Like most Texans, Jerry McCullough knows barbecue. Specifically, good barbecue.
Same for breakfast.
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It’s no wonder as many as 700 men partake when he puts on a spread. He promises it’s good. More than that, he promises it will fill the souls of men who also hunger to serve their families, churches and communities.
The former Arlington school district coach, educator and superintendent hosts the gatherings through his group, Men Serving God, which in a decade’s time has gone from a handful of acquaintances around a kitchen table to a roster of more than 2,000 with an interest in faith-driven service.
“God has blessed us over the years,” he said. “The main thing we try to do is encourage men to serve.”
The barbecue is every October at Levitt Pavilion. The breakfasts – attended by 60 or so – are every other month on the third Thursday at Shady Valley Country Club. At the annual barbecue, speakers encourage the members with a message. At the breakfasts, attendees hear about volunteer opportunities.
“We got started in 2016. We ate barbecue and talked about how to serve God,” McCullough said. “By 2024, we had 600 or 700 men. We work with over 30 non-profits. They have an opportunity to share what needs they have for volunteers, and we have men help them if they have the skills that they need.”
It could mean landscaping, furniture moving, delivering meals — even helping the Salvation Army count the money in their red kettles, which is “a major deal because people fold their money to put it in the kettle, and all that money has to be straightened out before they can run it through a machine,” he said.
For the Brownwood native and longtime Arlington resident, the group is simply the next calling in his life following more than three decades in education.
He doesn’t do it by himself. A 17-member board helps with the logistics. There’s also a newsletter and a website, where members and newcomers can RSVP for volunteering, plus the barbecues and breakfasts.
The meals are free, by the way.
“The reason we can do that is we have our golf tournament each year,” McCullough said. This year’s is on April 28 at Walnut Creek Country Club. There’s a reason it’s at Walnut Creek.
“They have two golf courses, and we have enough men who sign up, for two golf courses,” he said.
The Men Serving God are plentiful and multiplying.
