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Son Risers
BEPC Men’s Breakfast
The Son Risers is a men's group that gathers once a week on Thursdays from 6 to 7 AM for friendship, Bible study, and sharing of the joys and challenges in our lives. We alternate between breakfast meetings and Zoom sessions every other week. We typically have 10 to 15 for the breakfast gatherings, including some of the men's sons. Eggs, sausage, and potatoes or French toast and sausage are two examples of common breakfast fare. We always have plenty of coffee on hand, and occasionally we also offer juice, fruit, or other delights.
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We connect via Zoom every other week. We started this during the pandemic, and we were fortunate that because they didn't have to travel to church, some new men joined. To make it simple for men who had to leave early for work, we decided to keep utilizing Zoom when we started meeting again in person. Even on the days we meet in person for breakfast, some men still join us via Zoom when traveling or other things that keep them from being at the church.
Our times together focus on three different activities:
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Fellowship - when we meet in person, we fellowship while eating. but even when we meet on Zoom, we share our lives - both the important and the trivial; the serious and the fun; our families, our work, and our personal lives.
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Bible Study - each time together one of our men leads a study from God's Word. It is usually in a question and discussion formal with lots of insight into the Bible coming from a variety of men in the group. We encourage everyone to lead at some point.
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Praises and Needs - at the end of each week we have a time of sharing together. We are encouraged to share our "God moments" - times that we see God working in our lives and the lives of those around us in a direct way. He also encourages us to share our needs. Paul usually leads us in prayer at the end of the time together, but we as a group support each other in prayer throughout the week.
Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)
During one of our meetings, we focused on the word “therefore", looking especially at Matthew 6 and Colossians 3. We talked about the fact that the word "therefore” in the Bible usually connects teaching to action. In our recent study of the book of Acts our studies focused how we should be living in the world today because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, just as it impacted the lives of Peter, Steven. Paul, and so many others in Acts. All our studies are focused on finding the "therefore” in the Scripture passage and applying it to our everyday lives. This is the purpose of Son Risers.
In addition to Acts, some of our recent studies have been the Epistle of James and the Book of Nehemiah. The themes were practical spiritual disciplines & Christ-like attitudes (James) and spiritual formation & Christian leadership (Nehemiah). Currently, we are in an in-depth study of the book of Luke. We are seeking to understand the life and teachings of Jesus in a new way. We are taking the time to examine Luke’s account of the life of Jesus and pull from it how we need to be imitating Jesus in our lives.​
Recently we asked for comments from the group. Here are some of the Son Riser’s comments about the impact of this group:
"I think having some sons (younger Son Risers) join us has been great. It is great for them to have the chance to join in, have fun, laugh at our bad jokes, and see that even the very senior among us can be OK (sometimes, occasionally, even often). And, they certainly help the average age of the group". - Tom
"Son Risers has really helped me grow spiritually - it is great to be part of a group of Christian men where we read and discuss God's word. I have learned so much during our great discussions and I have been able to build stronger personal relationships as we share life." - Chad
"I’m thankful for Son Risers because of its accountability; careful attention to and discussion of God’s word; and a good mixture of food, fun, and fellowship." - Alden