Free Men's Event 2009

A Taste of MMG 2
(Massachusetts Men's Gathering)

Drop by Anytime
between 11 am-3 pm
Saturday, January 10, 2009

hosted by First Parish Unitarian Church in Malden.

Introduce someone to MMG

Free Optional Workshop Samplers
Entertainment * Networking

Free Food
Boston Reunion for MMG regulars

Join us for the 2nd Annual “Taste of MMG”

Come to a mid-winter meeting to sample the Massachusetts Men's Gathering (MMG) experience: Saturday, January 10th from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM at the First Parish Unitarian Church in Malden. All men are invited.

MMG is a no-pressure, participant-led men's retreat weekend which has been held in the spring and in the fall of every year since 1989. This spring May 15-17th we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary event.

We currently meet on a Friday evening thru midday Sunday at the Clara Barton Conference Center in North Oxford, MA (Worcester area). Veteran MMGers wanted a mid-winter daylong mini-reunion to which they could bring their men's groups, sons, fathers and friends to see for themselves "what they would be getting themselves into" if they attended a full weekend.

Last year's first attempt at the "Taste of MMG" was held in January in Braintree; it attracted 20 regulars and 20 curious, new men. The event got big thumbs up from everyone. So we're doing it again in 2009 in Malden.

Drop by anytime between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM to sample the sharing circles and mini-versions of some typical workshops. Or, just chow down and shoot the breeze with some regular attendees. Examples of workshops might include: "Conversations with Our Fathers,” "The Good News about Men's Depression," "Anger Management 101" and "The 12 Steps to Mature Adulthood."

If you sing, play an instrument, or do any kind of entertaining, consider doing a 5 minute piece during our day-end talent jam. There will be no charge or pressure to sign up.

Tentative Schedule:

10:30 Brunch Starts
11:00 Opening Circle
11:30 Noon Optional Workshops
Noon Lunch
1 – 2:00 PM More Optional Workshops
2:00 pm Talent Show/ Entertainment
2:30 Closing Circle

First Parish in Malden Unitarian, Address: corner of Elm and Pleasant Streets, Malden, MA. Located a block east of the Malden Center MTA station. Ample parking behind the church

If you're using GoogleMaps or Mapquest, your destination is

3 Elm Street, Malden MA 02148

Host: Joe Turner 781-246-4600
For more info: Chris at 617 282-3521 or cell 282-3379

NEW MMG Website : www.massmensgathering.org

Please RSVP with number in your group to ddonovan1@partners.org

Poet Donates Books for MMG 38 --May, 2008

Letter Received by the OC

Hello!

My name is Rick Belden and I'm the author of a book called Iron Man Family Outing. I see that the May 2008 Massachusetts Men's Gathering is coming up soon. It sounds like you have a great tradition going.

In support of MMG and the upcoming gathering, I'd like to offer a donation of one dozen complimentary copies of Iron Man Family Outing as my gift to the men attending the event. I'll cover the postage so there will be no cost to MMG or the attendees.

I'm attaching some introductory information about the book, including a brief excerpt. You can also click here to see reader comments for the book at Amazon.

Let me know what you think, and please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.

Regards,

Rick Belden

Author, Iron Man Family Outing

Email: sabazuma@yahoo.com

Book Description

Inspired by a puzzling series of dreams about a favorite comic book hero from his boyhood, the
author embarks upon an arduous but ultimately healing odyssey into a dark and damaged internal landscape, the wreckage of a childhood spent with an angry, abusive, distant father. As he beginsto understand these dreams, and allows them to lead him forward, he also begins to accept hisunique personal history, understand its consequences in his adult life, and take responsibility for his own healing.

A Message from the Author

I never intended to write this book, or any book for that matter. And I certainly didn't set out
initially to share something this raw and personal with the rest of the world. But as these poems
emerged and took shape, it became clear to me that there was a powerful transpersonal process at work that was bigger than me and my own life.
In that context, the creation of this book took on something of a sacred quality for me. I came to realize that, by opening a window into some of the deepest, most intimate places in myself and my process, I might also help other men see themselves more clearly and take action to address issues in their own lives. I hope that both men and women alike can find some truly personal value in this work.
I would also like to acknowledge the work of artist John Dolley, who did such an incredible job
of bringing so many of the themes and images in the book to life with his haunting, beautifully
rendered illustrations.
Availability
To obtain your copy of Iron Man Family Outing, please contact the author, Rick Belden, via
email at sabazuma@yahoo.com.


body memory

my elbow remembers
riding my rocking horse off the front porch
my skin remembers
slap of the flyswatter metal wire handle
my tongue remembers
bar of soap shoved in my mouth
my hand remembers
spilled milk on the first day of first grade
my stomach remembers
crying in front of everyone 'cause I lost the fight
my knee remembers
wait for me daddy before I fell + broke my leg
my feet remember
please teach ricky how to skip
pinned to my kindergarten shirt
my chin remembers
falling out of bed into a
daddy's mad again hot sunday night
my nose remembers
can't breathe comic books in ragweed darkness
my fingers remember
building model rockets in a cool summer basement
my neck remembers
father's hands closing tight around my throat
my ears remember
mother screaming stop it dick stop it.
time passes but nothing is lost

I can't fool myself
my body remembers everything.


Excerpted from Iron Man Family Outing: Poems about Transition into a More Conscious
Manhood by Rick Belden. Cover art and book excerpts copyright © 1990 by Rick Belden, all
rights reserved.

