OVER 920 AT OUR MEN’S CONFERENCE IN SPRINGFIELD
When we first started doing the local leg of a brand new concept called Iron Sharpens Iron National Men’s Conference in March 2007, we had no clue what we were doing. We were just a bunch of guys from Business Men in Christ (BMIC) investing about $3500 of our income to bring a Discipleship men’s ministry to town, which ran with the big dawgs in Colorado, New England or Orlando, Florida. Tom Cheshire, who spearheaded that in 2007 has since moved on from BMIC and now leads the successful Relevant Practical Ministry for men, which focuses in growing this movement to disciple men across central Illinois.
As the leader of the Prayer and Marketing Committee that first year, my job was to run two prayer rooms – one with men and women praying all day as intercessors for the day long conference – and the other with another minister and myself, open to men only, to counsel and pray with them.
That first year, less than 10 days out, we only had 45 men register. On conference day, over 550 men showed up! This year, 14 days out, we only had 175 registered. Today, over 920 showed up. All the classrooms for the 16 Equipping Seminars were so packed, we had men overflowing out the doors! God showed up and showed us Who was in charge! Not us!