Christian Men's Network celebrates 35 years

Members and supporters of the Christian Men's Network (CMN) got together at the weekend to celebrate 35 years of ministry to men.

The global movement was founded by Dr Edwin Louis Cole, who passed away 10 years ago, and has trained over a million men in more than 100 nations.

The celebrations also marked the 30th anniversary of his book, "Maximised Manhood".

Leaders from around the globe gathered this weekend for the "Meet Me at the Jetty" celebration in Newport Beach, California. The jetty was the place where Dr Cole walked, prayed and launched the vision of CMN.

The three-day commemoration saw members of CMN follow in Dr Cole's footsteps by praying for men around the world each morning at the jetty.

Dr Glenn Burris, president of the Foursquare Church International, who said: "The principles of Ed Cole are not just defined by the length of his life, but they continue to impact the world today.

"He was an effective influencer and his teaching spoke to every area of life."

The event included messages by Christian statesmen such as James O Davis, founder of the Billion Soul Network, Robert Barriger of Camino de Vida in Lima, Peru, and Doug Stringer, founder of Somebody Cares International.

"Christian Men's Network is not a ministry, it's a discipling movement," said Eddy Leo, pastor of the 250,000-member Abbalove Church in Jakarta, who brought his leaders from Indonesia to the commemoration. "When we mentor the next generation as fathers, we will see major change happen."

The celebrations also marked the conclusion of a major six-year project to bring over 3,000 of Dr Cole's sermons, notes, DVDs and books into one compendium called The Collection.

"No person is dead as long as their name is mentioned and their story is being told," Dr Jim Garlow, senior pastor of Skyline Church in La Mesa, California, said of Dr Cole's legacy at the anniversary banquet. "Dr Cole has been and is still far ahead of our time."