From left, Lewis Brown, Rick Nunnally and Elijah Brown, members of the Fort Huachuca Kino Chapel Men's Ministry, cook dinner at the Sierra Vista Good Neighbor Alliance. The tradition that was started in 2006, and still continues every first Saturday ...

Pictured seated from left to right are Doug Keaton, David Evans, Wesley Good and Roger Holder; standing from left to right are Rick Nunnally, Alvin Brown, Bobby Davis, Kermit Robinson, Clayton Barnett, Bill Turner, Ernest Exum, Craig Brown and Lewis ...

For a select group of about 30 men, being a part of the Kino Men's Ministry is more than just weekly or monthly meetings -- it is worshiping their Lord, enjoying fellowship with their fellow brothers, and serving their community.

This elite group participates in a quarterly prayer breakfast, sings in choir events at Kino Chapel and in the Sierra Vista community, and assists in collecting food for the Chaplain's Food Locker. Each year, the ministry also participates in a Kino Chapel revival and religious retreat, which is normally held out of town.

In the past, the Kino Men's Ministry has been known to cook a holiday dinner at Prosser Village Dining Facility or host a fish fry cook out at Veterans' Memorial Park, but their real claim to fame comes in the form of barbeque baby back ribs, bratwurst, corn on the cob, salad, baked beans, cake and more. And of course -- the word of the Lord.

When they first formed in 2001, the group would gather every Saturday to study a book, and when that book was finished, they would start another. But in 2006, Clayton Barnett, a previous brother of the ministry, introduced the idea of helping out in the community.

The ministry's president at that time, David Evans, said, "I retired from the Army in 2005 and I saw what the men's ministry was doing at the time. To me, that was good, because it was showing fellowship within the church and other communities. When I stepped in as the president, I started seeing the real need to have this type of fellowship, and I really enjoyed it because having people all pulling together for the same purpose is a great thing."

Bill Turner, Kino Men's Ministry president, said, "We get pure enjoyment out of going out and doing things, giving back to the community and this is what it's all about. God said we need to be a servant, and that's what we do."

It was then that the relationship between the Kino Men?'s Ministry and the Good Neighbor Alliance, or GNA, began. GNA assists Families and people in need of safe, temporary shelter and access to support services. They work toward helping the displaced to achieve economic and social self-sufficiency.

On Sept. 9, 2006, Evans met with the GNA staff and discussed what they could do to help fulfill the GNA mission. After coordinating with the GNA staff, the Kino Men?'s Ministry cooked their first meal at GNA Sept. 29, 2006 and still continues to cook every first Saturday of each month.

"This was one of our callings. We wanted to do a service, and we did," Evans said. "The [GNA staff] was very happy that we started and would call and tell me that the people that we fed loved it."

Regardless of what the act may be or whom it is for, it all comes down to brotherhood for these men. Together, they provide a spiritual support system for Soldiers, their Families and many others who choose the Kino Chapel as their place of worship, along with dedicating their time to making the surrounding communities a better place.

"Normally, everyone in the Kino Men?'s Ministry attends Kino [Chapel] but what you have to realize is we don't have a membership on this installation," Turner said. "We keep no roll call, no roster, nothing like that. As long as they serve the Lord, we'll take 'em."

For more information about services or ministries at Kino Chapel, or any other chapel on Fort Huachuca, call 533.4748.