MPOWER Ministry Focus: Hardwired in Glasgow
Hardwired is the name of the men’s work within Glasgow Elim Church. It was founded in January 2012, when a group of likeminded men, where equipped and released through their shared vision with the Pastor James Glass, to see the men of their fellowship, their friends and the wider community impacted for God.
Hardwired’s values are captured in the following three statements:
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Present the Christian faith and the following of Jesus as dynamic, interactive relationship with a strong, assertive, male role model
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Promote the ideal of a strong interlinked and interdependent Christian brotherhood, accountable to and supportive of each other
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Provide an environment that will present the Christian lifestyle to others that will be non-threatening but challenging.
The Hardwired leadership team set-up is based on Luke Chapter 9, where Jesus sent the 12 disciples out in twos to proclaim the gospel. The team aims to be 12 in number and work in groups of two (as established by Jesus) who can have influence and input to as many men within the church and beyond as they can.
At the beginning of each year the team create a programme of activities that are intended to realise the values above. These range from social events including curry nights, paintballing and family nights to events that have a clear Christian content in testimony, Men’s Bible study (every Wednesday) and Men’s prayer meetings (every second Saturday) as well as guest speakers at men’s breakfasts. There is also attendance at conferences both at home at Wanted Scotland and Xcel at Life Church Bradford.
A key element of the Hardwired programme is their own men’s conference in August of each year based at Kilmacolm on the outskirts of Glasgow. Over the years we have been blessed with guest speakers who have brought an encouraging and challenging word to those present. This is open to all men from within the fellowship, and open to others who would like to attend, who want to spend a weekend in the presence of God and give over the time for him to speak into their lives. God ensures he has the men’s attention as the mobile signal is usual gone!
This year saw the fourth conference where the guest speaker was Mark Lyndon Jones, Team Leader for MPower, Elim’s National Men’s Ministry. Once again, the presence of God was so palpable that men were clearly challenged and encouraged in their faith.
Hardwired has seen the blessing of God over the years and continues to make opportunities for other men’s group’s to attend their (Hardwired) programme, if there is not a programme established in their fellowship. With this in mind the team would be honoured to share their experiences with guys who have a similar vision and are working with their men’s groups.
In August I was invited to join the men on their Hardwired weekend to Kilmacolm. It was the first time I had been to anything like this and I did not know what to expect. The atmosphere being among these Christian men was amazing and so uplifting. It was very relaxing at night sitting in groups and having discussions. The Saturday night session was very emotional for me as we sang the Lord’s Prayer and the presence of God was awesome. I had feelings that I have never felt before. The speaker was amazing and I was so blessed and encouraged by his words. To sum it up it was a very spiritual weekend. I'm looking forward to next year.
This is the 4th year in a row I’ve attended the Hardwired Men’s conference. Being someone who works long hours behind a computer, the yearly retreat to the outdoors with guys from many different backgrounds and different life stages is always amazing. There must be something about praising God in a log cabin with a few dozen other guys that does it for me. Also, just hanging out with the guys, the banter, the fun and community helps me re-adjust my focus on the important things in life. The message Mark Lyndon-Jones brought to us this year was particularly timely for me. Thank God for Hardwired and M-Power.
For further information on Hardwired, contact Glasgow Elim Church. www.glasgowelim.org.uk