This month marks the 25th anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history – 9/11
A shocked nation had more questions than answers after terrorists hijacked passenger jets and slammed them into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
Fifteen days later, 35 men gathered at the former Souper Salad restaurant in Lee’s Summit to open scripture, pray and seek God’s wisdom.
“We planned this during the summer of 2001 with no idea that 9/11 would happen two weeks before we had our first meeting,” Rod Handley said. “The timing could not have been better. Guys showed up that day with a sense of, `What’s going on? I need answers, I need solutions and I need a place just to connect with other men.’”
Strengthening men and supporting local churches
A quarter century later, this group known as TGIW is still thriving. The weekly teachings and fellowship have had a profound impact on the lives of thousands of men, not just in Lee’s Summit but also in groups across Kansas City and throughout the nation.
“God gave us favor with the right site and the right people to start the group,” he told Metro Voice. “Ninety-five guys came during the first three months, and they launched us into our future years. It’s hard to believe we are still growing 25 years later, but we have increased year after year. Although it’s not the numbers that are important, it shows that we are making a difference.”
TGIW, which stands for Teaching God’s Infinite Wisdom, has had a positive impact on the life of Bill Lewis, a longtime municipal judge who began attending TGIW shortly after it began.
“I found it so revealing that a great many men are committed to the Lord in this community,” he said. “I think sometimes we feel as if we are alone, so it’s encouraging to come and see men from different churches who are committed to Jesus Christ and becoming better disciples, husbands and fathers. We are not identified by denomination or church, but we’re identified as disciples of Jesus.”
Lewis wouldn’t dream of missing a weekly meeting.
“You are getting a shot of the gospel and the Holy Spirit right in the middle of the week,” he said. “It’s something that I don’t want to miss, and I have been coming now for 25 years. Once in a while my wife will say, ’You’re kind of tired.’ I say, ‘No, I’m not that tired.’ It’s uplifting. The men who have led this group all of these years set a great example of what we are called to be as Christian men.”
Noel Shepherd agrees.
This group has been so consistent for so many years in showing us what we need to be doing as men.
“I started about a year after TGIW began, and it’s been awesome,” he said. “This group has been so consistent for so many years in showing us what we need to be doing as men. I just enjoy the fellowship and the fact that we are continuing to grow as Christians.”
TGIW grew out of a conversation between Handley, the founder of Character That Counts, and the late Dan Erickson, a former vice president of Promise Keepers who later would start People Matter Ministries. Both men traveled frequently to speak at men’s events across the nation, and Erickson wanted to bring similar teaching to the men in his own community.
“It was all Dan’s idea,” Handley said. “He said, ‘We are speaking on the weekends. Is there something we can do here during the week?’ I was skeptical and said, ‘I don’t know if this is going to work, but if you’re in, I’m in.’ This group never would have launched without Dan’s vision.”
TGIW was founded to supplement men’s ministries in local churches, not compete with them.
“From the very beginning, we knew that if we planted it in a church, other churches would not want to come,” he said. “We wanted to find a neutral site that would not have any church affiliation and where guys would feel freedom. So many churches claim they have a men’s ministry, but they don’t. We filled a void.
“Some churches initially said, ‘Hey, can we send our guys to your place, because we’re not doing anything for them?’ So, we weren’t a threat. We made a promise to pastors, `we will send your men back to you for service and ready to go.’ It really became a win-win for the churches, and more than 300 different churches have sent their guys to us.”
The Lee’s Summit group moved from Souper Salad to Culver’s restaurant to Paradise Park and now the Stanley event space downtown. Meetings begin at 6:30 a.m. with coffee and Panera pastries, a short teaching and discussion and prayer around individual tables. Bobby Bell Jr. said he needs both the encouragement and accountability.
“I have been coming for almost 20 years and have never looked back,” he said. “It’s been great. You want that accountability to know you are walking with Christ, doing the right thing every day and not taking a day off. Men need other men to be accountable and have that Christlike testimony. There is a lot of wisdom around this table every week. I like tapping into that and knowing that the brotherhood is strong.”
Regardless of what Bell is going through, he knows God will speak to him through the teaching or a word from a friend.
