Hunters, anglers among targets of new ministries
OUTREACHOrganizers hope to lure men, women with passion for outdoors
CARLA HINTON, Religion Editor
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5
Published: August 29, 2009
Brad Clay of Sulphur loves God and loves to hunt.
Clay and his friends combined those two great passions to create a Christian outdoors ministry called Final Descent Outdoors.Multimedia
Bringing the outdoors in
Several churches have had or are planning outreach activities geared for hunters and outdoor lovers.
Crossings Community Church held its first Sportsman’s Beast Feast this month. Coordinator Mike Fackler said he hopes it will become an annual event.
First Baptist Church of Piedmont is set to host its fourth annual Wild Game Feast on Sept. 19.
Other churches that have held similar activities include Portland Avenue Baptist Church, Freedom Church in Owasso and First Baptist Church of Durant.
Fackler, pastor of middle school ministries at Crossings, said about 440 people showed up for the church’s Beast Feast on Aug. 18. He said the event was aimed at sharing Christ’s love and getting outdoors enthusiasts involved with the local church.
Prizes were given away including an African safari. Jeff Danker with the "Buckventures Outdoors” TV show was guest speaker.
Fackler said the event was timely because dove hunting season begins Tuesday, and deer hunting season begins Oct. 1.
"We wanted to create an opportunity for people who love hunting and the outdoors to have an opportunity to meet the Creator of the outdoors,” Fackler said.
Randy McCown, minister of education and administration at First Baptist of Piedmont, said Clay and two other men who helped create Final Descent Outdoors will kick off the church’s Wild Game Feast with free clinics offering basic information about waterfowl, deer and turkey hunting.
He said the free meal is a potluck of sorts because most attendees will be bringing their wild game dishes to participate in a cook-off. Dishes in the past have included elk, dove, venison, turkey and catfish. About 300 to 400 people are expected to attend.
"We do it as an outreach to people in the community, to try to let them know there’s more to church than just Sunday morning,” McCown said.
Meanwhile, Fackler wrote a book incorporating his love of hunting and faith. "God Moments From a Deer Stand” is a 30-day devotional for deer hunters. Fackler said he is not sure whether Crossings will create a ministry geared for sportsmen and sportswomen, but the Beast Feast was an important "grass roots” step toward reaching that population.
Ministry target
Clay said outreach is what these ministries are all about.
He said that was the reason he and friends Landon Wood and Clayton Edgar joined forces for their Final Descent Outdoors ministry.
The men are working on a DVD series that combines hunting and faith elements. They hope the series may lead to a companion devotional.
Clay said First Baptist Church of Sulphur has been diligent about offering outreach activities for specific populations. Those activities have included fishing trips, rodeo events and an llinois River float trip.
Whether the activities lead people to begin attending church or join the church is not a concern as long as the people are given an opportunity to establish a relationship with the Lord and those who serve Him, Clay said.
"It’s not our job to play the Holy Spirit. It’s our job to get them in the place to let the Holy Spirit do the work,” Clay said.
Clay said his ministry has not received any criticism from animal lovers or people opposed to hunting thus far. He said he thinks that could be attributed to the hunting tradition in Oklahoma.
"We have two big traditions here: hunting and religion,” he said.
"Combining those two hasn’t really shocked anyone in Oklahoma.”
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I even went to something they call the Men's Fraternity once. Seemed like everybody was most worried about Bob Stoops. This deacon and head Mason walked up to me with his stoic look and shook my hand. He turned my wrist to see if I had a Mason ring. Since I didn't he then asks, where are you from? I told him and he actually stooped to an insult about it being a rough area. So I wondered what was about this Men's Fraternity that was supposed to be so great since he was worried about my diggs and asked nothing about my salvation. So, I left early and a friend told me to try another one. So, I went to another one and it happens that Anthony Jordan and Scott Phillips was present. Some high mucketymuchs from somewhere in OKC. So they pull up in some $60,000 SUV and get out and proceed to cut to the front of the line even though they are not even the speakers. So they go to the head table where Robert Lewis is sitting. Well, nice to just invite yourself to the head table. Then this music guy gets up and does about 1.5 hours of praise music that shoots over most of the gray headed men. Then Mr. Lewis gets up and preaches about how to conduct a real Men's Fraternity. He suggests you don't just drape a few cammo table clothes and hang a few deer head.
He does a better job and a few men ask me about my own salvation and are not worried about my home neighborhood or if I am a support of Bob Stoops.
To my way of thinking, (and take note my logic isn't based on the okie mantra) that if a person wants to hear the "word" spoken, they wouldn't really need additional incentives to come and listen to the "word" would they??