That's it! Adventist-men. I was privileged to pastor a church many years ago that had a large number of men in the membership. The professions ranged from university professors to auto mechanics, from dentists to painters, and from clergy to building contractors. One of the men came up with the idea of forming a men's ministry to serve the needs of these men, and also to serve the greater needs of the church and community. Thus, the Frank Loris Peterson Society of Adventist Men was launched. It was called "A-men!" for short.

The idea was to mentor young men and model before them how a Christian man should conduct himself in service to God and our fellow man. The components of this ministry were spiritual, social, charitable and evangelistic. Each new man or boy coming into the church was taken under the wings of this group, trained and ministered to.

I shall never forget one of our annual events was the Sunday morning breakfast honoring the ladies of our church and the female guests they brought along. The men were very formal, even wearing top hats and carrying walking canes. When a lady drove up in her car, one of these men stepped forward, helped her from the car, parked that car and returned the keys.

The men prepared, served and cleaned up after the meal. Ladies were only allowed to enjoy. It was a high day. Much to our surprise, on clearing the tables, we discovered that the ladies had secretly conspired to leave bowls of cash tips on each table! This money was accepted into the treasury to further the work of A-men!

There was a banquet each year to help raise more funds for the ministry. Scholarships were given; I should say they were earned. Young people, both male and female, took part in A-men! projects like painting or cleaning an elderly person's home. Lawns were mowed, trash removed and meals prepared for widows and single parents. A-men! provided scholarships for each participating student in Adventist Christian education.

In the membership meetings there was such an air of comfort that any man could speak of his needs, whether they were domestic, economic or spiritual. These times were very uplifting and affirming, and they served to keep us focused on the mission. Men were winning men to the Lord Jesus Christ. The group included many church elders and deacons, and reminded us of the first group of seven chosen by the apostles to serve the needs of the widows and orphans (see Acts 6:1-6).

The men found new meaning in being church members. Young men were taught that ladies are to be respected and loved, not used and abused. Methods were taught on how to share a personal witness. I learned a rich lesson: There is nothing a Christian woman admires more than a man who conducts himself in the Spirit of Christ.

One little lady in our church said to me, "Pastor, where were all these kinds of men when I came along?"

I responded, "Sister, we can't fix the past, but we are definitely working on the future!" Amen and a big A-men!

Walter L. Wright recently retired as president of the Lake Union Conference. He returns to lay ministry where it all began after 38 years of service to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.