'A place of respite and fellowship': Local pastor wants to strengthen men
Jun. 24—Many problems in modern society surround spiritual issues, but a local pastor hopes to address one — the lack of men in their essential roles.
Fathers, leaders, mentors, providers, hard-working volunteers — the Bible calls on men to be a lot of things. For a long time, Kenny Grant, currently a teaching pastor at Community Church, has seen the decline of male engagement in America.
"For as long as I've been a Christian, I've believed the absence of men in society has caused of a lot of issues," Grant said.
No matter how hard one tries, it's hard — not impossible — to be all those things the Bible lists without some kind of support, he said. It takes fellowship with other Christians, time to take a break, and to surround oneself with other faithful men. Band of Brothers Ministries aims to fill that niche.
The group meets twice a month, from noon to 1 p.m., every second and fourth Thursday.
A meeting usually kicks off with lunch, giving folks 25 minutes or so to get their food, get situated and meet the others at their table. Grant then talks for about 35 minutes about how men can strengthen themselves and others to live up to their Biblical responsibilities.
While Grant is a pastor with Community Church, Band of Brothers is not directly affiliated with his church. It's not about recruiting people to his cause, but sending men back to their churches to strengthen their faith.
The group's motto is Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another," which Grant says about sums up the whole point of Band of Brothers.
He has a specific way of describing Band of Brothers: a "men's community Bible study fellowship lunch." That description captures the five areas he feels the group can address in a man's life.
"It's for men because we need a place to be," Grant said. "'Community,' because our community needs men. 'Bible study,' because we believe God has all the answers. 'Fellowship,' because men need that in their life. And 'lunch,' we learn so much when we eat together."
He tries to be respectful of attendees' time, promising anyone who shows up will be out the door in time to get back to work before their lunch break is up. Each lunch starts promptly at noon at the Boys and Girls Club Correll Teen Center, 4226 Coral Park Drive in Brunswick, and ends at 1 p.m.
"When I say 1 o'clock, I mean maybe 5 (minutes) before 1 to give people a running start," Grant joked.
It's not going to be all things to all people, he said, but Band of Brothers follows a tried-and-true formula. He's been a leader in Band of Brothers groups before, but he himself stumbled onto it while pastoring at Christ Community Church in Savannah nearly 16 years ago. A group of businessmen was meeting on their lunch break to hold a short Bible study and fellowship.
He got involved, and the group looked to bring in more people. By the time Grant took his current pastor job at Community Church last year, the group had grown to over 200 people.
"There is no real secret sauce," Grant said. "It is men gathering together to have fellowship."
He's seen firsthand the difference it makes in people's lives, and he hopes to bring that same force for good to the Golden Isles.
It feels like coming home, he said. Grant grew up in Brunswick and graduated from Glynn Academy in 1968 before joining the U.S. Marine Corps.
"I love Brunswick. I really feel called to be back here," Grant said.
After nine years in the service, he left to pursue ministry.
He started a church in Brunswick, Maranatha Baptist Church, before heading to Savannah to seed another church, Christ Community Church. Grant planned on becoming a full-time evangelist, but Calvary Baptist Church talked him into serving as head pastor for a few years there.
Throughout his 15 years in Savannah, he always attended Band of Brothers. Grant wants to better equip men spiritually throughout the community, separate from his work at Community Church.
Especially now, with several recent instances of violence in the community, he feels men can step up and be a force for good in the world.
For more information on the group, visit bobsav.org or email info@bobsav.org.
