Alphonso Simmons

I grew up in Glenn Dale, Maryland, with a foundation that kept me connected to church and to the Lord from an early age. I was baptized at nine, but my first real personal encounter with God came around seventeen at a youth retreat, where I received the gift of speaking in tongues. That experience, along with how I was raised, kept me tethered to the Lord during the decade that followed—even through seasons when I was rebellious toward the Holy Spirit and inconsistent in my walk. I also grew up without the consistent presence of my biological father, which helped shape a burden that has been on my heart since I was about nineteen years old: seeing boys become better men and men become stronger leaders for their families.

After getting married in 2014, my relationship with God and my commitment to serving became more intentional. Over the years, God has consistently placed me in positions centered on children, men, families, mentorship, leadership, and service. Some of that experience includes:

• Peace Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. — Served for several years in the Children's Ministry and later as a church trustee.

• Suits for Soldiers — Volunteer Managing Director for Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia from 2013–2016, helping veterans through mentoring, career coaching, résumé assistance, housing resources, professional clothing, and their transition from military to civilian life.

• Bowie Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors — Board member supporting an organization serving more than 3,500 youth annually, with responsibilities and involvement in fundraising and technology.

• Bowie Baseball & Softball — 10 years of leadership and service, helping oversee programs serving hundreds of players and families each year through coaching, coach development, parent leadership, administration, fundraising, program development, and organizational operations.

A major turning point in my life came through Marked Men for Christ in January 2025. God used that experience to light a fire in me and bring greater clarity to what He had been developing throughout my life. It challenged me to move beyond simply being connected to church and toward fully surrendering my gifts, leadership, experiences, and influence to Him. I began to see how the boy who grew up without his father consistently present, the teenager who encountered God, the young man with a heart for boys and men, the husband, father, mentor, coach, and organizational leader were all parts of the same story. God had been preparing me to serve men long before I fully understood the assignment.

Today, I believe part of that calling is to use social media, discipleship, mentoring, coaching, and ministry to improve the way men lead—especially as followers of Jesus, husbands, and fathers. I care deeply about men, marriages, children, and families—so much that my wife has often asked me, “Why do you care so much about this?” Today I can laugh and say, “Blame the Lord.” What I once thought was simply a passion, I now recognize as a burden God placed on my heart and an assignment to use the gifts He gave me to help strengthen His men.

That calling is what connects me so strongly to Priority One Men's Ministry. My mission is simple: help men lead God's way—at home and beyond. I want to walk alongside men as they grow closer to Jesus, become more intentional husbands and fathers, develop as leaders, discover their God-given mission, and use their gifts to serve their families, churches, and communities. I believe when God transforms a man, the impact rarely stops with him—it can strengthen a marriage, shape children, influence a church, change a community, and affect generations to come.