Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Two acquaintances became friends... then, after bring raw, honest & real with each other, they learned what it meant to be brothers from another mother.
Meet Jamie Manship & Jeremy DeRaadt, two men who have lived very different lives, and yet, have much more in common than they realized.
Jamie grew up in Woodstock, Ontario before relocating to Fort McMurray, Alberta. While getting plugged into the local church, Jamie helped develop men's programming within McMurray Gospel Assembly.
Jeremy grew up in Leamington, Ontario and later moved to Alberta with his family. He then moved between Leslieville, Red Deer, Calgary & Fort McMurray.
Jeremy has lived with mental illness since he was a young boy, and has worked through what that means & how to live successfully. While Jamie hasn't lived with that himself, they both had many other things in common. From a love of the Toronto Maple Leafs to communal beliefs in their faith, Jamie & Jeremy grew close as friends. It wasn't until Jeremy decided to be vulnerable with Jamie at a youth camp trip that the two became closer than friends. Mutual understanding of addiction & unwanted sexual behaviour left them both in a place where they grew to become brothers.
Amidst the pandemic in 2020, both Jamie & Jeremy decided to set out for a weekly time that they could meet, catch up & grow together - both in their faith and in their areas of addiction. It was through their weekly Sunday sessions that Jamie & Jeremy began to share the hardest parts of their story, and realize how important it was to be real, vulnerable and honest with another man.
To commemorate their time of sharing at the youth camp, a weekend was planned in October 2020 where they would simulate a conference for the two of them. Little did they know: that could be the framework for a men's community now known as The Forge.
The Forge has grown to be a place where all men are welcome, regardless of their past. Finding community & brotherhood was the most integral part of Jamie & Jeremy's journey towards wholeness. Taking that same mentality of real, authentic honesty with other men is a core foundation of the brotherhood.
They learned many things over the years, but the most critical thing next to a relationship with Jesus is sharing with a close brother. Identifying that you are not the only man struggling with these issues is the first step to true freedom, since most men hide and suffer in silence getting deeper into their sin and unhealthy sexual behaviour.
There are a few key areas that Jamie & Jeremy have grown, and they're excited to share them with you:
The Forge is a place where men young & old can come together and be real, honest and genuine.
The Forge is a place where our past mistakes, shame and regrets don’t name us, but the real, authentic and powerful love of the Heavenly Father is ready to show us who we really are.
The Forge is a place where acquaintances become friends, and friends become brothers.
The Forge is a place to realize there isn’t any reason to have shame, because the majority of our stories don’t start with our actions, but come from actions that occurred when we were kids. If you don’t have a place where you can have authentic & real relationship & brotherhood, you’ll never discover The Way towards who you are. You’ll always have a front, a mask, or something that blocks who you really are as you put up a front for the world. Both Jamie & Jeremy have been there. If you can’t let your guard down, remove your mask & allow yourself to be vulnerable, you will never experience the freedom of knowing without a shadow of a doubt who you are & who God is.
The Forge is a place where you can bring honest questions and get honest answers. Being vulnerable enough to bring real questions to The Forge means Jamie & Jeremy will do their absolute best to bring real answers to the questions you have about your life.
The Forge is a place where your journey towards wholeness begins. Neither Jamie nor Jeremy can do the changing work in your heart. They both had to start somewhere. For them, it was when they were honest and vulnerable enough to share the deepest, darkest & hardest parts of their story with each other.
The Forge is a place of community where men can come together, do life with each other & see the Lord bring about incredible & permanent healing. The Forge is meant to be a place where men can interact with each other, find comradery and a common goal: to grow closer to the Lord & other men like never before.
The Forge is about putting our lives into a fire, and allowing the Lord to reshape us into who we’re meant to be.
We're so glad to have you here!