Inside a barn men drag metal chairs up to tables, lean on oily workbenches and stand next to unused lumber. Outside, men sit or prop on motorcycles, pickup trucks or sedans that are parked on the grass.
These gatherings occur the third Thursday night of each month at a 100-by-60-foot barn along Frank Road on the property of Eddie Barnholt in Elberta. Some of the men find Christ, while others draw closer to the Savior they’ve known for years.
Among the 200-plus men in this setting, it is hard to distinguish the well-to-do from the down-and-out. Men opt to avoid titles and financial successes, even though a luxury sedan was among the vehicles parked outside. The focus is on life, real life in Christ and simple fellowship.
“It’s a good place for men to bond,” said Jeff Hilbert of Foley, who accepted Jesus as Savior in February.
“You can go outside and look around or come in here to the table and fellowship. It’s just an extension of the church, but it’s a lot more personable, a lot more manly.”
“It’s just worked out that it was something simple,” said Charlie Stewart, who heads the Men’s Barn Ministry. The meetings are of a nondenominational type, and the pride and status of men are dropped outside the entrance.
The group grew from the desire of a few men to disciple other men, and operates today through a steering group of nine men, who come from different denominational backgrounds.
“We had 34 men come when we were starting this March 2001. Now, we have over 217,” Stewart said. At any given meeting, he said, about 30 percent of the men are first-timers.
“There are some pastors here, but you couldn’t spot them, unless you knew them,” said Bill Waller, a member of Josephine Baptist Church, Elberta.
“It’s a tremendous ministry to several hundred men. One Thursday night a month they have a meeting with some music, testimonies and guest speakers, and many people are getting saved,” said Ed Lyrene, pastor of Miflin Baptist Church, Elberta.
“It’s an interdenominational effort and a tremendous effort to reach a lot of men. Other barn ministries have branched out from this, and it is really making a unique appeal to men in the area,” he said.
They charge no fee to come and are not out to emphasize money at all. “If somebody wants to give, we let ’em throw it in the bucket back there,” Stewart said.
Waller said the meetings are casual, not well organized by design, and speakers are often impromptu, with various men among the attendees sharing testimonies and challenging other men to deeper lives in Christ.
“We do not have a sermon after we eat. We have testimonials, after which we have prayer — not an altar call. If anyone feels that they want to go up and pray with the folks up at the front, they can,” Waller said. “Each night we’ll usually have five to 12 people get up and go accept Jesus,” he said.
“It’s phenomenal, no professionals, music is just OK, no sermon, per se, but God is moving,” Waller said.
“It’s astounding how people are pulled into this,” said Bo Benedict, also a member of Josephine Baptist Church.
“I just love to come up here and be with these people,” he added.
Waller said, “ From my viewpoint, it’s fellowship with some real inspired, on-fire Christians — a lot of these guys are great Christians every day.”
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