The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Justin Allaman
Thirty-nine men gathered at Rozetta Baptist Church at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11th for a Men's Night Out.
Hosted every year at Rozetta, the event consisted of a home-cooked meal, a speaker, and door prizes.
This year's event kicked off with a welcome and prayer from Jamie Bennett, the MC of the evening. A delicious meal of lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and dessert followed.
The arranged speaker for the evening was Mr. Roy Abbott, founder and President of Focal Point Ministries. Focal Point is a regional men's ministry out of Fulton, Illinois. He spoke to the men of his life story and the circumstances that led him to start a ministry specifically designed to reach men.
We all have a story to tell, a path God has brought us on. That's how he uses us to share the gospel with others, Abbott stated.
Born in Clinton, Iowa, Abbott moved to Fulton at the age of ten with his parents, who were small business owners. Abbott added that while his parents provided for him well during his growing up years, he got in his share of trouble, including sneaking out of church to smoke cigarettes.
After high school, Abbott spent time in the Marines. While he says his time in the service helped get him squared away, it also was a time where his anger at others became more and more of an issue, leading to drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and getting in fist fights.
After two years in the Marines, Abbott married his high school sweetheart Kim and they moved to southern California. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll are the words Abbott chooses to describe that period of his life. They eventually moved back to Fulton, Abbott eventually taking a job at the Cordova nuclear plant. And while Abbott worked a well-paying job, his anger continued to become more and more of a problem as it began to express itself in physical ways. Looking back, Abbott remembers a specific night where an altercation with his wife led to him smashing his fist into a mirror. From there, the anger issues escalated over the years. His uncontrollable anger culminated in him pinning his wife to the floor and throttling her one morning.
Seeking counseling, Abbott then became involved in what he describes as an emotional affair. While still married to his wife, he began meeting regularly with another woman who was seeking counseling. After his wife learned of the affair, she confronted him about it. Abbott recalls his wife threw a punch at me, threw her wedding ring at me, and left.
A turning point in Abbott;s life came shortly thereafter when he attended a Promise Keepers men s conference in Boulder Colorado. While hesitant to attend a conference, Abbott found the Christian speakers to be engaging and they reached him at an emotional level. At that conference, Abbott rededicated his life to Christ and began a spiritual journey that continues to this day.
While the conference had radically changed Roy, he discovered that his wife was still living with the pain, fear, and scars of his past abuses. Abbott admits that it took hard work and ten full years to rebuild trust in their marriage.
From there Roy felt a call from God to share his story and work with pastors and men ministry leaders. We have a crisis of manhood in America, Abbott firmly believes. In 2006 he launched Focal Point Ministries, which hosts conferences every year called Iron Sharpens Iron from Proverbs 27:17. These conferences feature a keynote speaker and then break-out sessions where men can receive discipleship teaching specific to their life stage and needs.
At the end of the evening names were drawn out of a hat to win baked goods. Charles Allaman received a $50 gift card to Menards for bringing the most guests.
Men in attendance of the annual Men's Night Out visit before guest speaker Roy Abbott speaks. Abbot is the fonder and President of Focal Point Ministries, Fulton.
Speaker - Roy Abbott