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Church NewsMinistry Highlights

Wild Game Dinner Reaches People with Gospel

By March 17, 2016March 23rd, 2016No Comments

Rochester2_inineROCHESTER, Mich.—The past few years have seen steady growth in attendance at First Baptist Church’s Wild Game Dinner. The annual event serves as a unique outreach and fellowship opportunity for the congregation.

Over 390 people, including 40 kids ages 10 and younger, attended Feb. 20. A majority of attendees were at First Baptist for the first time.

Kids enjoyed their own Nocturnal Animal program with the Cranbrook Institute of Science’s bat conservatory, as well as kid-friendly food and fun crafts. The rest of the guests heard Wade Nolan of Wild Alaska Missions tell exciting stories about his experiences in Alaska and Africa. He uses his life-or-death narratives, though, to point people to Christ.

“When speaking, I meld my God given gift as a professional storyteller with the basic lessons and principals of Christianity,” Nolan says. “People recall and relate to compelling illustrations. It is one thing to lecture second-hand about something I’ve heard, but far more meaningful to relate what I’ve experienced.”

In his presentation, Nolan related how he came to know the Lord and shared God’s plan of salvation, ending with the thought, “You can’t stay on the fence about God. You have to choose a side.”

“Many that night indicated they prayed to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior!” reports Pastor Mark Cizauskas. “Praise God for what He did and continues to do through this ministry!”

The highlight of the event was the meal. Guests dined on appetizers of venison chili, candied boar bacon, and alligator beignets, then main courses of pheasant and dumplings, venison meatloaf, water buffalo with mushrooms, barbequed pulled pork, and deep-fried walleye.

Cizauskas thanks the hardworking team of 40 volunteers who pulled the event together—from getting prize donations and decorating the church gym, to peeling and chopping onions and cleaning fish.