Reaching the hearts of young men before the world’s vices get them is imperative,  and a group of local men –Emmett Massey, Jarrod Craig, and Jeff Sellers —  are looking to do so through their New School Men’s Meetings.

Tuesday night a number of local 9th through 12th grade students met for the second New School Men’s Meeting to fellowship, eat and listen to the gospel from Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson.

Dawson also has announced plans to run for governor in Alabama’s 2018 elections.

“If you see a lot of these adult men in here that are helping and serving, we want these young men to see them because those adults care about them,” Iron Works leadership team member Mark Perry said.

Iron Works Men’s Ministries has done the Old School Men’s Meetings for some time now, and Perry said that some of the members felt they should be reaching out to young men in the community as well.

“We feel like if we can reach the men in a family, then we can reach their families through them,” Perry said of the Old School Meetings. “New School Men’s Meeting is for 9th through 12th grade boys to come hang out and get together and hear the gospel preached to them, and just have a good time,” Perry said.

Perry said that it is important to reach younger boys before some of the vices of the world have a chance to reach them.

“Someone said one time that there is a race to the heart of a child and whoever gets there first wins,” he said. “So, the world is trying to do that and if we can get there first, we have a chance to reach them before things like drugs or alcohol reaches them. We just want to encourage them and speak to their hearts.”

Updated at 1:15 p.m., on June 21, 2017 to correct the age group for the ministry and who started the ministry.