Over Labor Day weekend, the Town of Matthews hosts Matthews Alive! A large, multi-day festival with food, rides, live music, and more. Local businesses invest their profits to get a booth on the main street, in hopes of raising their profile in the community and getting more customers.

So how did a group of retired men wind up with a busy booth giving out free advice in the middle of it all? It started with Lucy—you know, from the Peanuts cartoons—and her psychiatric help booth for 5¢. A group of friends who have met regularly for breakfast for 20 or so years were inspired and approached the Town with their idea: Free Advice from Old Farts. They’d have a booth, they’d man it with guys from their group and other experienced men, they’d have a donation platform available for Matthews Help Center, and they’d see what conversations arose.

Bill Shropshire, who attends at New City SouthPark is one of those men, and he recruited Timmy Wiggins and Andy Collins to join him for a couple of shifts. The result surprised everyone: people came. They brought questions from lawn care to finances, faith to relationships. They lined up, grabbed a card, wrote a question down, were funneled to the man with the right experience for their topic, and sat down to talk.

Timmy Wiggins found that he fielded many relational questions: teens, young adults, nearly married, recently married, and more. "The most meaningful was a young couple about to be married. They asked, ‘What does it take to have a successful marriage?’ They listened intently as I shared my 42 years of marriage experience (abbreviated) to the most wonderful person and best friend I’ve ever met, Katy.  The conversation included so many marriage concepts:  sacrifice, passion, selflessness, listening/hearing, forgiveness, etc. They seem to absorb the story with great appreciation and ask many questions which I gladly answered.”

He went on, “I learned that my faith journey allows me to speak calmly and comfortably in most relational conversations. It had to be the Holy Spirit helping me in choosing the words to speak to so many so frequently.”

Andy Collins resonated with a recent sermon point from Care Pastor Chip Cash, that purpose is born out of preparation and realized through perspective and perspiration. “I was the right person for several questions on money (I'm a retired banker), and hopefully prevented a woman from withdrawing money from a tax-deferred account to pay off her home...it would have been a devastating move for her.”

One encounter left Bill Shropshire with a story he’ll tell for years to come:

Late in the morning, I noticed a woman standing near our booth, staring at the question card as if it were a complicated puzzle. When I approached her, she looked up and said, “I probably have the most psychotic question you’ll ever hear. I’m 45, and I’m getting married today at 2:00 p.m.— and I’m completely freaking out.” It was 11:45 a.m.

She began spilling her worries in a rush: “I’ve been on my own for so long…everything is going to change…I don’t know what I’m doing…” Her panic was so palpable that I suggested we sit down—partly for her sake, partly for mine.

I didn’t yet know what she needed, so I started by gently asking about her fiancé. She described him as kind, calm, steady. As she talked, I watched closely for any signs of fear or harm, and once I felt confident that wasn’t the issue, I shifted toward what I could offer: the blessings marriage has given me.

I told her about having a personal cheerleader through every season of life, about supporting each other through the deaths of our parents, about navigating job and relationship challenges side by side, about the ongoing practice of forgiveness, and about the gift of being loved—repeatedly, intentionally— as both of us changed over the years.

As I spoke, I felt the Holy Spirit guiding my words. I had started with no idea what to say to a woman getting married in just a few hours, but the right thoughts came exactly when they were needed. I watched her breathing slow, her shoulders drop, her eyes soften. When she finally exhaled, I asked, “So… are you going to go get married?”

She nodded. “Yes. I need to go home, shower, put on a nice dress…” She stood up with a sense of direction she didn’t have before.

Before she left, I felt prompted to tell her one more thing: that when the honeymoon glow fades and real life begins—when things feel complicated or she feels suffocated—she should seek out a counselor to help her navigate the transition. She agreed immediately, thanked me, and then sprinted off, suddenly a woman with somewhere important to be.

It was one of those moments where I knew I had simply been the vessel. The Spirit did the work.

Twelve men volunteered at the booth over four days. Many of these men arrived nervous, wondering if they’d have anything to say or be able to answer any questions. But they discovered quickly that decades of life experience, years of Bible studies and sermons, seminars, and trainings had quietly prepared them. “We felt fulfilled, purposeful, and strangely energized,” Bill said. “It was as if all the miles we’ve walked finally had a place to land.”

Timmy thanked Bill for the invitation and felt honored to part of the team. “It’s truly amazing how God uses others and invites us in. The world needs our presence, engagement, and witnessing.”

Bill said afterward, “My biggest takeaway is that there is a vast world of people quietly carrying burdens—and they are longing for a safe place to set them down. What amazed me was that, for many, that safe place turned out to be a stranger at a festival booth.”

Andy Collins echoed a similar theme, “There are a lot of hurting people who need to talk...and all we have to do is make ourselves available to listen. Social media doesn't do the job...people also need people...in person...for a real-life connection.”

A social media post from a woman who stopped by the booth has 2.9 million views on Instagram. Comments on the post range from questions about whether the team is available for family reunions to commendations of the men and the recognition that so many people in our world have no one to talk to. Overall the takeaway is, “I don’t hate it.”

Helping people find and follow Jesus is sometimes just a step of faithfulness to be a presence in our neighborhoods.