TALLAHASSEE — Nearly 1,400 men from the Florida, Alabama-West Florida and South Georgia conferences were challenged to have courage in reaching unchurched people and caring for their neighbors at the second Bishops’ Invitational for Christ’s Men June 24 at the Leon County Civic Center here.

Three guest speakers, one from each conference, addressed the theme "Ask, Seek, Knock" taken from Matthew 7:7.

Dr. John Ed Mathison, pastor of Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Ala., told attendees that "asking is a requirement for Christians." Recounting the time he received a blank check from the richest church in Montgomery, Mathison said God writes blank checks, too.

"You can’t write and ask for anything God can’t give," he said.

Dr. Hal Brady, pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ga., said seeking is "asking, plus effort." He said Christians must make seeking God a priority, and they must do it with faith, boldness and persistence.

Brady also challenged attendees to "help God bring in the kingdom" by putting the church’s goals above their own and "representing God everywhere we go."

Florida Conference Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson told attendees to knock on the doors of "people forgotten about because they can’t do anything for you anymore."

"Who’s supposed to do the knocking? If you said you and me you are correct. There are a lot of doors that need to be opened," he said, adding that behind those doors are boys and girls, elderly people, prisoners, the unemployed, the "sick, diseased, disfigured and distraught."

"We remember Bill Gates and Ted Turner…but we have trouble remembering the last, the least and the lost," Henderson said.

Cowboy, artist and preacher Dr. Ken Wyatt used humor and storytelling to challenge attendees to reach their unchurched neighbors. Using orange picking as a metaphor for evangelizing, Wyatt told the men about a dream he had in which he went to Florida and decided he wanted to pick oranges. He said he joined a group of orange pickers who sang songs about orange picking, read the instruction book for orange picking, heard a message about orange picking, but left the orange picking to professionals.

"We have some great orange pickers," he said. "One named Billy…Another, who some people called Mother Teresa, picked oranges the hard way, by getting down on her knees and picking up the ones that had fallen."

"If you’re going to pick oranges, you’ve got to have courage," he said.

At the event’s close, Henderson challenged attendees to join the "5·5·5 Club" by making five short, compassionate calls, visiting five different people and writing five positive notes every day.

Between presentations the Frazer Singers from Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Ala., led attendees in singing hymns and praise choruses. Witness from Killearn United Methodist Church in Tallahassee presented a brief concert of hymns and songs in barbershop quartet style.