A Ministry, a Man, and a Guide to Biblical Manhood
The beginning of the story…
Mike DeJong left a welding job and the family farm in Ontario, Canada with his wife, Lindsay, and three kids to train for ministry at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. While at Southeastern, Mike D. attended New Student Orientation where he met Mike Young and was introduced to Noble Warriors. Last fall, Mike D. joined Mike Young and a small group of students to walk through the book, Point Man. Through the study, Mike D. began to learn new things about biblical manhood and was excited to tell his friends back home about the experience. Several were interested and asked Mike D. if he would lead a study while he was home for the summer.
You can read more of this part of Mike D.’s story shared in May’s Monthly Partner Letter.
The story continues…
It’s summer break for Southeastern Seminary student, Mike DeJong, but it hasn’t been a break from experiencing God do new and exciting things. Mike and his wife, Lindsay, recently welcomed a fourth baby into their home, but the DeJong family isn’t the only thing growing in Sweets Corners, Ontario!
After spending time with Mike Young and the Point Man group of students at Southeastern, God moved in Mike D.’s heart to begin intentionally focusing on men’s discipleship at his small country church in Canada. Before returning home for the summer, Mike D. had already lined up fifteen men to go through the Point Man book with him. At first, he had planned to lead the study himself, but as more and more men began to sign up, Mike D. reached out to ask more men to lead more groups.
“It’s exciting!” Mike D. says, “You drive in the parking lot on Thursday night at Sweets Corner Church, this little country church, and the parking lot is full of guys who are excited to meet and talk.”
Along with five or six pots of coffee, almost fifty men, teens to retired adults, meet and drink in what God’s Word says about being a father, husband, and leader in the church.
Mike D. claims he is witnessing the same excitement in many of the men that he had when he was going through the book at seminary.
“Most of the groups are saying, ‘This is it! This is the church! This is what it means to be a part of the church. Not just Sunday morning, but hanging out through the week, discussing hard questions and learning from others outside the church.’”
Mike D. isn’t the only one excited to see God at work through the men at Sweets Corners. On a weekly basis, wives will also come up to him to share their gratitude for the opportunity their husbands have to be a part of the Point Man groups.
“It’s all part of this plan that God has, right?” Explains Mike D. “Like, I got to go to seminary a year ago. I got to meet you (Mike Young) at the New Student Orientation. God used Lindsay to get me to sign up for this Point Man thing. God’s plan is bigger than us. It’s not me that’s bringing this here. It’s God. It’s God’s plan all along.”
You are a part of the story…
Thank you for your partnership with Noble Warriors! Your financial gifts and prayers enable us to strategically invest in men across North America! Please continue to pray for Mike DeJong and the men at Sweets Corners Church in Ontario, Canada.
- Pray for God’s continued guidance and strength in the lives of the DeJong family.
- Pray the Point Man group study will be a continued influence on the men at Sweets Corners Church.
- Pray for God to lead the men who showed a desire to take the Point Man book and share it with groups of other men outside their church circles.
Making Connections
Point Man Guide to Biblical Manhood
For more than twenty years, Noble Warriors has been equipping churches with reliable resources to help men lead well. We are grateful for the relationship we’ve had over many of those years with Steve Farrar, author of the Point Man book and Toolbox. Steve died in 2022, but his valuable insight and mentorship to thousands of men, like seminary student, Mike DeJong, continues through his book and Men’s Leadership Ministries.
Seminary students are the leaders of tomorrow, and it does my heart good to know these young men are “getting it” when it comes to godly leadership! And to know that these seeds at Southeastern are now germinating in Canada is awesome! –Mary Farrar
Meals that Matter
Featured Media – Podcast: ROB POCHEK
Rob Pochek, pastor of First Baptist Church Park Street in Charlottesville, Virginia, has always had a heart for men’s ministry, but it wasn’t until he attended a Noble Warriors workshop in 2023 that he completely changed the way he invested in men. At the workshop, Rob was faced with the question, how are pastors leading men to raise boys to become men?
Rob took this question back to FBC Park Street, and began to pray and think through ideas that would engage the young men and fathers in his congregation. Rob decided to start hosting a men’s breakfast at the church one Saturday a month. He called these intentional mealtimes, BAM (Build a Man) Breakfasts, where, for one hour, men could gather and eat while Rob guides them through the book, The Christian Man, a resource that was recommended to him at the Noble Warriors workshop. What started as a seed planted at the workshop, has grown into a thriving element in the men’s ministry at FBC Park Street.
To hear more from Rob and how God is working at FBC Park Street, listen to the podcast!
In March, Noble Warriors will be hosting a men’s conference at FBC Park Street. Click here for more details.
Partner’s Corner
Be a Part of the Change!
God is raising the impact of Noble Warriors in the lives of men’s discipleship and families! Our ministry field continues to grow among churches and Christian organizations throughout Virginia and beyond. We also receive weekly requests for coaching and training from churches and small groups. Will you join us in this season of opportunity through your prayers? There is also a need for increased partnerships with donors passionate about our mission. By beginning a new $50/month partnership or increasing your monthly partnership donation by $50, you will become a member of the 100 Arrows Alliance.
A 27-year-old mother of two young boys joined the alliance and said:
“I didn’t realize the importance of what Noble Warriors does until I found myself alone with 2 young boys who are already looking to see what a man is and show what Biblical manhood looks like. It’s motivating for me to invest in men’s discipleship the further I get into my life as a mom and in the middle of a divorce.”