Wild Game Dinners

          For the past few years, Kevin has enjoyed the opportunity to speak at various church sponsored wild game dinners across the country. Such events are wonderful opportunities to share the Gospel and a common passion for outdoor adventures with Christians and non-Christians alike. Kevin feels strongly that God provided him with opportunities to travel the world hunting and fishing, and experiencing those adventures has generated unique speaking topics for all kinds of events.

The purpose of Wild Game Dinners is twofold:

1. Lead individuals to Christ by explaining how and why folks need to accept Jesus as their personal Savior.

2. Break down barriers surrounding the Christian faith. Provide a format that lets folks see for themselves that Christians are not some bizarre culture, but normal folks who in many cases love the outdoors. Fellowshipping and sharing tales about a common passion for hunting and fishing adventures is a great way to accomplish this. Outdoor nights serve as a great outreach for churches and can recruit new prospective members  for your church.

Advertising:

          Advertising your event will be paramount. Kevin has a "media friendly" press kit with photos and biography for newspapers, fliers, radio, etc... in order to help with advertising purposes. Newspapers are usually the most effective and economical way to advertise your event, but radio and even TV can be used. Take full advantage of any free publicity you can generate for your event. Many media outlets will give free advertisement for non-profit groups or at least offer reduced rates.

          The most effective way to boost attendance remains personal invitations. Usually church members invite family, friends, or acquaintances from their work place to the event. Make sure and offer to meet them in the church parking lot, a neutral location, or even pick them up at their house. Non-Christians often use even the most fickle excuse not to attend a church event if possible. Again, make a special commitment to personal invitations and put forth the extra effort to assist folks who you wish to attend the event.

Planning:

          Conducting an outdoor night is a big undertaking. One of the most effective ways to pull off an event is to form an "outdoor Night" committee, so the work load can be divided up among members of the committee. Planning should begin six months in advance or three months at the very least. Usually the committee is composed of a small group of sportsmen and the church's pastor or other church leaders.

          Most churches sell tickets (a nominal fee) to the event. This generates moderate revenue for the event, but also helps in planning for the amount of food needed for the dinner and gives a generalized headcount for event seating purposes.

          Many outdoor night events are now attracting women. Wives, girlfriends, relatives, and children seem to enjoy these events along with their "die-hard" hunters. The planning committee should decide early in the planning stage to tailor a theme for a "die-hard" hunter audience or more of a family oriented theme. Either can be effective.

Set up:

          Usually the event begins with a time of informal fellowship where everyone can share outdoor stories and get to know one another. It is important to offer this time of fellowship in a non-intimidating arena. An outdoor themed display is ideal and such items may include: a wall display of mounted deer heads, fish or other taxidermy, outdoor videos playing on a TV screen, book signings, or a deer antler and jawbone aging station. Anything that would prove interesting to hunters and fishermen and might stimulate discussion and interaction while putting folks at ease in preparation would be perfect for the event.

          Equipment for the PowerPoint presentation must be provided including a large projection screen, laptop computer with CD capability, a PowerPoint projector (Kevin has these available if necessary), and long extension cords with a power strip. A quality sound system and a wireless lapel microphone will be a major advantage for the presentation. A small table for Kevin's books arranged near the display area or by the front door will be necessary. Placement of the book table gives Kevin a chance to meet and greet attendees and provides them with a chance to purchase books if they so desire.

Dinner:

          The informal fellowship is usually followed by a meal of some type. Sometimes the meal features wild game dishes prepared by church members, while other times the meal is catered. Barbequed chicken or steak dinners are popular choices as outdoorsmen seem to be "meat and potatoes" kind of guys.

          A catered meal takes the pressure off the planners and allows for more interaction and participation among the members and guests.

Speaking:

          The audience convenes into an auditorium, sanctuary, or large room for the speaking portion of the event. Kevin's seminars are designed to be entertaining/humorous (laughter is good for the soul, and yes, Christians love a good laugh as much as anyone), educational (become a better game caller or learn new fishing tips used by the pros), or stimulating (discover the latest hunting and fishing techniques or learn about cutting edge management strategies.

         At the end of the program Kevin brings the Gospel into the talk and shares how important God is to his life, and how the only way to Heaven is by accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. Briefly, Kevin discusses why salvation is important and then tells the audience how to be saved. This portion is a "no pressure" orchestration that makes the audience understand that each individual is responsible for their salvation decision, and no one else can earn salvation for them.

          Kevin leads folks through the sinner's prayer which instructs non-believers how to be saved and offers scriptures of reassurance for those making that choice. The format is designed to make the process as simple as possible for folks wishing to accept Christ.

          Finally, the church pastor is recognized and the audience's attention is directed toward an information table highlighting the church, so that attendees can obtain more information at their leisure. Even folks who don't make a salvation decision that night might wish for more information later, so you want to make sure they have convenient contact information for a return visit or to ask additional questions.

Door Prizes:

          Most events offer door prizes for the attendees. Some buy prizes, some seek donations, and most do a combination of buying and soliciting donations Many businesses are willing to offer prizes for such an event. The event should offer one "grand" prize (gun, treestand, guided hunt) to stimulate attendance.