Men’s ministry provides a place to grow

By Ashton Smith, Assistant Faith Editor

This semester, Men’s Ministry is starting back up for the male students of OBU. 

Clay Philips, who is also the Director of Student Ministry, is one of the leaders of this organization, which leads men to grow in their walk with Christ and to fellowship with one another.  

“We gather together men to learn from older men what following Christ looks like for men in our current context,” Philips said. “We hope to promote the virtues of the Christian life by applying them directly to the life experienced by men in the context of our city and university.” 

Not only are the men trying to grow and learn from other older and much wiser men, but they’re also trying to learn and glean information from one another.  

One junior ministry major at OBU, Victor Van Herreweghe, is also a leader at the Men’s Ministry, and approached Clay about this particular ministry.  

“Victor came to me with a burden to see men growing in their faith as men and I agreed with him that it is a needed exercise to look specifically at how to grow as a man in Christ.” Philips said.  

Men’s Ministry is easy for any male student to get involved with, and students are highly encouraged to join in anytime. The meetings are weekly, and not at a busy time in the day so that more students are able to attend.  

“We meet every Monday at 8 pm in upstairs GC,” Philips said. “This is the only time we gather now but as we plan for next year we will incorporate more elements into the ministry.” 

Philips also used to be involved in Men’s Ministry back when he was a student at OBU and was transformed by the experience during that period of his life, as he interacted and grew closer to other students involved.  

“My favorite memory of Men’s Ministry is when I went through Journey as a student, which was the name of Men’s Ministry back then,” Philips said. “We kicked off the semester with a retreat which is where I met Dr. Bandy. I had been praying for direction on where to go on a mission trip and we decided to take a trip to the Amazon jungle together. The relationship with Dr. Bandy and others I formed on that trip were life-changing.”