“Brothers, on or off the trail.” This is the motto that the Men’s support group at Heartside Ministry has adopted for itself since they began meeting in 2002. This group forwards the mission of the Men’s Resource Center to help men develop their full humanity and create loving and respectful relationships.
In early 2002 Rev. Al Heystek, M.A., L.P.C., of Men’s Resource Center at Fountain Hill met with Heartside staff, particularly Pastor James Schuen, Outreach Minister, to discuss the possibilities of a specific outreach to men in the neighborhood. The Heartside community is an urban, diverse, and impoverished area in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Men of the Heartside neighborhood who are interested can contact Pastor James to discuss the purpose of the group and to determine their appropriateness for involvement.
The group meets weekly on Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Men’s Empowerment group is support/educational in its focus. It is not therapy, but hopefully therapeutic. The goals are:
- Giving and receiving support
- Increasing self worth
- Understanding and accepting my personal power
- Talking about my thoughts and feelings
- Increasing personal power by sharing my thoughts and feelings
- Learning about healthy ways to deal with conflict
- Exploring my connection to a Higher Power
The goals of this work parallel counseling in that both are seeking to accomplish similar things, e.g. increasing coping skills, self worth, and accountability for one’s life.
It is different from individual counseling or a workshop format in that the focus is a group process for men, which includes:
- Listening and discussing a meditation focused on men
- Each man having the opportunity to name thoughts and feelings he has today
- An opportunity to share in more depth and receive support from peers
- An opportunity for men to develop a sense of community with each other on an ongoing basis
- An opportunity for men to revision masculinity to incorporate compassion, sharing, and vulnerability
We at the Men’s Resource Center believe that this group experience will help build a safe and strong Heartside community.
