Men in Church: A Place to Talk

Why come?

Men can feel under pressure and struggling in a thousand ways and yet also be unable to talk about it. There are many good reasons for this:

• we don't even realise how much we're struggling because we've become so good at hiding it.
• we don't have or never learned the words to share what's going on.
• we feel we must be OK, normal, alright, fine.
• we're afraid what others - our partners, families, co-workers, churches - will think
• we're afraid that if we let ourselves go there, we'll never get out.

But the things we don't talk about are the things that end up tripping us up.

So here's a space designed to let you talk with others about what's going on:

• to help you understand the reasons we men struggle that challenge the assumption of personal "weakness".
• to explore the influence of our cultural context - the air we breathe - on our lives.
• to challenge the pressures we can feel: to make it OK to not be OK.
• to give space to share what's going on safely, away from the pressures of our everyday relationships, yet together with other men.
• to give space to find others who are in, or have been in, the same situations we are, and gain from their experience.
• to help you reconnect with yourself: your own longings and hopes, fears, frustrations and losses, energy and purpose, as you were made to be.

The schedule

This is a series of workshops and group drop-ins. Although the workshops are designed to build on each other, they are stand alone.

The time for each week is 8.30am-10am Saturday morning.

Workshops (every other week)

• FREE October 2nd - Men and the Current Crisis: "dying to be a man".
• October 16th - Men and Work: stress, work-life balance and seeking meaning.
• October 30th - Men and Relationships: why are they so tricky?!
• November 12th - Men and Emotions: reconnecting with ourselves.
• November 26th - Men and Sex: intimacy, porn and masturbation.

Group drop-ins (every other week): October 9th, October 23rd, November 5th, November 19th, December 4th.

More information:

The workshops give space to explore key specific areas men struggle with today. They will include some psychoeducation about how our culture impacts our lives in these different areas and opportunities for self-reflection and group discussion.

The group drop-ins will provide greater time to share more personally what's going on. These aren't normal Bible studies or home groups. Facilitated by a trained therapist, contract and simple structure, and separate from our everyday lives, they are designed to allow us to go where we might not usually get to. This can be a really powerful meeting where our struggles are normalised and the acceptance and honesty of other men lets us face ourselves with greater honesty and compassion and so re-take ownership of the different areas of our lives.

You are able to choose which workshops and/or drop-ins to join, although it's likely that the more regularly you are able to join, the more you will get out of it.

If you want to read some of my thought on the issues covered in the workshops, you can find them here: https://www.thomasrowlandcounsellingservices.com/blog/categories/being-a-man-in-our-modern-society

If you have any questions about the series or about booking, please just email info@thomasrowlandcounsellingservices.com

This event is brought to you by Thomas Rowland Counselling Services. By signing up to this event you are giving your consent for your contact details to be shared with Thomas Rowland Counselling Services for the purposes of delivering this event, and so that Thomas Rowland Counselling Services can keep you informed of future similar activities you can benefit from. Should you have any questions or wish to opt out at any time please email info@thomasrowlandcounsellingservices.com