D.I.O.P. Male Mentoring Program
“When I was a child; I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”
I Corinthians 13:11
I Corinthians 13:11
What is D.I.O.P.?
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D.I.O.P. is Swahili and means young ruler and scholar. The acronym Disciples In Ongoing Preparation was adopted in 2004. The verse that D.I.O.P. stands on is I Corinthians 13:11. D.I.O.P. focuses on seven life principles: Spiritual Maturity, Emotional Stability, Mental Excellence, Cultural Dignity, Social Restoration, Physical Fitness and Financial Freedom.
Statement of Faith Realizing the awesome blessing and accepted burden of raising a man, the DIOP Male Mentoring Ministry follows these guidelines: Faith in Christ
Mission Statement We enlighten young males through Christ in discipline, order, and structure to become young men. “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” I Corinthians 13:11 The D.I.O.P. Male Mentoring Program of Friendship-West Baptist Church is called to be a caring community of Christian men committed to preparing young men in order that they may become Godly leaders of tomorrow. We stand firm in the belief that discipline, order, and structure are the basis for spiritual training and development. And we recognize that there are no rewards without works. Therefore we are preparing young men to be soldiers in the Army of the Lord so that they can continue to edify God and build up His Kingdom. Vision Statement Developing young men into Godly men through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. Motto “It takes a village to raise a child.” Goal/Creed To train young men to be spiritually mature, emotionally stable, mentally excellent, culturally dignified, socially active, physically fit, and financially free for the benefit of their brethren, their church, and their community for the glorification of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. |
Manhood Boot CampYoung Men Workshops
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Community Involvement
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January of 2015
D.I.O.P. Program participated with the African American Academic Bowl for the fourth consecutive year. We were able to send four teams this year. Each one of our teams were highly competitive despite 3 of 4 losing in the first round. One of our teams made it to the preliminary round falling just short of the championship. This was a great experience and these young men were excited to compete in this non-traditional format.
D.I.O.P. Program participated with the African American Academic Bowl for the fourth consecutive year. We were able to send four teams this year. Each one of our teams were highly competitive despite 3 of 4 losing in the first round. One of our teams made it to the preliminary round falling just short of the championship. This was a great experience and these young men were excited to compete in this non-traditional format.
December of 2014
D.I.O.P. Program held our second annual Manhood Boot Camp. We were able to serve over 50 young men including young men from DIOP, Kappa League of Dallas, and from the surrounding community. Our keynote speaker was Heath Harris, the Assistant DA of Dallas County. Our mentors taught breakout sessions entitled “Walk Like a Ballplayer” which dealt with how to walk in righteousness. Our second breakout session was named “Get Your Hands Dirty” which taught the young men skills of how to change tires, check tire pressure, and check essential car fluid levels.
D.I.O.P. Program held our second annual Manhood Boot Camp. We were able to serve over 50 young men including young men from DIOP, Kappa League of Dallas, and from the surrounding community. Our keynote speaker was Heath Harris, the Assistant DA of Dallas County. Our mentors taught breakout sessions entitled “Walk Like a Ballplayer” which dealt with how to walk in righteousness. Our second breakout session was named “Get Your Hands Dirty” which taught the young men skills of how to change tires, check tire pressure, and check essential car fluid levels.
November of 2014
Our younger Jeremiah tribe of D.I.O.P. Program partnered with On A Mission the Friendship-West Community that serves the homeless; to witness, pray, and pass out flyers in the community surrounding the church’s Kiest location. The young men walked the neighborhoods across the street from the church and around the Christ for the Nations campus. They were focused on informing the community about the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and service located at the Kiest location. This was a great opportunity to address our principles of Spiritual Maturity, Social Restoration, Cultural Dignity, and Physical Fitness.
Our younger Jeremiah tribe of D.I.O.P. Program partnered with On A Mission the Friendship-West Community that serves the homeless; to witness, pray, and pass out flyers in the community surrounding the church’s Kiest location. The young men walked the neighborhoods across the street from the church and around the Christ for the Nations campus. They were focused on informing the community about the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and service located at the Kiest location. This was a great opportunity to address our principles of Spiritual Maturity, Social Restoration, Cultural Dignity, and Physical Fitness.
November of 2014
The Daniel tribe of D.I.O.P. Program participated with a Thanksgiving dinner giveaway at the Oak Cliff Boys and Girls Club. The mentors donated 50 cans of sweet potatoes, dressing, and cranberry sauce. In addition to the donations, the mentees assisted families with receiving their dinners. They also assisted with some housekeeping task at the Boys and Girls Club. Again we worked towards giving the young men an opportunity to serve others, but also working towards our principles of Spiritual Maturity, Social Restoration, Cultural Dignity, and even Physical Fitness.
The Daniel tribe of D.I.O.P. Program participated with a Thanksgiving dinner giveaway at the Oak Cliff Boys and Girls Club. The mentors donated 50 cans of sweet potatoes, dressing, and cranberry sauce. In addition to the donations, the mentees assisted families with receiving their dinners. They also assisted with some housekeeping task at the Boys and Girls Club. Again we worked towards giving the young men an opportunity to serve others, but also working towards our principles of Spiritual Maturity, Social Restoration, Cultural Dignity, and even Physical Fitness.
D.I.O.P. Program was also invited to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. service at Concord Church Baptist Church. This emphasis for this years’ service was on mentoring for young black males. In addition to being invited to participate, D.I.O.P. Program was highlighted as one of the male mentoring groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth West region.
D.I.O.P. Program has participated in the annual MLK parade. We march along side our church and community members. It is our way of showing our allegiance in celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., our “Drum Major for Justice”.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Community Direction
Twenty-two years later after the inception of D.I.O.P. we are proud to say that “Disciples In Ongoing Preparation” is still going strong. We are committed to the call by God to build strong Christian men and to develop the next set of male leaders. To date we have had over 650 boys to come through our ministry. Many of which have gone off to college, some have started their own businesses, and others are maintaining professional jobs in corporate America. All of these young men the D.I.O.P. Program is truly grateful for the opportunity they have had to pour into them Godly principles and Godly wisdom. This we believe will be instrumental in setting the course for them to walk boldly into their divine purpose. It does take a village to raise a child and the brothers of the D.I.O.P. Program are that village. As the D.I.O.P. Program continues to push forward into the future they will continue to make a mark not only within our church but within our community. We recognize that the real work of ministry is outside of the walls of the church. That being said, we want to equip our young men to be soldiers in the Army of the Lord so that they can continue to edify God and build up His Kingdom. I Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” D.I.O.P. strives to train our boys while they are young so that they can be the men that God has called them to be when they are old.
