Newsroom

PK Marks 18th Year of Ministry with Service, Technology

Integrity in action: new events promote charity, new offerings via Internet

Denver, Colo., November 30, 2007 – Promise Keepers (PK), the international ministry to men, marked its 18th year of ministry with events aimed at community service, and a range of Internet-based tools to help men grow spiritually. “2007 has been a significant year of creativity and adaptation,” said Dr. Tom Fortson, president and CEO of Promise Keepers. “We framed new strategies for the changing world while maintaining our historic focus of ‘Men Transformed Worldwide.’ Looking ahead, our goal is to be accessible to men 24/7/365 through new and exciting technologies.”

PKAdventure™ premiere

On November 10, 2007, nearly 2000 men attended digital cinema events at a dozen movie theaters around the continental United States. The 90-minute video presentation featured an exclusive interview with champion pro football coach and author Tony Dungy, a drama from L.A.-based Awaken, praise and worship performances by the PK7™ conference band, and long-time PK national conference emcee Reggie Dabbs. Attendees at all PKAdventure theater locations participated in a wide range of local community service projects, capping the premiere of the PKAdventure launch.

“Something we can do”

Half of the men who came to the PKAdventure theaters also participated in some form of community service. Food drives held in Mary Esther, Ft. Lauderdale and Jensen Beach, Fla., Indianapolis, Walled Lake, Mich., Albuquerque, King of Prussia, Pa., and Salt Lake City raised hundreds of pounds of food, just in time for holiday food drives.

Building repair, landscaping and light construction were conducted with local charities in Jensen Beach, Fla., Cincinnati, King of Prussia, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Salt Lake City. In Jensen Beach, one young widow saw 90% of badly needed home repairs finished in a few hours, and a landscaping crew spruced up the home of a disabled Korean War veteran. At the Utah Dream Center, men painted and did roof repair.

Blood drives and medical missions projects were conducted in Jensen Beach, Albuquerque and Nashville, collecting more than 30 units of blood. Clothing drives were held in Portland, Ore., King of Prussia, Nashville and Salt Lake City.

One PKAdventure participant said, “PK is finally giving us something we can do.”

2007 Men’s Conferences

An estimated 50,000 men attended seven Promise Keepers national conferences in 2007. Named “Flood: Energizing Men of Integrity,” the trademark high-tech, high intensity events catalyzed men to engage their faith more fully in their everyday lives. The theme verse for the 2007 conferences: “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-14).

The 2007 program aimed at stirring men’s love of adventure, challenged men’s spiritual commitments, and promoted the significance of vital relationships with men and healthy relationships with women. Each national conference provided more than two hours of energetic, masculine praise and worship music that engaged the attendees.

At the conferences, president and CEO of Promise Keepers Dr. Tom Fortson encouraged the men to make the significant changes needed to make an impact on life in their communities. “Our mission is to help you to be passionate followers of Jesus Christ, and to put that integrity into action,” he said.

Spiritual Impact

Chair-throwing evangelist Adrian Despres (www.adriandespres.com) tackled hypocrisy among Christians. “Evidence number one of being a Christian is your love, joy and peace,” Despres said. “The other evidence is the conviction of sin.”

In Fresno, evangelist Mike Silva (www.mikesilva.org) closed the first night with a unique, bi-lingual “Challenge to Die.” “God wants his men back,” said Silva. One man stormed the stage immediately, declaring, “I can’t wait anymore. I’ve got to have Jesus now!”

More than 2,200 men made spiritual commitments to faith and life in Jesus Christ at 2007 Promise Keepers national men’s conferences. More than 1,000 of that group declared their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the very first time.

Community Impact

Demonstrating “integrity in action,” national conference attendees contributed back to their local communities in some significant ways. In Mobile, Ala., Nashville, Orlando, Fla., and Columbia, S.C., men donated 190 units of blood in Friday afternoon blood drives. Local chapters of the American Red Cross and Florida’s Blood Centers coordinated the blood drives.

For the fourth straight year, Promise Keepers promoted a local food drive on the Saturday morning of each national conference. Nationally, conference attendees donated an estimated 41,280 pounds of non-perishable food items. Eight local charities received the cases of food for distribution through church and community networks.

Throughout the conference season, Promise Keepers recruited thousands of men and women as volunteers, and more than 750 men signed up to work with Promise Keepers as year-round volunteer “Ambassadors.”

Adventure and Funny Business

Bible adventurer Bob Cornuke (www.baseinstitute.org) described his searches for the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark, and evidence of Paul’s shipwreck at all seven conferences. A former crime scene investigator, Cornuke challenged the men to examine the evidence. “Evidence isn’t proof,” Cornuke said. “The proper interpretation of evidence is proof. It doesn’t matter if we find Noah’s Ark; you don’t want to miss the real ark of Jesus”.

