On April 24-25, hundreds attended the annual Men’s Retreat at Falls Creek Conference Center. This provided a weekend of discipleship and brotherhood for Oklahoma Baptist men.
The theme for this year’s retreat was “Man Up,” reflecting on 1 Cor. 16:13, a continuation from last year’s theme, “Man Down” which received good feedback. The theme verse says, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong,” encouraging men to stand against the world’s tainted meaning of manhood and embrace Christ’s definition of being a man.
Breakout sessions focused on evangelism, apologetics men’s ministry, grandparenting and more. The sessions challenged and equipped men to better mirror Christ and be strong leaders.
“For believing men, ‘manning up’ means pursuing Christlikeness and embracing our God-given roles and responsibilities no matter how difficult it is,” said Prophet Bailey, Oklahoma Baptist Men’s Ministry partner.
In addition to the breakout sessions, two main sessions were held. The first featured Eric Hernandez, former Lead Apologist for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and Lewis “Lew” Sterrett, founder and CEO of Sermon on the Mount Ministries. Hernandez and Sterrett focused on how men can better show Christ in their lives; Hernandez focusing on being godly men even when no one is watching and Sterrett reminding men to always look to the Lord for guidance.
The second main session featured Todd Fisher, Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer and Danny Gandara, senior pastor of Del City, Sunnylane. Fisher warned men of the subtle dangers of drifting away in their walk with Christ, while Gandara highlighted that a godly man is defined by his motives and by placing his faith in the right person.
Outside of these sessions, men also participate in activities such as fishing, pickleball, shooting sports, archery and more.
For more information about Oklahoma Baptists Men’s Ministry, visit https://www.oklahomabaptists.org/men/.
