Like the Deacon Ministry, men have existed with the founding of the Church in 1875. However, they did not organize as a functioning unit until some eighty-five (85) years after the founding of the Church. In 1960 Dea. J.C.N. Howard, Sr. of Effort attended the Tenth 12th Congress of the Baptist World Alliance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Liberia was appointed as Continental Vice President for Africa of the BWA, with him serving in this position. In 1963 Effort men organized themselves into a department thus becoming the first Baptist Church of the LBMEC to organize a formal men’s grouping (Bro. Maesa D. Nelson, Sr served as first president). This was one year following the official recognition of a Men’s department under the LBMEC at Zion Grove Baptist Church in 1962 during a Session of the LBMEC. Peter Amos George Sr., then a Deacon, was appointed as the first President.
In the 1980s Rev. Emile D.E. Sam-Peal and Bro. John Alphanso D. Perkins were recorded in LBMEC’s history for the longest tenure when they served as Executive Secretaries of the LBMEC and its National Baptist Men’s Department respectively. Rev. Jonathan Johnson (JJ) and Rev. Justus Y. Reeves (both of Effort) also served the LBMEC as Executive Secretaries while T. Martin Allen served as Recording Secretary and President of the National Baptist Youth Department respectively & National Vice President of the National Baptist men.
In 1997 Dea. Cornelius W.V. Reeves proposed the “Deacons’ Union” intended to bring all Baptist Deacons under one umbrella. This is yet to be approved or duly recognized by the LBMEC.
In 2003 the Men’s Department (via Dea. C.W.V. Reeves) organized the first Baptist Men’s Breakfast Fellowship and convened in its maiden edition on February 21, 2004 with 18 men in attendance. The Keynote Speaker was Rev. Jonathan C. Taylor. He spoke on “True Greatness” leaving four essential qualities of a trustworthy servant with us: Conviction – Commitment – Compassion – Courage. Dea. John D. Gray was then chairman of the Breakfast Fellowship while Bro. Lemuel B. Sherman was President of the Men’s Ministry.
The Men’s Ministry is currently divided into three divisions called Houses: The Royal Men of the House of David; the Militants of the House of Joshua; and the Wise Men of the House of Solomon. Current Men’s President is Bro. T. Siekula Vannie. Effort Men’s Ministry has occupied the presidency of the National Baptist Men three times by and through Dea. Joseph N. Boakai, Sr; Dea.Cephus K. Dougbe Jr and Dea. Lemuel Borbor Sherman.
In 1986, after 24 years of the founding of the National Baptist Men, series of meetings were held as a means of resuscitating this body out of dormancy. These meetings were led by Dea. Draper J. Birch of Providence Baptist Church. Effort Baptist men actively participated through Dea. Moses S. Mooney, Dea. Cornelius W.V. Reeves, Dea. O. Anthony Hubbard, Dea. James Daniel Weaver, Sr and Bro. John Alphonso D. Perkins.
Effort men formed part of an interim administration occupying the following positions: Vice Chairman by Dea. Moses S. Mooney, Secretary General by J. Alphanso D. Perkins and Chairman of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee by Dea. Cornelius W.V. Reeves. Since its formal organization in 1963 the Men’s Department of the Church has enjoyed the privilege of having some of the country’s farsighted, innovative and development-oriented men to serve the fellowship here at Effort as presidents beginning with Bro. Maesa D. Nelson, Sr in 1963. Others who have paraded the stage of leadership and significantly impacted the work of the fellowship have included William Henry Minor, Sr
James Henry Lewis, Jr. – G. Bismarck Reeves – J.C.N. Howard, Jr. – Momolu V. Sackor Sirleaf, S. Eldred Liberty, Cornelius W.V. Reeves Sr.,Lemuel Borbor Sherman, Jerry Tamba Taylor, Sete Fumba Marshall, T. Martin Allen, Somah E. Liberty & T. Siekula Vannie (incumbent)