by Luke Doecke

Three years ago Darryl Pittman was undertaking a 43-week rehabilitation program for his long-term addiction to alcohol. It was during this program that he met Ian Watson, founder of Shed Night, who had come to speak with the men about the safe place Shed Night is for men and boys learning to connect with each other.

Shed Night is a judgement-free zone where men are free to tell their stories, knowing they will not be condemned. It’s a space where men can share their own personal journey and grow in the victory of knowing that Jesus has wiped the slate clean.

Part of Darryl’s rehabilitation process was to acknowledge the hurt caused to loved ones and to apologise for that. At his graduation from the program, his daughter Kelly publicly forgave him for his absence as a father: ‘I love you, Dad, and want to put the past behind me’.

A few months later some men from the Murrumba Downs (Queensland) Shed Night, who were supporting Darryl in his recovery, travelled with him to Melbourne to watch the Blues and Magpies blockbuster at the MCG. It was there that Darryl, with Kelly’s help, arranged to meet his other daughter Jasmine and to say sorry.

‘I’d had no contact with Jasmine for 26 years, apart from sending her a letter to say I’m sorry for my actions in the past’, Darryl explained. ‘I had a lot of fears about contacting my family, but I rested on this: trust and faith relieves me of fear’.

Darryl’s healing had started years earlier. ‘I was missing a piece of me, and I was getting older. God gave me the answer, and that was to contact my kids. There was a lot of pain in this, but

I have ridden through the storm.

‘I have now got a relationship with my two daughters and have met my seven grandchildren. I see God’s miracles every day and this is just one of them.’

Ian Watson explained, ‘Shed Night gave Darryl support and a safe place to talk about his problems. He was introduced to Jesus on a first-name basis. He began the journey in building relationships and making connections with other blokes.

‘It was life, not words, that made the change in Darryl from the inside out. He went to heaven and back at the MCG that day. Love, forgiveness and family! You’re never too late or too old to change or learn. God did it all.’

Darryl was just one of many Australian men who struggle to develop and maintain deep relationships. Shed Night provides a space for men to start meaningful relationships with one another, and it gives them the confidence to build solid relationships of their own. This is filling a huge hole in the lives of men across Australia.

Nathan Redden has battled drug addiction since he was 17. He also committed various crimes, which resulted in his spending a short term in jail. Recently Nathan gave his testimony to around 60 men at the Walla Walla (New South Wales) Shed Night.

Nathan, now 28, expressed his embarrassment about being a Christian who was still battling daily against drug addiction. He shared how the gospel of Jesus Christ is alive in his story: ‘On the floor of my cell in Junee prison I reached out to God, and later on gave my life to the Lord.’

But it is not an easy road for him: ‘I still battle against addictions, and this continues to make life very challenging for my partner and three kids.’

Nathan’s father Darryl, who assists in organising Shed Night in Deniliquin (New South Wales), said, ‘In the shed at Walla Walla that night there were about twelve boarders from the local Lutheran college, as well as many fathers who had brought their sons along to hear Nathan share his story’.

Darryl was proud of his son’s courage in telling his story: ‘At times Nathan was emotional but throughout the interview he was the real-deal authentic bloke many of us aspire to be.’

Ian Watson explains that this is one of the main aims of Shed Night: ‘Shed Night helps blokes find their true identity in this world, as champion sons of the King — the real men that God created them to be’.

Graham Mattschoss (pictured left) has been a part of the Lutheran Church all his life. A car accident a few years ago was a major turning point for his life. ‘I realised that my surviving the accident meant that God had handed me a second chance at life’, he said. ‘We’re put on this earth to live and share God’s love. I felt that I needed to do as much as I can to help my family and other people. I try to keep things simple and not miss an opportunity to be a listening ear and have a small conversation with people.’

By attending Central Yorke Peninsula Shed Night, Graham has not only developed a better relationship with God, he has also learned to develop relationships with other men, so that he can share God’s word with them. ‘I read an Angus Buchan devotional book and felt the need to share it with men in my own family’, Graham explained. ‘Sharing this book with them allowed me to go to a deeper level with them and also to help them make the connection that God has a plan for their lives.’

Shed Night meetings are not limited to a tin shed one night a month. They can happen anywhere at any time. The critical element is awareness of other men and sensitivity to what they are going through. Ultimately, it is God’s image being reflected when men step out to get closer and develop deeper, more honest relationships with other men.

Across Australia around 2000 men a month attend Shed Night. These are God’s men who are striving to become ‘better blokes’.

Ian Watson concludes: ‘Shed Night gives blokes the opportunity to know the Big Fella on a first-name basis’.

Luke Doecke is the Shed Night correspondent for The Lutheran and the LCA website. He lives in Moonta Bay, South Australia, with his wife Lisa and son Oliver. They are members of St Johns Lutheran Church, South Kilkerran.

For more information about Shed Night in your local area or to make contact with other men, go to www.shednight.com ‘Big Shed Happens’, 29 October, is an annual national event for men and boys organised by Shed Night. See the back page of this edition for more information and registration details.