SEARCY — A small group of five Searcy men believe they are being guided. Although they know which direction they are headed, they’re still unclear on the impact or the outcome. John Byrd, Sid Langley, Gene Morris, Greg Rowden and Jay Jordan are the base of the new Christian men’s group Sons of Thunder that seems to be taking Arkansas by storm.
“We were at a men’s retreat, and a handful of men felt like the women were leaving us behind in the church,” Jordan said. “We wondered what we could do when we got back. We were all sitting in a room, and we all said God is calling us to something bigger. Then John said, ‘Let me tell you about this group I met in Alabama.’ Then we all got chills.”
The group Byrd met, which was in Tuscaloosa, Ala., had changed its name, opened up to other churches and grew by leaps and bounds.
“I thought about that and brought it back here,” Byrd said.
The five men, who were part of a men’s group at First United Methodist Church in Searcy, were concerned about the attendance of men’s-group meetings being so low.
“We changed our name to Sons of Thunder, we meet once a month, and we opened it up to any Christian man in the area,” Byrd said. “The first meeting we had over 90, then 210 at the second and between 450 and 500 last month.”
Sons of Thunder stems from Mark 3:17, which reads “James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder).”
In a matter of five months, the attendance moved from about six or seven men to nearly 500.
“It was a jaw-dropping experience for all of us,” Morris said about the numbers. “It started out with five guys with a vision from the Lord who put it in our hearts to do this.”
At last count, the Sons of Thunder had 26 different churches over eight counties, and groups in Heber Springs and Cabot are forming on the same model.
“It’s not a First Methodist thing,” Byrd said about the fact that all five founders are members of First United Methodist Church of Searcy. “It’s a God thing; it’s a Jesus thing.”
The nondenominational group has no budget, no agenda and no dues. Dinner is served at each meeting at no charge. A basket sits at the end of the table for those who can donate to cover the cost of the food.
“We take up a collection to pay for the food only,” Morris said. “Everybody can donate, but if you can’t, that’s OK, too.”
Because the group is still new and finding its direction, plans for charitable work is in the future. Men can add their e-mail addresses to a list, and they are notified when volunteers are needed for such things as clearing away storm damage, Habitat for Humanity or other community services.
“Looking down the road, when you’ve got 400 men who will step up and say, ‘Put me in, Coach,’ you can move cities and mountains,” Rowden said.
The men share stories and realize that they aren’t alone, and they all have the same feelings, fears and responsibilities in life.
“It’s causing men to rise up and be the head of their households,” Langley said. “Men are hungry for this. ... These men get to see other men struggle with the same things.”
Christian men from Searcy, and the Three Rivers area, all the way to Russellville and Malvern, attend the monthly meetings.
“My vision is for this to reach to other counties and us all have a statewide meeting once a year,” Byrd said.
The next meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the First United Methodist Church’s Yancey Hall, 304 N. Main St. in Searcy. Any Christian man is invited to attend; however, the group requests an e-mail confirmation to ensure that there will be enough food to go around. To confirm or to get more information on the Sons of Thunder, e-mail Byrd at jbird4391@yahoo.com or visit the blog searcysonsofthunder.blogspot.com.