PEMBROKE PINES | Three-hundred men gathered at St. Edward Church in Pembroke Pines Jan. 18 and 19 for the first annual �Man Up!� men�s conference.

The conference was the brainchild of Brothers in Christ, an evangelizing cell group at the parish. Members of the group were looking for a way to reach out to the men of South Florida and find a way to discuss the issues and difficulties that men come across in their faith.

"We thought it was a great way to reach out, evangelize, get to know some of our brothers from other parishes and attend a good conference with Father Larry (Richards) about what the Lord expects from us men,� said Elvis Toledo, cell leader of Brothers in Christ.

Father Richards was ordained to the priesthood in 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, Penn., and is a well-known speaker, preacher, retreat master, and author. He has directed hundreds of retreats, parish missions, and conferences for people of all ages and across the country. He is also the acclaimed host of a nightly radio show called �Changed Forever with Father Larry Richards� which airs nationwide on Relevant Radio.

"The main thing that men have to learn how to do is to be people of prayer and people of love,� Father Richards said. �That they lay down their life for God everyday and they have a committed daily prayer time and they serve their wives and their kids and they love them and they tell them that they love them. Because that's what a person of Jesus is, he's a person of love."

During the conference, men were given the opportunity to take part in praise and worship, listen to Father Richards speak, share with one another and take part in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

�This (conference) is to help the men who sometimes have a hard time showing their faith and their love,� said Father John Peloso, pastor of St. Edward. �To help them be better fathers, husbands and parishioners.�
 
"We hope the men put the teachings learned in this conference into action,� said Victor Marrero, a St. Edward parishioner since 1995 and one of the founders/leaders of Brothers in Christ. �We hope that they become better fathers, better husbands. That they tell their families and their loved ones that they love them and that they forgive and most important that they lead God centered lives."