Joshua Fellowship is a Catholic men’s fellowship open to all men and its vision is to encourage, support and strengthen men in their Christian calling.
We believe God desires that his sons `Be strong and stand firm’ (Joshua 1:9).
Our hope is in Jesus Christ and our primary focus is to help men into an ever deepening relationship with Jesus as Lord, Redeemer, Savior and friend. On this firm foundation, we would encourage men to “live and move and have their being” (Acts17:28) as sons of the living God, to be better men, husbands and fathers in the home, in the local community, in the parish and in the work place, sure of their identity and calling and activated into generous service.
“Choose today whom you will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
How it Began
Joshua fellowship began in Auckland, New Zealand in 1986 when a small group of men met and prayed about the need for a men’s fellowship.
We were aware that:
- There is a macho role model image of the Kiwi male, which is false.
- That many women are spiritually alone in their homes.
- That many men are searching for a deeper spiritual life.
- That Dove fellowship had clearly shown the special blessing of women to women ministry – the same was likely to be true for men.
- That men’s groups such as the Holy Name Society no longer exist.
- That many men, with today’s confused values, are struggling to maintain their Christian standards.
The group continued to meet and pray regularly for some months and numbers quietly grew.
Following a weekend retreat in August 1986, directed by Bishop Denis Browne, Joshua Men’s Fellowship was formally established in the Auckland Diocese with Fr. Ernie Milne as chaplain.
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This information is from the official website for Joshua Catholic Men’s Fellowship: https://joshua.org.nz/