Food, fun, and fellowship will be the order of the day when the Men’s Ministry of Crossroads Grace Community Church hosts a Texas Roadhouse meal at the Manteca Library Park.

The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, from 3 to 6 p.m. The food will be served from 3 to 5 p.m. followed by a time for hanging out with everyone and listening to the music of the two featured Christian bands, Crossroads Grace’s Solid Ground and another group called The Movement.

The meal will consist of barbecued ribs, cole slaw, baked beans and bread. Tickets for the meal, which are now available for purchase, are $12 each.

While the event is being called a Texas Roadhouse Meal at Library Park, the food is simply the vehicle for the Men’s Ministry to conduct their mission, a “homeless ministry and outreach event,” as well as to reach out to the community “and bring people together,” said Ted Atkins who does the children’s ministry for the men’s group.

The special gathering at the park is open not only to members of Crossroads Grace Community but to those who may or may not belong to other church affiliations in the area. Inability to purchase tickets for the meal is also not a requirement to participate in this event. To this end, the Men’s Ministry members are asking for individuals or groups to become sponsors by purchasing a meal ticket and donating that to someone who may not have the means to buy one.

“We invite them to join us to do outreach in the community as well as to fellowship with people in need. That’s our goal – community outreach and bringing people together. Men, women, children – everybody of all ages – are welcome to join us,” Atkins said.

The Solid Ground and The Movement bands will provide the Christian music background for the meal and the accompanying fellowship.

Ministering to the homeless and people in need is just one of the many missions of the Men’s Ministry. In fact, there are men in this fellowship group who “do the homeless ministry all the time,” not just in Manteca but in outlying areas including Modesto and Stockton, Atkins said.

“They do all sorts of things. They always go to parks in Modesto,” he added, where they provide food for the homeless or any other help that they can extend to the needy.

At the recent Takin’ it to the Streets outreach program conducted by Crossroads Grace, members of the Men’s Ministry joined with 1,200 other volunteers from the church plus three other churches in town, as well as Love INC, performing various tasks around town including general clean-up.

“What a blessing it is to be used by God. We’re blessed,” Atkins said.

Another outreach that the Men’s Ministry does to the community is to help single moms in a variety of ways where they need help. Every year, the men’s group teams up with Precision Automotive, ProTouch, Phillips Auto Care, and other businesses in Manteca to change the oil and filter of single moms’ cars. This special service, held at Precision Automotive on Moffat Boulevard, is also coupled with fellowship and ministering to each other.

Then there are the random acts of kindness that the men do. Recently, for example, they learned about a single mom who was having serious problems with her car but did not have the financial means to have it fixed. The Men’s Ministry stepped up to the plate and helped the woman even though she was not a member of Crossroads.

“We’re here to serve God and He blesses us all the time,” Atkins said.

Crossroads’ Men’s Ministry, currently led by Gilbert Rojas, meets every first Saturday of the month at the church on Moffat Boulevard. The meeting is in the form of a breakfast and fellowship starting at 7 a.m. A guest speaker is often invited to share a message. Attendance at these meetings generally averages from 100 to 120 people. Guests are always welcome. Donation is $5 for the breakfast, but guests are often treated to the meal free of charge.

“We’re blessed; we’re growing,” Atkins said of the group’s membership.

One does not need an invitation to join these monthly breakfast fellowships, either. Just show up, Atkins said.

Anything extra that comes out of the $5 breakfast donation goes into the Men’s Ministry coffers which will then be used to fund their outreach projects such as the free change oil and filter service each year to single moms.

According to the church’s web site, “Crossroads’ Men’s Ministry Mission exists to help men discover Jesus and follow Him fully through the following action items:

• promoting active church participation

• creating opportunities for fellowship

• teaching personal accountability goals and using support systems

• encouraging classes for spiritual growth

• providing a personal discipleship program, and,

• faithfully doing community service and outreach.

“We believe that strong male leadership is vital to the growth of a healthy church. Too many men are sitting on the sidelines, unsure of their spiritual gifts or how to use them. We exist to help them on that journey.”

For more information about the Texas Roadhouse Meal outreach for the homeless at the Library Park, how and where to obtain tickets for the meal, or if you have any question about the Men’s Ministry, call Crossroads at (209) 239-5566, or Gilbert Rojas at (916) 870-0647.