Many churches use special events to reach out into the unchurched community. "Wild Game Dinners" have been effectively used by scores of churches around the state to reach out to men who have an affinity for hunting.

Few churches have had better success with their version of dinners for macho men than Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta.

Morningside had its first "Wild Game Dinner" nine years ago with 100 men in attendance. This year the church had to schedule this annual event for three nights in order to accommodate those who purchased advanced tickets; and 900 men were in attendance each evening with the total attendance swelling to more than 2,700.

Wayne Robertson, Morningside's pastor, has invited some notable speakers for the annual event held each February, but many come to see the incredible display of mounted animals. In fact, the church fellowship building looks like a museum of natural history.

This year more than 500 mounted animals were on display in the cavernous church facility that hosted the event. The pastor estimates the worth of the mounts to be in excess of $250,000, but admits that some are absolutely priceless.

In addition to world class exhibitions of wild turkeys, bears, deer, alligators, rattlesnakes, moose, elk, antelope and fish, as well as mounts of big game from other continents, last year a local Valdosta nursery loaned the church more than $12,000 worth of shrubs and greenery.

 

One church hostess, one huge order, much help needed

The menu includes such delicacies as frog legs, crawfish tails,

quail, pheasant, squirrel, rabbit, rattlesnake, bear, deer, elk and 100 gallons of jambalaya. Who is responsible for seeing that all these exotic morsels satisfy the taste buds of the banqueters? Well, it is none other than the pastor's wife, Beth Robertson. She is the church hostess and taskmaster of the Morningside kitchen.

The mammoth project requires 30 cooks, 60 servers, 30 runners (those who get the food from the kitchen to the buffet line) and 20 decorators. The fairer Robertson has the process so fine-tuned that each night all the 900 men can be served in approximately 35 minutes.

Among those who have spoken at the "Wild Game Dinner" are: Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; Alvin Dark, former major league player and manager; Evangelist Sam Cathy and New York Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson.

The "Wild Game Dinner" was held on Feb. 22-24 this year and the speaker was evangelist David Miller. Miller, who suffers from severe muscular atrophy, is also a wild game hunter and has developed a system whereby he can activate the trigger of his mounted 270 Browning rifle by way of a cable. An electrical wench raises his deer stand twelve

feet. He quietly turns the stand with a twelve-volt motor. In his words, "It is the Rolls-Royce of deer stands and is the envy of white tail hunters everywhere." His stories of success as a hunter are nothing short of miraculous, but his presentation of the gospel is always compelling and captivating.

Each year men pray to receive Christ and register their decision by filling out a commitment card placed on the tables for each guest. The year that Patterson spoke there were 115 men and boys who indicated

that they prayed to receive Christ at the dinner. Through the years hundreds have given their lives to Christ as a result of this purposeful and strategic ministry.