Men told to do random acts of goodwill

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
The president of the United Methodist Men’s Foundation challenged Southwest Texas men June 9 in Corpus Christi to do “random expressions of friendship and goodwill.”
Robert Powell of Dothan, Ala., spoke to about 125 men and women during the annual United Methodist Men’s luncheon. The luncheon was part of the June 7-10 Southwest Texas Annual Conference.
“Think about the impact we as United Methodist Men can have if we practice these,” Powell said.
It’s not unusual for Christian men to do random expressions of friendship and goodwill and not even know it, he said. But in his 50 years of Methodist service, he has learned that things he has done have made a difference in people’s lives—because they told him so.
“I may remember,” he said. “But I’m proud if I don’t remember it.”
Still, he said, men must be “intentional in doing that for the people God sends our way.”
“If we don’t do random expressions of friendship,” Powell said, “then we miss an opportunity.”
He asked listeners to consider how their service demonstrates their faith, not only as individuals but also as a group of men. He told the story from Mark about four men carrying another to be healed by Jesus.
“Jesus told them because of their faith, the man would be healed,” Powell said.
But it took four men for this healing to happen, he said, on “all four corners” of the ailing man.
“If one of them dropped one,” Powell said, “the man would have dropped on his head. So what is your corner?”
One corner is building up the “legacy for young men,” Powell said. He described the United Methodist Men Foundation’s Legacy Builders program. It provides financial support to men’s ministry. He offered information about becoming partners in the Legacy Ministry.
“Funding from all the contributions United Methodist Men give to the foundation amounts to $800,000 a year,” he said. He compared that to the annual amount United Methodist Women are giving to support their ministry—more than $19 million.  
“Men can and must do better to have the ministry we need to reach out to men,” he said.