“It’s always this week — you need to hear what God has to say this week,” he said. “That is why you have to keep coming. Sometimes you see guys who don’t show up, and then they start to drift. When men get alone, bad things happen. But when they stay in fellowship, you have the accountability to ask them, ‘have you been messing with sin this week?’ or ‘are you having good conversations with the Lord?’ You don’t want to go out, sit by yourself and drift away.”
Rod Handley, his son Derek (who attended his first meeting at age 7) and Greg Griffin are regular speakers. Guest speakers have included former Royals players Mike Sweeney and Willie Aikins, and such former NFL players as Sherman Smith, Jeff Kemp and Jon Kitna. Each speaker brings a fresh perspective and challenges men to be the best they can be.
TGIW reaches men beyond Lee’s Summit
The pandemic in 2020 was a challenging time for TGIW, as it was for the nation as a whole. But despite having to temporarily suspend in-person gatherings, the group began streaming virtual meetings that continue to span the globe today. And while the nation was erupting in racial anger and riots, TGIW demonstrated what true unity looks like.
Johnny Pannell, who grew up in the South during a time of racial unrest, knows that his true family transcends economic, social, or denominational barriers.
We are all brothers in Christ
“We are all brothers in Christ,” he said, “and it’s s so good to hang out together on Wednesday mornings. I started coming to TGIW 15 or 16 years ago, and it’s been great for me. My wife would always kick me out of bed on Wednesday mornings and say, `you have to go to your men’s group.’ It’s made me a better person, better husband, and better father and grandfather. I have met so many good people that I can pray for and pray with.”
When health problems prevented Pannell from working several years ago, the men of TGIW stepped up to support and encourage him.
“I had come up on hard times, and they came through for me,” he said. “That was so awesome and spirit-lifting. I didn’t know there were people like that in the world. This is a good, strong group and I love everybody here. At first you have to get up, then you have to look up, and then you have to go. And when you go, you are going to come back.“
The ministry of TGIW extends far beyond one hour on Wednesday mornings. When “The Passion of the Christ” was released, more than 700 people attended a private screening at a local theater – at 6 a.m. Then more than 2,000 people watched “Soul Surfer” at the Legacy Park amphitheater. Steven Curtis Chapman performed at the Folly Theater to celebrate the ministry’s fifth anniversary. TGIW also has been active in the Royals’ faith and family events, an annual golf tournament and countless community service events. Men have made new friendships, strengthened old ones and often can be found meeting informally in local restaurants and coffee shops to strengthen and encourage each other.
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Along with the serious business of seeking God, men also enjoy simply having fun together. One morning, the group was not able to get into Souper Salad and moved instead to a nearby business owned by a member.
TGIW by the Numbers
- 2 – Number of Lee’s Summit weekly meetings (live and virtual) since 2023
- 9/26/21 – First meeting is held at Souper Salad in Lee’s Summit
- 12-plus – Kansas City area locations
- 25/300/1,300 – Years, months and days that TGIW has met
- 300-plus – Local churches represented
- 2,435 – Total Lee’s Summit meetings to date
- 3,000-plus – Men who have attended at least one meeting in Lee’s Summit
- 140,000-plus – Total Lee’s Summit attendance to date
“Getting locked out and going to Mail and Copy Plus was memorable,” Handley said. “That was a standup meeting, because there were no chairs. Things like that have happened over the years that are very funny. The biggest laughs were at the fireworks tent and the Barney Fife badge they gave us for security. We had guys sleeping there all night to make sure people didn’t steal stuff. Laughter is good for the soul, and this group has always been good about laughter. We love the energy this group has.”
Even as Handley looks back on the past 25 years, he believes the best is yet to come as a new generation steps into leadership.
“One of the most encouraging things is the launch of a new TGIW group called Stratia that my son, Derek, is leading,” he said. “We are seeing a younger generation of guys. Our 24th golf tournament is coming up, and we are having our youngest group ever.”
Bell encourages men across the city to find a group near them, set the alarm clock and give it a try. “Just come, and you will see,” he said. “It’s the best fellowship you can get, and it’s just the start. These are my brothers, so that is why you want to be here.”
All men are welcome to attend a free breakfast and program to celebrate the 25th anniversary of TGIW on Wednesday, September 30, at the Stanley event space at 308 SE Douglas St. in Lee’s Summit. Breakfast will be served at 6:15 a.m., followed by the program from 6:40 to 7:30.
To find a nearby group or learn more about TGIW, visit www.tgiw.org.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
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