FEBRUARY 2023 NEWSLETTER

Charles

THE BUILDER
February 2023

NEXT MEETING FEBRUARY 27
Columbia Christian Church
Fellowship Meal at 7 P.M. (EST)
General Meeting at 8 P.M. (EST)
Speaker: Taylor Gilpin, Student Minister, First Christian E’town

THANKS
Thanks to Glendale Christian for hosting our January meeting. There were 103 men present from 24 congregations.

2023 MEETING SCHEDULE
March 27—White Mills Christian
April 24—Elizabethtown First Christian
May 22—Indian Hills Christian
June 26—Burkesville Christian
July 24—
August 28–
September 25—
October 23–
November 27—New Life Christian

MEETING HOSTS FOR 2023
To assist with the planning of our 2023 meetings, please contact our Secretary, Jim Pope, at james.e.pope.civ@mail.mil to reserve one of the remaining months.

QUOTABLE QUOTES
You don’t have to go to church to go to heaven. Well, you don’t have to wear a parachute to jump out of an airplane either, but it certainly helps!

Not everything we say no to is wrong, bad or sinful; It may just not be the best choice
to make. If we find ourselves saying yes to every activity, volunteer event or personal favor, we’ll not only have a packed calendar but also stress, frustration and burnout. Decide your nos so you can choose your best yeses! (Tim Tebow)

RELOCATION OF SCIENCE HILL CHRISTIAN CHURCH (SHCC)
Ky. Dept. of Highways will be building an overpass across the Norfolk-Southern Railroad. In the process, the property of SHCC will be taken. The congregation is to vacate the current building by April 1. SHCC has arrangements to purchase land near Highway 27 (just south of the intersection of US 27 and Highway 635). Engineering and architect planning is progressing. They are hoping to have construction begin in the summer. In the meantime, worship services will be held in the auditorium of Science Hill Elementary School. The congregation requests your prayers during this time of relocation and construction.

WINTER WEATHER ALERT
If weather conditions require the cancellation of our meetings, information will be posted on the website. www.kymenforchrist.org. You may also contact any member of the Executive Committee.

MEN FOR CHRIST BIRTHDAY
MFC was organized January 28, 1952, in a meeting at Columbia Christian Church. In last month’s newsletter, it was stated “it is doubtful that any of our current members were in attendance” at that meeting 71 years ago. Update! Mr. Leroy Knifley, age 90, remembers the meeting well. In a recent interview at Bluegrass Way Senior Living in Campbellsville, he stated that he was there as a 19-year-old college student since as a ”Daddy’s Boy” he went everywhere with his father. We thank Mr. Knifley for being a part of the history of MFC.

TRUE WORSHIP
“A man may say, ‘I am going to church to worship God,’ but he should also be able to say, ‘I am going to the factory, the shop, the office, the school, the garage, the mine, the shipyard, the field, the garden, to worship God.’” –William Barclay

The Builder is published by Men for Christ at Indian Hills Christian Church in Danville, KY.
Publisher: Judy Clay (judyclay01@gmail.com)
Editor: Charles Young (cw.young@windstream.net)