Recently, a group of men from Koinonia Fellowship gathered for our annual Men’s Retreat at LeTourneau Christian Center on Canandaigua Lake. It was a wonderful weekend filled with worship, teaching, fellowship, prayer, and encouragement. But the most important question isn’t what we did. It’s why we did it.
The purpose of every men’s ministry event is to help men become more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Please take a minute to watch Elder Dana Colbert share his heart for this event and for the Men’s Ministry:
One of the foundational principles of men’s ministry is learning from one another. We grow when we see faithful men walking with Christ, persevering through challenges, and living out their faith in practical ways. We also grow when we know there are brothers who will stand with us, pray for us, encourage us, and help carry burdens when life becomes difficult.
If you have never participated in one of our men’s ministry events, we invite you to join us. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to know everyone. Simply come and take the first step. You may discover the encouragement, friendship, accountability, and spiritual growth that God intends to provide through the fellowship of other believers.
Men’s Cookout
Men, you are invited to join our monthly Men’s Cookout this Friday, August 15 at 6pm in Edmund Lyon Park near the gazebo. Come and enjoy an evening of good food, prayer and drawing closer to our Lord and Savior. Bring a friend!
Men’s Retreat 2026 Teaching Recap
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13–14
“Watch” // Session 1 // Elder Frank Carbone
Today, people are looking for heroic leaders to step up and navigate through a wicked and confusing culture. Christian men are the people God has ordained to do that for the sake of the people around them. In order to do that, we must first become watchmen.
There are 3 primary realms of a watchman that correspond to the 3 watches of the night in ancient Hebrew culture: Watch over others (evening watch), watch over ourselves (middle watch), and watch for the return of Christ (morning watch). In order to watch over others, we must be spiritually awake, vigilant, and have an elevated perspective. We are the gatekeepers that stay attentive for the well-being of those around us. We must fight to watch out for others amidst the inevitable storms and attacks.
We must also watch over ourselves. We must be vigilant for our own souls, especially in moments when we are alone. This we accomplish primarily by guarding our eye-gate and ear-gate. We are the first beneficiaries (or victims) of our watchmanship.
While watching over others is the “fightings without” and watching over our own soul is the “fears within”, we move on to the final watch – looking up for the return of Christ. We must long for the Lord’s return with expectancy and hope, lest we drown in distraction and fail as watchmen. Either we are pressing forward to the second coming, or falling away. This is the power and perspective that enables us to be faithful watchmen.
“Stand Fast, Stand Firm in the Faith” // Session 2 // Elder Dana Colbert
The command given to men to “stand fast” is rich with militaristic impact. It is a command to keep doing what we’re doing. It does not mean “stay still”, but rather it is an exhortation to not waver in our pursuit. The ideas of “watch” and “stand fast” are inescapably linked together. We cannot do one without the other. The well-known statement in 1 Peter about the devil prowling around like a lion is preceded by the command to “watch” and followed by the command to “resist him, firm in the faith”.
The crux of the command to stand fast emerges amidst the antithetical current of culture. Our call is to stick to the word of God as the world around us runs head first into humanism and self-centeredness. How exactly do we stand fast in this type of world? The same way the apostles did – one foot in front of the other on the path of life, looking forward with an eternal perspective.
“Be Men, Act Like It” // Session 3 // Pastor Jon Soza
What does it mean to be a real man? Our world has a hundred different answers to that question. The story of David and Goliath presents us a picture of true masculinity. Goliath seemed to be the big man in the story, but David ends up proving his manhood despite his youthfulness. Attitude, not age, determines manhood. And what exactly are those attitudes?
Taken from the story of David and Goliath:
Real men are concerned for others – 1 Sam 17:17-18
Real men leave their baggage behind – 1 Samuel 17:22-24
Real men see their reward and fight for it – 1 Samuel 17:25
Real men don’t crumble under critics – 1 Samuel 17:33-37
Real men use their resources for others – 1 Samuel 17:38-40
Real men have trophies to give to their king – 1 Samuel 17:51, 54, 57
“Be Strong, Be Courageous” // Session 4 // Pastor Mark Mills
When we hear the command to “be strong”, images of Rocky Balboa or Frodo Baggins pass through our mind. Certainly, this type of “pull yourself up by your boot straps” strength is the emphasis of this command from Paul. Right? Before Paul wrote his command to “be strong” in 1 Corinthians 16, he had to learn what true Christian strength actually looked like.
2 Corinthians 12 gives us one of the most poignant stories of strength in all of Scripture. Paul was suffering from a severe affliction. He prayed for it to be taken away. It was not. Instead, the answer to Paul’s prayer for reprieve went like this: “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.” Thus, Paul realized that true Christ-like strength is not found in machismo, but in admitting our own weakness. So, to “be strong” is actually to come to the end of our own strength, and then come to God in our weakness and insufficiency and we will receive God’s strength. This is not a command to make myself strong but to be strengthened.
“Let All Your Things be Done in Love” // Session 5 // Elder Dan Ocorr
If we stopped after the first four commands of what to do, we would move forward with clarity of the path. However, we would miss the important question of how. How do we faithfully fulfill the tasks of watching, standing, being men, and being strong? By loving. This statement serves as a qualifier to the actions of verse 13. The heart of the matter is the heart in the matter.
We have three ways that we might fulfill our duties as men: by abdicating, by abusing, or by agape. Not only are we commanded to do all things in love, but we are warned against doing anything without the love of God and others in our heart. 1 Corinthians 13 issues a clear rebuke on loveless action. If we watch, stand firm, be strong, and be a man without love, then we are nothing more than a clanging cymbal. Everything we do must be done because of God’s love, in God’s love, and for the sake of God’s love.
Reflection Questions
“Watch”
Who has the Lord given you to protect as a watchman? What have you found to be the greatest challenge in doing so?
Which gate(s) (ears, eyes, nose, mouth) do you find the enemy most frequently attempting to enter through?
How do you actively watch for the coming of the Lord? What does it mean to be ready?
“Stand Fast”
What is happening when in your spiritual life you find yourself sitting rather than standing?
How well can you hold your ground and defend the truths of the faith?
If you could rate your ability to stand firm on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being best and 1 being lowest, how confident are you in God’s ability to help you stand firm?
“Be Men, Act Like It”
What giant in your life is depriving you of being a real man?
What gifts has God equipped you with to accomplish complete victory in His kingdom?
What rewards will you receive for attaining complete victory?
“Be Strong, Be Courageous”
The command to be strong creates a powerful paradox.
If you have seen this paradox, how have you reconciled it in your life in order to obey the Lord?
If this is the first time you have considered it, how will you proceed in obedience to the Lord?
Can you think of a specific time when you needed to be strong in the Lord? If so write about your experience.
Can you think of a specific time when you needed to be strong in the grace that is in Christ?