We've received some "group" entries in the Men's NetWork North American Fishing Tournament!
Since launching the tourney in 2008, the Men's NetWork has wanted guys to extend a fishing invitation to their unchurched buddies or family members and then, hopefully, extend one more to have them join them at church. Well, to encourage this group effort (two or more anglers) we've tied monthly prizes to those submitting a "fishing adventure" of an outreach nature, and it's netted us some keepers.
Probably the best way to explain this is to let the anglers speak for themselves.
In May we had a couple of group entries—each with an interesting story to tell—and a couple more who took a stab at it. One was a submission from Joel Brutcher. As you may recall, he was one of three guest anglers who fished with former LHM Executive Director Bruce Wurdeman and Pastor Jim Rhiver in the Men's NetWork Bible study Reel to Real-of Fish and Men.
Here's Brutcher's story:
"Today, my fishing buddy Craig Worland and I went to fish at Glenn Flint, a small reservoir in central Indiana. Craig and I have been friends and fishing together for quite a few years now. For the past several years I've been forwarding him LHM's Daily Devotions, and he says he reads most of them.
"Today before we began fishing, as we were sitting in the boat, I told Craig I'd like to start the day with prayer, and he agreed. We prayed for safety, the safety of others, that Jesus would be present with us in the boat and, of course, that we would catch some fish.
"As always, the Lord answered our prayers, but we are going to have to be more specific on the size of the fish we pray for next time (ha ha!). Craig agreed with me on that one. I am continuing to pray for Craig that the Holy Spirit would work in him and eventually he would come to church with me."
Another entry came from Pastor Ed Blonski of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Hawthorn Woods, Ill. In this story, fishing took place at Bresen Lake, a private reservoir developed by the Bresen Family in the 1950s, where two members of the family live. "Neither of the men in that family participates in our men's ministry, so I found a way to get them involved—take the men's ministry to their lake!" writes Blonski.
And so he did. With eight other guys, Blonski and company fished, fellowshipped, and spent some quality time with the Bresens, where conversation ranged from talking about creation to God's divine providence toward His creatures.
So there you have it: two story examples about outreach in the context of fishing. As has been stated, monthly prizes— 1st ($250), 2nd ($100), and 3rd ($50)—are tied to outreach stories, not fish caught. The year-end Grand Prize ($500) goes to the best overall group submission for the entire tournament. So ask a friend or family member who's on the periphery when it comes to faith, Jesus and the whole church thing to go fishing with you.
Remember too that to submit a story, you need to be registered in the tourney—but the guy you're inviting doesn't. All you need to know about the tournament is available at www.lhm.org/men, where you can check out the rules, monthly fishing leaders, and other group entries.