Before Jason Hester became a Christian he spent every Sunday in the woods or fishing.
“And now when I drive to church on Sunday or Wednesday and I see cars pulled over on the side of the road where people are fishing or hunting, I can’t help thinking, ‘That used to be me,’” he said.
Living for Christ
A life with Christ, he said, is “something that if they just knew what they were missing, they would want it. You can still be in the outdoors but live for Christ and do that too.”
Most of them just have never known Christ, Hester said — and they’re probably not going to ever walk through the doors of a church if no one goes to them first.
‘Way of life’
That’s why he started H.U.N.T. Outdoors Ministry, which stands for Harvest Unlimited Now and Tomorrow.
“Hunting and fishing are a way of life here in the South, and we needed a way that we could reach those people who are not in the church or saved,” said Hester, a member of Mountain View Baptist Church, Phil Campbell.
One way H.U.N.T. is doing that is through hosting events that are of value to the community, like a game check seminar held in late August at Mountain View Baptist to explain the new government laws on tagging and reporting game.
“We’re hoping to get people accustomed to the church so that when they’re ready and God speaks to them, they will feel comfortable coming back,” Hester said.
And at a Beast Feast set for Sept. 17 at 5 p.m., the ministry will give away $5,000 worth of door prizes, he said. “We’re hoping they will come for the door prizes and then while they’re here, they will hear the gospel.”
Various denominations
Men from about 15 area churches of various denominations are part of H.U.N.T.
They all agree on one thing — it’s needed in their demographic area, said David Evett, a member of Mountain View Baptist.
“All over most of the Southeast there are people who it may take something outdoor related to get them to go to church or hear the gospel,” he said. “And in rural Alabama, that is definitely true.”
Hester agreed.
Bigger than sports
“In areas like ours it’s something that impacts everybody even more than sports,” Hester said. “It’s a lot of people that we have the opportunity to reach.”
H.U.N.T. is just getting off the ground, but the men have a lot of ideas for where it might go in the future.
“We want to do a lot of things with kids, like next year we’re doing a couple of hunts for the handicapped,” he said, noting that they would have trailers with wheelchair access in order to make that possible.
But a year into the ministry, Hester said he’s excited about what’s happened so far.
“We just want to use it to make a difference,” he said.
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