Rejoicing in Our Present: Christian Men’s Lunch
In the fall of 2018, George Vermilyea, Richard Lersch and other men at BBC got together to brainstorm the idea of the Christian Men’s Lunch.
George had been a part of a group like this at his previous church.
They wanted to create a time when men of all ages within our local communities on Cape Cod, including local working and retired men, could gather together in a God-inspired fellowship to support men in all facets of their lives with the active presence of Jesus Christ.
Through the power of prayer, they strive to build a community of trust, showing patience and understanding as life experiences are shared.
They decided to meet once a month at the Freeman’s Grill in Brewster. During the first part of the luncheon, they are encouraged to mix, mingle and introduce themselves to each other.
After lunch has been served, a guest speaker will share his Christian journey, or an important event in his life, and how his decisions were influenced by his faith.
Their first meeting was held on November 29, 2018.
They were blessed to have BBC Member Don Wallroth share with them and this is in part what was in the Beacon at the time about what he planned to give his testimony. “Don Wallroth is an active member of Brewster Baptist Church and also serves as the Vice Commodore of the Dennis Yacht Club. He has the privilege of currently serving as the Executive Chairman of Synovia Solutions in Indianapolis and CEO of his own company, Lincoln Energy… he now lives in East Dennis with his wife, Nancy, and combined they have six children and nine wonderful grandchildren… Currently, Don is seeking to understand how he can serve the Lord more fully and demonstrate an ability to “surrender,” for which he feels woefully inadequate based on all of these worldly accomplishments which don’t add up to hill of beans (except the part about being a loving husband, father and grandfather)!”
Since then, the Christian Men’s Lunch has met monthly, 9-10 months a year, with different men sharing about their life in Christ.
Past speakers have included Chuck Hilton, Barry Hutchinson, Steve Carter and Dwight Ritter, each sharing their own unique life experiences and how God has worked in and through their circumstances.
They have moved to different locations through the years, and now meet in the Fellowship Hall at Brewster Baptist Church – with a lunch menu of sandwiches and salads.
George Vermilyea shared,
“I wanted to expose men from all walks of life to Jesus Christ. We want to create a welcoming atmosphere without a denomination label, so, as men, we could come together for fellowship, with Christ as the center of our attention, and not be restricted by doctrine. So far as it has turned out, most of our attendees are from BBC. Ultimately, we would like to include other area churches, and perhaps, even have other churches host the meetings, which would give them some ownership. We’ll see as we continue to expand and move forward with the additional new leadership team we are trying to form.”
They continue to look toward the future and pray for the continued growth of this ministry. This coming Thursday, October 24, 2024, at noon, they will welcome Pastor Nate Ryan as their speaker, so they can hear more of his testimony and get to know him better.
The Christian Men’s Lunch will not meet in November or December 2024, but will resume in January, 2025, meeting on the fourth Thursday of most months. See the Sunday bulletin and the Beacon for the dates and speakers at future luncheons.
All men are welcome and encouraged to invite their friends!