NCS Manhattan started at the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008. With well over 1,000 guys on our mailing list, we have had the opportunity to serve men from all walks of life. Our focus is to help men to grow in their faith, and to grow in friendship with each other.
New York is a high energy city. The business of careers and family obligations results in many men leading an isolated life with limited and superficial friendships. The pressures and temptations for men are great, and that is particularly true in New York. We want to make it easy for guys to form deep friendships, and to equip men to be the men that God has designed us to be.
We meet every Thursday morning from Labor Day through Father’s Day, and meet for dinners on the second Tuesday of each month. In our weekly meetings we have a speaker–our best speakers are guys who share their faith journey, and the teachable events in their lives. We ask guys to be transparent and vulnerable, to demonstrate to all of the men that they are not alone in living a life that is not perfect. In New York there are a lot of people who look happy, successful, and fulfilled and in reality, things aren’t always as they appear. We strive to create an atmosphere where guys can make friends, discuss challenges, and encourage each other to be better men.
We encourage regular attendees to join an Energy Group, which is a group of four to six guys who meet together throughout the year. Every other week we meet after the speaker talks for 30 minutes, and we encourage the guys to get together for a meal once a month in a more relaxed setting. We have found that strong friendship takes the investment of time, but the return on that investment is terrific. As one of our speakers said, “if guys spent more time in friendship with each other and could discuss their temptations, they would need to spend less time asking for the forgiveness of their sins.”
We believe in creating an environment where all men are welcome, no matter what they do for a living, or what mistakes they have made in their lives. We get many visitors from out of town, who come to New York for business or pleasure. We believe that grace is critical to our community. In addition, we want to encourage men to be better husbands, sons, fathers, friends, co-workers and servants, and we help men to set goals to achieve this objective.
All of our speakers are followers of Jesus, but attendees need not have any specific faith view. We regularly refer to scripture, and we encourage men to learn more about Jesus’ life and teachings. Men are attracted to transformational stories, and we have been blessed with many wonderful speakers who have inspired and encouraged us.
We invite you to come check us out. You will find a community of men who are committed to each other, who laugh together (we don’t take ourselves too seriously) and walk with each other through life’s challenges.
About the New Canaan Society
Over 25,000 men are part of the National NCS movement across 60 chapters. Each chapter meets weekly or bi-weekly has its own flavor and is directed locally.
Every year men gather together in larger groups at either the National retreat weekend or at several regional retreats across the country. More information on regional or National events can be found on our website at www.newcanaansociety.org
Leadership:
President: Tom Cole 
Vice President: Chip Roper 
Treasurer: Darryl Smith 