Arlington men joining forces to serve God in church, families and community

As their name says, they are simply Men Serving God.

A group of men who are retired or nearing retirement in Arlington have joined together to create a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging Christian men to find ways to serve God in their family, church, and agencies in their community.

“Men need to be encouraged to serve God in our community. That is where problems and the needs of many can be solved,” said Jim Reeder, a retired salesman and the current capital campaign manager for the Arlington Life Shelter.

Reeder and former Arlington ISD Superintendent Jerry McCullough, co-founders of the Mission Arlington Baseball Academy, are driving forces behind Men Serving God (MSG).

McCullough, a longtime community activist, explained the origins of MSG.

“Four years ago I was teaching two men’s Bible studies — the Bible studies are not connected to a church — and I realized that some of the men were not using what they were learning in the studies to serve in their churches and in the community,” he recalled. “Many of the men were retired or close to retirement age and some were young men. I suggested we have a retreat and discuss service to the Lord and that went over like a lead balloon.”

McCullough was able to convince a dozen men to come to an evening gathering to eat and discuss serving in the community. The next year, 34 men attended the same get-together, and the next year more than 70 men attended.

“Before the third function I asked 10-12 men to help me plan the meeting and that grew into our board,” he said.

Now that MSG is officially a nonprofit community organization, they are holding an event to introduce themselves to the community.

“Men, God and BBQ” is a free event in downtown Arlington at Levitt Pavilion on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. Along with free food, the event will feature two keynote speakers, former Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams and Dallas Cowboys Chaplain Jonathan Evans.

MSG stresses that the event is a motivator, not a fundraiser. To attend the dinner, RSVP at www.menservinggod.com.

“We hope the free barbecue event will inspire, but also help us develop a large base of Christian men to help carry out our mission of serving the community and churches,” Reeder said. “We hope to have at least 500 men at the event.”

Being a member of MSG is open to any man wanting to serve God in the community. There are no dues.

“We hope to cover our operating expenses and events with donations from those in the community who share our vision. We have founded ourselves as a 501c3 to allow tax deductible contributions to our mission,” Reeder said.

McCullough also noted that one does not have to live in Arlington to be a member of MSG.

Reeder added that MSG hopes to join with other organizations to serve the community together through special projects.

“We hope the speakers will challenge them and they will see that this is what God is asking us to do with our lives,” McCullough said. “We hope by our examples they will see everyone can contribute in our community.”