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What began as a few men with similar interests in outdoor activities has grown over the past four years into a large men’s outreach ministry at Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls called “PLC Outdoorsmen”.
The first planned events were trap shooting and pheasant hunting in the fall of 2004. Then the question arose: “What if we did fishing?” then, “What if we did kayaking?” Eventually archery, camping and target shooting filled events on the calendar. Pretty soon what was an initial vision of three to four events a year turned into more than 30 events in 2007. Now the men’s group has scaled back to a fairly regular annual calendar of the most popular events to which friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives may be invited to participate.
Whether someone is a regular attendee at PLC who is looking for an organized outing with other guys or is a newcomer to the church looking to become more connected, the ministry provides an outlet and an outreach for men to get together outside the church setting on the common ground of outdoor interests. Anyone from any walk of life, experience, or faith (or no faith); whether an expert, a novice or a beginner at any of the sports, all are welcomed and included. Eeveryone learns from each other.
Recently, one newer member said to one of the leaders, “Thanks for the fantastic adrenalin rush on Friday. I honestly enjoyed it. To be truthful, I didn’t know what I would think about hunting. I did feel challenged to put into practice the concepts taught and I enjoyed that part of it. It was fun to realize the payoff of learning with the opportunities to make a shot. You are a good mentor.”
Each outing draws different numbers and populations, depending upon the event and individual choice of activity. A core leadership group meets monthly to carefully plan the details of each outing so that participants of all experience levels have a good time.
“Our goal with each event is to be organized well enough that the guys simply have to show up, participate and enjoy themselves,” says Mike Messerer, head of the ministry team.
The PLC Outdoorsmen serves four segments of outdoor enthusiasts: Archery, Camping/Kayaking/Canoeing, Fishing, and Hunting/Shooting.
While most of the events are men-only, some activities are tailored for father-son events or entire family events. Typically, scheduling of events is set to prepare participants for an upcoming season, to take advantage of the current season or occasionally, to run in unison with another ministry within the church, such as the annual Bait Your Hook event held each June. The Outdoorsmen combine forces with the church’s Youth Summer Craze program to take advantage of the Free Fishing Weekend offered by the state of Iowa, so more people will come. The group has built up an inventory of rods and reels, tackle and bait for those who do not have their own equipment.
Group leaders will even bait the hook!
“It’s great for single moms or parents who want their children to be able to experience fishing who may not otherwise have an outlet to do so. It makes it easy to bring their kids and have some help and some fun,” said Messerer.
Event leaders are outdoorsmen who not only have years of experience in their field, but also the desire to share their experience with participants. For example, at fishing events, they instruct where to find, and how to catch, the species the group is seeking. Fishing events range from evening outings on local lakes, to an overnight tripto Guttenburg, Iowa fishing the trout streams of northeast Iowa, to a three-day weekend fishing the “extremely productive lakes of central Wisconsin”.
Kayaking clinics teach basic skills and preparation for the kayaking/canoeing trips, which include paddling around local streams and lakes, and navigating the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. Camping excursions usually coincide with paddling trips and range from campground surroundings and cooking over an open fire, to light-weight backpacking and cooking dried food over a mini-cook stove.
Archery activities include casual target shooting, competitive 3-D target shooting, and bow hunting, with experience levels ranging from novice to advanced archer. Outdoor events are held at the Blackhawk Park range in Cedar Falls and indoor events are held at a local archery store in Waterloo.
The Outdoorsmen have become known for their great pheasant hunts. They hold an educational youth hunt in October, a traditional wild bird hunt in November and a preserve hunt at Century Hunting Farms in the spring. At each event, the Outdoorsmen make all arrangements for the land, dogs and handlers and top the hunt off with a hearty meal.
PLC Outdoorsmen has evolved into a year-round effort with planning, scheduling and hosting events. Each spring, the ministry hosts a kick-off event for the year, where highlights of the past year are noted and the current year’s upcoming activities are unveiled. The kick-off has been a fish fry banquet the last two years. Last year’s keynote speaker was well-known professional walleye fisherman Daryl Christensen. The kick-off event is open to the public and more than half of the men in attendance typically are not from Prairie Lakes Church.
Most of the larger events include a meal and time to meet new friends or simply swap fishing or hunting tales. It is not uncommon for men who initially meet at an Outdoorsmen event to plan fishing, hunting or paddling outings on their own time outside of the ministry’s planned events. Messerer says the true enjoyment of the ministry is not just the participation in the event but the building of friendships that occurs.
Dale Jansen of Cedar Falls said of 2008’s pheasant hunt, “We didn’t get very many birds, but the camaraderie and just hanging out and joking around was great.”
Included with fun, food and fellowship is faith. “Events start with a prayer and at many events, someone connected to the ministry may share how God’s been working in their life, usually related to the outdoor setting,” Messerer noted.
They try to keep faith messages low key, but sometimes a story has a powerful effect on people. Some find the connections so rewarding they start becoming more actively involved. One such person is Greg Starbeck, who now is in charge of cooking for the events.
“Greg had just started coming to the church when he joined in our fun. He doesn’t hunt anymore and does a little fishing, but Greg loves to cook for us and has a big heart,” Messerer said.
After becoming active in the ministry, Starbeck asked to be baptized outdoors in the Cedar River, which was a more fitting place for him than an indoor hotel pool that the church usually uses for baptism.
It is the Outdoorsmen ministry’s hope that visitors will feel comfortable enough to come back to another event or show interest in becoming more connected at Prairie Lakes Church. The church has additional weekend warrior ministries and events to get people physically active, such as volleyball, golf, tennis, running and walking. It even has a ministry for those who like to work on cars called the “Gearheads”, in which refurbished cars are then given to needy individuals.
For more Outdoorsmen information, readers can contact Mike Messerer at 266-4311, call Prairie Lakes Church at 319-266-2655 or see their website at www.prairielakeschurch.com.
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