The High Desert Men's Summit is a unique happening brought about by some unique factors. Read on to learn more about how it came to be.
How the High Desert Men's Summit Began
The High Desert Men's Summit (HDMS) began as a vision of a Christian men's event in the heart and mind of a man who moved to Central Oregon from Tillamook, Dan Marcum. Dan shared his vision with an acquaintance, who told a few others. After a couple of phone calls, in June of 2005 a small group of men met at Eastmont Church in Bend, Oregon to discuss where the idea might lead. After months of discussion and prayer, a decision was made in the Spring of 2006 to move forward with the High Desert Men's Summit.
Partly inspired by Promise Keepers, partly inspired by the Central Oregon Festival with Luis Palau, and completely driven by the desire to encourage greater unity in the Christian community and the certain imperative that men need to step up and be better leaders at their churches, their businesses and in their homes, the High Desert Men's Summit is the result of much hard work and many blessings from God. From the beginning, this was God's summit. Above all, the leadership strives to stay in God's will and honor Him in everything they do.
Why the High Desert Men's Summit
The Need: Men are the consensus weak link in the Body of Christ. The data clearly shows that men struggle to lead and live Godly lives. They struggle to remain "real men of Christ" while facing the challenges of daily life and the powerful influence of our culture and environment. All men have a hard time finding balance in their lives. Divorce, addiction and other destructive problems are at least as debilitating for Christians as for non-Christians.
The Opportunity: In 2005 more than 50 churches came together to proclaim Christ at the Central Oregon Festival with Luis Palau. Hundreds made decisions for Jesus, and the Christian community learned that this kind of thing could be done, and was needed. Many Christians worked together outside their denominational boundaries to accomplish something in unity for the Church and the community. The momentum was started, and there was a will to continue it. Several factors were in place which allowed the Summit to move forward: the availability of the Deschutes County Expo Center, the open schedules of key speakers and participants, some important financial resources, and especially the opportunity for some key people to become involved.
Positive Factors: To attend an event of this type, many men have to travel a day or more. Generally, men from outside of the region enjoy coming to Central Oregon for recreation. It is becoming increasingly apparent that many Christian leaders, ministries and resources seem to be gathering in Central Oregon. Their availability to participate in the Summit makes the quality and final "product" much greater than might otherwise be possible.
Crawl, Walk, Run
Early on, it was decided to employ a "Crawl, Walk, Run" development strategy. This involved presenting a beginning event and an intermediate event in order to engender support, gain valuable experience and knowledge, and build the leadership and operational teams. The "Crawl" event, a Pastors Appreciation Barbecue held on May 11th, 2006 at Eastmont Church brought over 80 attendees representing more than 18 churches to hear Phil Chapin and Dr. Gary Pinion, and watch a PowerPoint presentation on the Summit. Next, the "Walk" event was held November 2nd, 2006 at New Hope Church. This event was billed as "An Evening With Dr. Ken Hutcherson--A Benefit for Sparrow Clubs". Dr. Hutcherson delivered a challenging message about not being a 'modern day Christian' to over 400 attendees. Praise and worship music was performed by Christian acoustic rock group "Calling Simon", and video presentations on the Summit and Sparrow Clubs were given. Attendees were expertly guided through the evening by Central Oregon's own Bob Shaw, KTVZ Newschannel 21 Meteorologist and Public Affairs Manager. The "crawl" and "Walk" events both solidly accomplished their purposes.
On March 16 and 17, 2007 the first Summit occurred, with 1,000 men in attendance. By any measure the first Summit was a success, so subsequent events were scheduled:
- Men's Ministry Unity Dinner, on May 20, 2008 - a standing room only time of fellowship for pastors and men's leaders from 34 local churches at Cafe Sintra in Bend, OR.
- Ministry Leaders BBQ for Pastors, Men's Leaders and Spouses with Pastor Jackson Senyonga of Christian Life Church in Kampala, Uganda was held July 22, 2008.
- High Ground Men's Summit, to be held February 27-28, 2009.
About the Summit Vision
Some of the key principals and objectives that have guided the Summit planning process are:
- Discipleship should be the primary focus of the Summit as emphasized by nationally known keynote speakers and expert led workshops covering some of the most pressing topics and issues confronting Christian men today. There should also be a strong evangelistic component along with compelling praise and worship.
- Offer hard-hitting main speaker topics of broader application complimented by breakout sessions where men can address individual needs and interests.
- Present balanced programs that will appeal to a wide range of evangelical styles and age groups.
- Include special content for pastors, and stress a desire only to bless and encourage and not burden pastors or churches in any way.
- Seek to "make a difference" by sending men home from the Summit excited about changing their lives for Christ, so much so that 6-12 months down the road pastors will report that the event was not just a "feel good" experience, but that it had a measurable and lasting impact for the betterment of the men, their families, and the church.
- Seek to help build up church men's groups and ministries so there would be lasting fruit and strengthening of the body of Christ.
- Produce events that individual churches couldn't do for themselves in scope, content or process.
- Connect and unify the community, the pastors, the churches, the men and the generations.