Zero Line – A New Men’s Small Group Launches at Brecksville UMC
Zero Line represents a state of balance before positive or negative movement begins. The group is open to men of all ages, centered on connection, community and faith (no matter where you are in your feelings, thoughts or journey with faith).
- WHEN: Wednesdays, 7:00 PM
- WHERE: Room 201, Brecksville UMC
- LAUNCHES: September 23rd (9-week series)
COME AS YOU ARE:
Jump in week one or week six — no prerequisites, only life experience required.
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will
lift up his fellow.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Hosted by Dru Siley.
About Zero Line Men’s Small Group Ministry
The group is open to men of all ages, centered on connection, community and faith (no matter where you are in your feelings, thoughts or journey with faith).
Zero Line represents a state of balance before positive or negative movement begins.
Initiated in response to rising isolation and loneliness among men in all phases of life. This group would work toward hosting a venue where men might be able to better recognize the holy ordinary in others and in themselves. The group helps to do this through the connection, respect
and friendship that can come from finding common ground via honest conversation and direct interactions.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory found lacking social connection carries mortality risk comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, that about 15% of men report no close friends (up from 3% in 1990, and roughly 1 in 4 for men under 30), and about 40% of men report feeling lonely at least weekly.
9 Week Session: Connection, Community & Faith
Wednesdays, 7:00 at BUMC
This curriculum is designed for this group to meet once a week, at the church, starting after fall kick off and running until the week before Thanksgiving. The format is also intended to be open to allow for new members to come in at any point during the term. Showing up is more important than any particular topic from a previous session.
Zero Line Schedule Fall 2026
Meeting 1: Why We’re Here & Made for Connection
September 23, 7 pm, Room 201
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 — “Two are better than one….a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Meeting 2: Taking Off the Mask: Honesty & Real Friendship
September 30, 7:00 pm, The Chapel
Proverbs 18:24 — “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Meeting 3: Identity & Purpose
October 7, 7 pm, The Chapel
Ephesians 2:10 — “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Meeting 4: The Heavy Things We Carry
October 14, 7 pm, The Chapel
Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Meeting 5: Connection Beyond the Group
October 21, 7 pm, The Chapel
Romans 12:4-5 — “Just as each of us has one body with many members… so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Meeting 6: Honest About the Struggle
October 28, 7 pm, The Chapel
Galatians 6:1-2 — “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Meeting 7: Holding On When Things Don’t Make Sense
November 4, 7 pm, The Chapel
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 — “We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Meeting 8: From Receiving to Giving & Mentoring: Investing Forward
November 11, 7:00 pm, The Chapel
1 Peter 4:10 — “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace.”
2 Timothy 2:2 — “The things you have heard me say… entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Meeting 9: Commissioning (Not Done Yet?)
November 18, 7 pm, The Chapel
Hebrews 10:24-25 — “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together.”