When as many as a million men converge on the National Mall in Washington Oct. 4 to confess their sins and recommit their lives to God, several hundred Utahns will be among them.
Kneeling in prayer and asking forgiveness - all in a very public forum - defies the traditional "macho" male immage, but it's become a watershed event for hundreds of thousands of men who want to transform their personal lives.Promise Keepers, the conservative Christian group that has been filling sports arenas around the country with men anxious to become better husbands, fathers and churchgoers, is sponsoring a gathering of epic proportions the first weekend in October.
The half-day event - like its smaller cousins held in major cities across the country - will allow men of all races and backgrounds to share deep feelings about their shortcomings and pray for God's forgiveness together.
But wait a minute. Isn't sharing feelings something only women do? John Grey, best-selling author of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus," has told us men don't like to share their feelings with anyone - that they'd prefer to keep them bottled up inside and hide in their emotional "caves" until they've worked it all out on their own. Right?
Wrong. For some reason, a huge gathering of like-minded men allows a certain "transparency" that makes it emotionally safe for men to share how they feel about their shortcomings. According to Pastor Jim Schaedler of Metro Fellowship, a lot of the ego that keeps many men emotionally bottled up disappears when the Lord is at work during such events.
"It's always hard for men to open up" emotionally, the Rev. Schaedler said. "But once they do so, it's easier to find that place of transparency - and that's what men need. We like our image to be thus and so," he said, but when they see others humbly asking for forgiveness, something changes inside.
Steve Colborn, Utah coordinator for Promise Keepers, agrees that the "macho man" iamge that many men have traditionally adhered to says "you don't shed tears or show emotion. But Promise Keepers is saying, `Well, you are a man, but God created you.' We are to be caring for one another, sharing with one another, not only how our lives are but what God is doing in our lives and what godly men should be."
And it doesn't seem to matter whether they're among family, friends or complete strangers. "When you're there, it's not really a thing of show," the Rev. Schaedler said. "You're just a number. It's not a spotlight on you. A lot of genuine repentance that takes place and seeking of help from the God we believe can help us." Even in a large stadium or a sea of humanity like the gathering on the Mall, men in small groups of four to six people are able to "huddle" for confession and shared prayers.
The Rev. Schaedler said some of the issues emphasized at all Promise Keepers events include the "fact that men have forsaken their first love, which is God." As a result, other problems are manifest. They include "racism and racial insensitivity altogether; evasion of spiritual leadership in the home - where we haven't taken the role as spiritual leader; abandonment of our families; sexual sins; lack of commitment to the church, pastor and congregation; sectarianism, a divisive attitude; sins of pride and jealousy; gossip, backbiting and prayerlessness."
The Rev. Schaedler attended a Promise Keepers rally in Denver in 1994, and with the local continigent, plans to be among the hundreds of thousands of men who organizers believe will gather in Washington. Colborn estimates anywhere from 500 to 1,000 Utah men will attend.
"We've even had a couple of guys who tried to charter a plane to Washington," based on the number of Utah men who plan to attend, Colburn said. But they were unsuccessful in doing so when they approached a local air carrier. Apparently they aren't alone.
According to a press release, Washington "virtually sold out" its 90,000 hotel rooms for the Oct. 4 weekend weeks ago. Dulles and National airports stopped accepting charter flights during the same period because gate limitations won't allow any more charters the space to land. And tickets on several Amtrak routes from major cities to Washington that weekend have been sold out for months.
What is the motivation so many find at such events? "Men have really found that it's been something they've needed for a long time," Colborn said. "It makes us accountable to the Lord to be good leaders, as husbands and fathers, and to be honorable to our wives as we strive to become one, as it says in the Bible."
When such an emotional experience occurs in a man's life, it's not something you just go home and forget," the Rev. Schaelder said. "It changes lives."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Maybe by satellite
Utahns who won't be able to attend the gathering in Washington Oct. 4 may be able to view it by satellite transmission at selected area churches. While plans have not been finalized yet, those interested in times and places for the broadcast may call 968-6131 and leave a message, or submit a faxed request at 963-5521.