Promise Keepers Wraps 15th Year with Expanded Outreach to Men, for Men

The nation's largest men's ministry ended its 15th year by expanding outreach into a variety of activities for men and by men.

The nation's largest men's ministry ended its 15th year by expanding outreach into a variety of activities for men and by men.

In keeping with its 2005 conference theme, "The Awakening – An Unpredictable Adventure," Promise Keepers (PK) gave men this year the opportunity to awaken as community leaders and influencers everywhere.

Since the 90s Promise Keepers has been known for its stadium-size worship conferences, where men gather in cities across the United States for real-life messages, uplifting fellowship, and octane-infused worship.

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But this year, under the leadership of President Tom Fortson, PK men went out of their way farther than ever to make a difference in the lives of others. For the first time, the ministry became global.

Men helped rebuild tsunami-hit India and Sri Lanka with donations totaling $21,000, and PK was invited by the Prime Minister of the Bahamas for a weeklong evangelistic outreach in island nation.

In the United States, men brought more than 256,000 pounds of food, water, and diapers to the conferences for hurricane-hit families, and also honored war veterans who served in Asia 30 years ago as well as soldiers in Iraq with standing ovations often lasting over one minute.

Promise Keepers also advanced its message of marketplace influence at “The CEO Summit: Purposeful Leadership,” where 57 executives from the private and non-profit sectors attended.

Men served other men who are in prison. Chaplain Mike Thomas brought 32 men from Loxley Community Work Center to “The Awakening” in Mobile, Ala.

“Events like this help the guys get stabilized,” said the Rev. Thomas. “They need to become familiar with society outside the prison system."

Closing each “Awakening” conference was a short documentary from behind bars at Louisiana’s infamous Angola State Penitentiary. Titled “Life,” the 13-minute film profiles the community of Christians incarcerated there.

Overall, some 12,000 volunteers served at the men’s conferences and year-round ministry.

PK directly reached more than 176,600 men at events in 20 U.S. cities, plus Nassau, Bahamas, adding to its mark of 5.5 million men since 1990. PK has set a 19-city schedule in 2006, running from June through October. The new conference theme is “Unleashed - Releasing the Raw Power of Your Heart.”

Its mission is to ignite and unite men to become passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the effective communication of seven promises to God, his fellow men, family, church and the world. Promise Keepers’ vision is: “Men Transformed Worldwide.”