Throngs Enjoy Robust "Taste of MMG"

MMG CFO Dennis Donovan (seen above in red vest) reports:

We had 20 new men and 19 regulars turn out to the event for a whopping attendance of 39, which is better than the past several MMGs where we've been in the range of 32-35 or so.
I have to say I was impressed by the turnout.
Made me think that the format is a good adjunct to our weekend retreats.

Major thanks to our hosts, Don Swanson, Rick Anderson, and company from the All Souls UU Church in Braintree!

Mid-Winter Gathering

Free Men's Event

A Taste of MMG

(Massachusetts Men's Gathering)

Drop by Anytime

between 10 am-3 pm

Saturday, January 12, 2008

hosted by

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church

196 Elm St., Braintree
Directions below

Free Food * Free Optional Workshop Samplers
Entertainment * Networking
Boston Reunion for MMG vets


For more info call Chris at 617 282-3521 or cell 282-3379

Website : www.themenscenter.com/mmg

Please RSVP with number in your group to ddonovan1@partners.org

The Massachusetts Men's Gathering is a no-pressure, participant-led men's retreat weekend which has been held every year in the spring and in the fall since 1989. Currently we meet Fri eve. thru Sunday midday at a North Oxford, MA (Worcester area) conference center. Veteran MMGers wanted a mid-winter daylong mini-reunion to which they could bring their men's groups, family members and friends to see for themselves "what they would be getting themselves into" if they attended a full weekend.
Drop by anytime between 10 am and 3 pm to sample the sharing circles and mini-versions of some typical workshops, or just chow down and shoot the breeze with some regular attendees. If you sing, play an instrument, or do any kind of entertaining, consider coming prepared to join our day end talent jam.

No Charge. No Pressure to Sign Up.
Tentative Schedule
10:00 Brunch Starts
10:30 Opening Circle
11-Noon Optional Workshops
Possibly including "Conversations with Our Fathers" and "The Good News About Men's Depression"
Noon Lunch
12:30-1:30 More Optional Workshops
Possibly including " Anger Management 101" and "The 12 Steps to Mature Adulthood"
2:00 pm Talent Show/ Entertainment
2:30 Closing Circle


Office Telephone: 781-843-1388
The church is located near what is known in the local traffic reports as the "Braintree Split"
Scroll down for driving directions.
Map
...................................
From the North:
- From the Southeast Expressway/Route 93/3 Southbound, after the Furnace Brook Parkway exit, take a left at the split, on exit 7 towards Rt. 3 South.- Immediately after the split, take Exit 18 onto Washington Street.- Move to the center lane.- Turn left at the light and cross the bridge over Route 3.- Stay to the far right and turn right at the light onto Church Street.- Go to the end of Church Street. You will see the church on your left.- On the other side of the church is Charles Street.- Park on Charles Street or in the parking lot behind the Church.
If you should miss exit 18 (above), stay on Rt. 3 and take the next Exit 17, and follow the From the South directions below.
From the South:
- From Rt. 3 northbound,- take Union Street, Exit 17, onto a rotary and take the first rotary exit onto Union St.- Go 75 yards to a traffic light.- Turn left onto Cleveland Street and go about a mile to the end.- Turn left at the light onto Washington Street. (It will turn into Middle Street.)- At the next light, turn right onto Charles St. The church will be on your left.- Park on this street or in the parking lot behind the Church.
From Route 128
- Take Route 128/95 southbound.- In Norwood Route 95 exits to the south toward Providence, but you should stay on Route 128.- Now Route 128 becomes Route 93 and the exit numbers start over at 1.- Just after you pass Exit 6, the road will split with Route 93 curving to the left and Exit 7 going to the right toward Route 3 and Cape Cod. Stay to the far right.- Immediately after the split take Exit 18 for Washington Street Braintree. It is a long exit. - Take the right fork, following the signs for Washington Street Braintree.- Move to the center lane as you come to a traffic light.- Turn left at the light and cross the bridge over Route 3.- Stay to the far right and turn right at the light onto Church Street.- Go to the end of Church Street. You will see the church on your left.- On the other side of the church is Charles Street.- Park on Charles Street or in the parking lot behind the Church.


.

song

hi men(not guys)! it's joe here(the guest talent show cohost one). we are a week removed from mmg 37 and i had an idea while driving home: how about coming up with an mmg song?(that creative mind of mine kicked in). i wrote down some lines and am looking for fellow men to contribute. here are the lines i have thus far-"the place i want or come to see or be","where i have a family" (possibly the chorus line),"there is energy,warmth,caring, sharing" and the last line i thought of is "the return you get is free". i don't have a melody yet(i haven't gotten this far). i thought if we could have a song for the intersession at my church in braintree in january then we could sing it then.how does this sound? i am open to ideas. thanks for your time and consideration.keep in touch and talk with you later.

View images and movie from MMG 37

Hi all,

We had a great time at MMG 37. Please visit the MMG website and view the new pictures and movie highlights from the talent show.

Visit link:

http://www.themenscenter.com/mmg/memories.html

Take care my brothers.

David T. (the Tubester)

Invite-Your-Pals MMG One-Day Event

Rick Anderson and Don Swanson have reserved their church hall so we can have an

Invite Your Pals

MMG Sampler Afternoon

Saturday, January 12, 2008

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church

196 Elm St., Braintree

We're just starting to plan this event which is open to all MMGers and their male friends, family, and especially male therapists. It's both a between-gatherings reunion for MMG vets as well as
chance for all of us to invite guys who are reluctant to commit the weekend to find out more about the experience. We'll probably have music, slide/video presentations, workshops, refreshments. Please send us your ideas of what would make the event helpful in your recruiting efforts