Over the October long weekend, 400 blokes gathered on a mountain in Inverell for Mighty Men. Usually, it can take a few hours, or even days, for the men to settle in and open up, but this year there was an openness among the men from the very first night.
Under the wooden cross, over one hundred men gathered to ask the Prayer Team for prayer across the weekend.
And on Sunday morning, eleven men were baptised in a portable pool the team had set up on the mountain. “The Holy Spirit was THICK on Sunday,” recounts one of the men.
Feedback from those who attended was overwhelmingly encouraging, with many describing how God challenged them to deepen their faith, take responsibility for their families and experience freedom.
“God was challenging me to stand up and take leadership in my life and in my family,” shared one man.
Another reflected on the atmosphere of worship: “Just being on the top of a hill in the country, belting out praise to God. It wasn’t just a group of men, they were hungry and bold, it was awesome.”
For many, the weekend was an opportunity to recommit their lives to Jesus and address things that had been holding them back.
“God challenged me in my walk and encouraged me to recommit to him, to commit wholeheartedly and work at removing any small sins that still continue to persist and hold me back,” one man shared.
Another said, “I was challenged to forgive someone I didn’t think I could.”
The impact extended beyond the individual, with men reflecting on the importance of faith in their families and relationships. One man’s highlight was “seeing my son going forward and recommitting his Life to the Lord.”
For another, bringing a friend proved life-changing: “The highlight for me was inviting a friend who was having trouble in his life, since that night he has given himself to Jesus Christ. The Angels were dancing!!!”
And for one man, baptism was a response of gratitude for what God had done: “I got baptised while I was there so I could just let Jesus know how thankful I am for giving me this new life. It was the least I could do.”
Mighty Men weekends follow a consistent flow, with a Gospel presentation on Friday, a deeper exploration of an issue on Saturday morning, a focus on freedom on Saturday night, and a time of sending out on Sunday morning.
This year, Saturday morning focused on genuine repentance and holiness, and on men helping set their families free from sin. The team unpacked generational sin and brokenness, and Danny Everingham, one of the organisers of Mighty Men, says this was a particularly powerful time for the men at the camp.
“Releasing generational stuff was huge for us,” explained one man. “Fears were replaced by hope. Self was replaced by trust.”
Others spoke of being deeply moved by God’s presence, experiencing His love in a fresh way and feeling called to go deeper in their walk with Jesus.
“I was shown how mighty how great is our God is and he loves me knows me by name that is so awesome,” shared one man.
Another reflected, “The Holy Spirit was really convicting me to live in a deeper level with my walk with Jesus.”
From powerful times of worship to personal breakthroughs, renewed commitments and changed relationships, the weekend left many men encouraged to keep growing in their faith and living it out at home.
You can read more about Mighty Men at www.inverellmightymen.com, or explore the vision behind the gathering in this OurStory article, More Than a Men’s Camp.
