Home > About Us

Locking Arms New Mission

“Locking Arms mission is to equip men to love Jesus, to love their neighbor and to make disciples.”

Watch this 3 minute video that captures our mission in action: https://vimeo.com/848088393/31f6a5f74d

Key Terms in our Mission:

Equip Men:  Through the purposeful study of the Word of God, arm men to know and obey the word, to share the gospel and defend their faith. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Love Jesus:  We love him because He first loved us, Jesus must become the Lord of our lives who we love by worshipping, honoring and obeying Him. (1 John 4:10)

Love our Neighbor:  Place our neighbors’ needs above our own and love them intentionally, sacrificially and unconditionally. (Matthew 22:39)

Make Disciples:  Build Christ-centered relationships with men so that they are equipped to place their faith in the gospel, repent from their sins, follow Jesus in Spirit led obedience and reproduce.  (Mark 1:14-18)

Our new mission embodies Christ’s Greatest Commandment and Christ’s Great Commission.

Bold print is our emphasis

Scripture:

One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.

“Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”   

Matthew 22:37-39 ESV

Just before Jesus was taken up in glory to be exalted by his Father he said to his disciples:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  

Matthew 28:18-20  ESV

Core Values:

1. We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, without error, and authoritative in all spiritual matters (2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 17:17). It is the primary means whereby Christ transforms us in his image (Romans 8:29, 12:2).

2. We commit to loving one another as Christ’s disciples and to bringing together the Body of Christ in its diversity across boundaries of race, creed, or denomination (John 13:34-35, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 4:1-6).

3. We commit to proclaiming, teaching, and giving testimony to the power of the gospel of Christ to transform lives (Romans 1:16).

4. We commit to being an accountable, transparent ministry; above reproach (Titus 1:7-8).

5. We commit to building authentic men who are willing to let their guard down, admit their failures, and confess their deep need for the Lord and their brothers. (Roman 12:9-10)

6. We believe in the Nicene Creed (see below) as a statement of faith outlining the essentials of Christian teaching. Beyond these essentials lie many non-essentials that should never divide us as God’s people. The Cross of Christ is our unifying symbol (1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 15:1-7).

7. We hold no political affiliation and we strongly discourage political discussion at our special events, weekly huddles, or from our leaders in any public forum representing Locking Arms Men.

8. We are a para-church ministry organization that has no church affiliation. We firmly believe in the importance of the local church to our men. We gather men from many different church backgrounds and also men who have no church background.

9. We affirm the sanctity of all human life from conception to the grave (Psalm 139:13-16). The scriptures declare that all human life is precious to God who created us in his image and breathed into man the breath of life (Genesis 1:27, 2:7)

Nicene Creed (2011 Version)I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Locking Arms Photo on the Homepage

From Left to Right:

  • Keith Davis-Keith is a Geneva College graduate where he was a starting cornerback on the football team. He is currently an assistant coach on the Woodland Hills High School football team.
  • Leo Wisniewski-Leo is a former Indianapolis Colts noseguard and Penn State Nittany Lion graduate in 1983. He was a co-captain on the 1981 team. Leo is the Director for Locking Arms Men.
  • George Lilja-George is a former Rams ,Jets, Browns and Cowboys guard over an 8 year career. He was a Michigan Wolverine where he made All-American and won the Rose Bowl his senior year. He graduated in 1981. He is currently the Executive Director of Marketing at Warren General Hospital in Warren, PA.
  • Lydell Sargeant– Lydell is a former defensive back from Penn State where he graduated in 2009 and played two seasons for the Buffalo Bills. He currently is the Director of Football Operations for Eastern Athletic Services in NFL player recruitment and retention. He is on our Locking Arms Men advisory board.
  • Tunch Ilkin– Tunch is a 13 year Steelers veteran and graduate of Indiana State University. He is currently the color analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network and the Men’s Ministry Director at South Hills Bible Chapel. He is on our Locking Arms Men advisory board.
  • Stefen Wisniewski– Stef is a four year NFL veteran formerly with the Oakland Raiders. He played center and guard at PSU where he was named first Team All-American by the Coaches. He graduated in 2011. While at Penn State he was named first team Academic All-American three times. He is on our Locking Arms Men advisory board.
  • Ron Coder– Ron is a former Steeler, Seattle Seahawk and USFL Philadelphia Stars offensive tackle. He played at PSU and graduated there in 1976. Ron is currently working as an Account Executive with Colonial Life in the Pittsburgh area.
  • Tom Kendrick– Tom is a brother in the Lord who is very active in our Locking Arms ministry. Tom attended Cal State University and played QB there in 1986. He currently is the owner of Pro-Kil Professional Exterminators in Pittsburgh.
  • Jon Kolb– Jon is a former offensive tackle from Oklahoma State University where he was an All-American and graduated in 1969. He played 13 seasons for the Steelers and helped them to win 4 Super Bowl titles. He is currently a physical therapist working with patients who have serious disabilities including ALS. He is also a professor at a nearby community college, a high school football coach and strength, speed, and conditioning coach to many area athletes.
  • Zach Kendrick– Zach is the son of Tom Kendrick. He graduated from WVU in 2013 and he is currently working for a marketing company in Orlando.
  • John Cullen– John is a graduate of CMU where he played rugby and graduated in 1990. John owns an architectural firm in Pittsburgh. He has been an active leader in our ministry over the past 5 years. He is on our Locking Arms Men board.
  • Jeff Hartings– Jeff is a former center/guard in the NFL, having played 10 seasons for both the Lions and the Steelers. He was the center on the 2005 Steelers Championship team and twice selected to the Pro Bowl. He is currently very involved in the Urban Impact Foundation and coaching high school football.
  • Craig Wolfley– Craig played 11 NFL seasons for the Steelers (9) and the Vikings at guard. He attended Syracuse University where he was a four year letter winner and named in 1999 to the Syracuse Football All-Century team. He currently is a sideline reporter for the Steelers Radio Network and co-hosts a daily radio show during the season with sidekick Tunch Ilkin.
  • Mike Pinchotti– Mike is a graduate of Westminster College where he played fullback and graduated in 1986. He is currently the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Geneva College under Geno DeMarco.