Politically incorrect comedian Brad Stine (www.bradstine.com) was a regular at 2007 men’s conferences, loading up on animal rights activists, people that don’t like Christmas, and witches offended by Halloween stereotypes. “If you’re a witch and I offend you, isn’t there a potion for that?” pondered Stine.

A Woman’s Heart

Bishop Larry Jackson (www.betheloic.org) instructed the men on “Engaging the Heart of a Woman.” “From the book of Genesis we learn that in marriage the two have become one,” said Bishop Jackson. “How you speak to your wife is actually how you speak to yourself. Are you impatient with her? Let our words build up the women in our lives.”

In Mobile, Ala., Orlando, and Columbia, S.C. family minister Dan Seaborn (www.winningathome.org) helped men tackle “the woman question.” “God created marriage. Don’t mess with it!” Seaborn exclaimed. “The pressures of the world want to extinguish the flame of your relationship. Keep the candle burning!”

Brothers in arms

Bishop Joseph Garlington (www.ccop.org, Pittsburgh) targeted the importance of connecting with a few other men. “The safety net of fellowship between men is important,” Garlington said. “The enemy wants you to think that if you discuss your issues with somebody, it will ruin you. The truth is, if you don’t, it will ruin you.”

Motivational speaker Rick Rigsby (www.rickrigsby.com) told the men in San Antonio, Columbia, S.C. and Cincinnati, “We can’t go through this life on our own. Authentic brotherhood is God’s idea.”

Author and teacher James Ryle (www.truthworks.org) connected true significance with brotherhood. “Face to face, shoulder to shoulder, back to back - a band of men together is a formidable foe against the things that assault us as men,” said Ryle. The meeting ended with men locking arms, symbolic of unity between men.

Reports from the entire 2007 men’s conference schedule are posted at www.promisekeepers.org/newsroom.

The guys

First time Promise Keepers attendee and University of South Alabama graduate student Basil Farah said, “This has been a very challenging time. I liked how the first speaker said that Jesus is the ark and he has his door open for anyone to come in.”

“I need this twice a year,” said John Black, a 15-time Promise Keepers veteran from San Antonio. He was one of 120 men from Community Bible Church. Their custom black T-shirts read “Real Men. Real Life.” Half of the men in their group do not attend church regularly. Their follow-up event is a cookout on Monday evening.

Forty-three churchmen came from Carolina Forest Community Church in Tabor City, N.C., among them William Jacobs, 36, and his 10-year-old son, Gabriel. “I want to do things to bring Christ in his life,” Jacobs said.

For Aaron Brown and his group of 18 from Pinehurst, N.C., seeing thousands of men at the Columbia, S.C. was reinforcing. “Sometimes you feel alone when you’re a Christian," Aaron said. "To see so many other Christians coming together lifts my spirits and shows that I am not alone.”

New online content, new resources from Promise Keepers

Promise Keepers continues its work as a conference and content ministry. The web-based scripture memorization tool VerseMinder was launched in June, drawing more than 7,000 subscribers in its first six months.

A new series of classic PK videos are now downloadable from the website, under the banner “PKOnDemand.” There’s even a Promise Keepers channel on the popular video website YouTube. Released in sync with the feature film in February ‘08, a classic musical presentation of the story behind the hymn “Amazing Grace” by Wintley Phipps gained more than 80,000 views.

The San Antonio and Orlando men’s conferences were streamed to subscribers as a live “webcast,” reaching viewers in 22 states and Latin America. The video streams were also viewed later by churches coast-to-coast. One Florida mother wrote in via live chat, “My twin 10-year olds are so excited to be watching where daddy is this weekend with their 12-year old brother.” Stephanie in Barstow wrote, “My husband and son are both attending with about 25 men and teens from Turning Point Worship Center. They come back different men!”

Promise Keepers also distributed a 13-track compilation CD produced by Integrity Music, Energizing Men of Integrity. Todd Burkhalter’s volume Risking It All (Xulon Press) was a featured book for 2007 conferences.

Looking ahead to 2008

The theme for 2008 national men’s conferences is “Manhood: Let the Truth Be Told.” Cities, dates and venues will be announced soon.

Entirely new PKAdventure cinematic programs are slated for the spring and fall of 2008, which again will offer attendees the opportunity to volunteer at one or more local community service projects.

New web-based resources for men and men’s ministry are being planned for 2008 as well. Watch for the latest developments, and engage with other audio/visual tools for ministry to men at www.promisekeepers.org.

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