European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 18 2007 stars and stripes j Page 31 religion Anthony Robert u Penna Chicago Dave Roberts and Zenon Bidzinski right talk during a mens fraternity meeting at heartland Community Church in Rockford Iii men muscle their Way into Faith that fits by Patrick Kampert Chicago Tribune Chicago every monday night Vic Tor Correnti works on strangers cars for free about 18 months ago a fishing buddy invited him to help out at something called a cars ministry sponsored by heartland Community Church in Rockford 111 i didst even know what a ministry was said Correnti 58 at a volunteers Auto shop Correnti joined about 30 men repairing cars for sin Gle moms and needy families later he travelled to Waveland miss after Hurricane katrina to help maintain generators As heartland and other churches brought food clothing and hot showers to people left homeless by the storm it want until weeks later that he first at tended a Church service at nondenominational heartland which has bought and transformed an old shopping mall into its Home v Ive always been a churchgoer but Ive never been a part of things Ive never even been an usher said Correnti who says his friendships with the Guys at heart land and the Church transformational teaching have turned him into a devoted Follower of Christ Hes now part of one of the Many heart land teams that provide free skilled labor to budget challenged area schools and he and his longtime Girlfriend got married at the Church six weeks ago for men like Correnti the Chance to put their skills into action As a demonstration of their Faith has been Well a godsend its also a key Factor in a growing grassroots mens movement primarily among evangelicals and catholics that sees traditional Church culture As More in tune with women personalities and needs in the main christianity domesticated men it makes them More attentive to the needs and concerns of their wives and Chil Michael Tercha Chicago Lee Swank Center who founded an interdenominational fathers group is pictured with his sons Zackary 14 Caleb 2 and Jacob Swank 9 in Channon Iii Dren there Are obviously a lot of Good things that come from that said sociologist w Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia author of soft patriarchs new men How christianity shapes fathers and husbands University of Chicago press but the new movement typified by David murrows Book Why men hate going to Church Nelson comes from a different Angle than the Promise keepers movement of the 1990s in which men filled football stadiums and wept about their sins and shortcomings As Hus bands and dads in the new paradigm churches Are try ing to figure out ways to reconnect masculinity to Faith Wilcox said from the Start heartland has been mind Ful of connecting with men from rapid re spouse Volunteer teams that seek to serve the Community Down to the Rock oriented worship songs that Appeal to people like Correnti who says Hes partial to the heavy guitars of you Wear jeans you see people with Tat Toos Ive always been an open kind of per son he said the music gets you up right from the beginning and i like being Able to have a cup of Coffee with my service just Little things like that Correnti experience bears out a recent study by the Hartford Institute for Reli Gion research which showed that churches Are most Likely to grow when men make up a majority of the congregation the Atmo sphere is less reverent and the music Fea Tures Drums it also explained Why at a few minutes before 6 am on a freezing Fri Day in february heartland was bustling All the Early arrivers were men an oddity in a us landscape in which 61 percent of the worshippers on any sunday morning Are female by organizers were putting out extra rows of seats in the auditorium to accommodate an overflow crowd of 410 males who were greeted by the strains of Lynyrd sky nerd and Zzz top As they settled in for the first session to this weekly Getto Gether called mens fraternity the purpose of this gathering and thou Sands like it across the country was Akin to a Locke room Pep talk before a big game inspiring men to find Healing from their past discover what it Means to be a Man and to use that masculinity to change their families and their world christianity May be a mans Faith said Robert Lewis founder of mens fraternity but masculinity is his religion Lewis began mens fraternity in Little Rock Ark in 1989 he freely admits he had no grand vision he was a pastor and a group of men approached him and asked him to develop something for the men in the Church because they sensed something was lacking now 17 years later More than 5000 mens fraternities meet throughout the world so Why is this movement emerging now men want a place to process what there going through in a Safe environment and the 21st Century finds Many gender lines blurring few purely male subcultures Are left in America suggested christianity today managing editor Mark Galli author of Jesus mean and wild Baker Church culture has become feminized and has Little room for men even though most ministers Are male when a Man comes to Church Galli said they Tell him you can usher or pass out bulletins theres not a lot of room for boldness or doing great deeds