Man Stuff

Fishing Tales Make Good Reading

We're glad to see the group stories that were submitted for May, but we can't include the full scoop on all of them here. For the bigger picture on these fishing adventures, check them out by clicking here. You can also read about them in the July-August issue of The Lutheran Layman, which will be out in early July.

For those who are still contemplating our outreach focus this year, we're hoping guys invite their unchurched or seldom-churched buddies, friends, friends of friends, and family members to join them when they go fishing. The magic number here for a "group" is more than one. From these fishing invites and time spent together, it's our hope the shared experience and camaraderie will yield some positive results in terms of interaction and, perhaps, even a few church invitations.

Here's how it works: It's still $15 to sign up, and this gets you a Men's NetWork cap and a first-aid kit. The rules are basically the same as last year with the exception that this year prizes will be awarded bi-weekly. For example, the tourney kicked off Monday, April 6, and the first two-week period ended April 19. We awarded prizes based on the largest fish taken during this two-week period. This then will be the pattern for the entire tournament. As in previous years, anglers catching the largest fish in individual categories still win a $10 Bass Pro Shops gift card, along with a 2015 tournament T-shirt for their first win.

In respect to the fishing categories, we'll still post pictures of the current leaders but -- and this is the new twist -- we'll also post pictures of any and all groups (two or more guys fishing) that send us a picture. Along with these pics, we're looking for descriptions, brief narratives, stories really, that involve guys inviting church outsiders (i.e. unchurched or de-churched guys) along to go fishing. Ideally, from these submissions we'll see some outreach taking place. Here the more info in the description, the better the chances of winning. Oh, by the way, only one person in a fishing group needs to be registered in the tournament to submit the group entry; individual fishermen, however, will still need to be registered for their fish to be considered in any of the categories. So, go fishing with your buddies, sure, but invite a friend or two along too -- guys with whom you can build a positive connection in a godly direction. Remember, it's the strength of the story that counts.

Each month, members of the MNW team will review these group entries and, upon their discretion, award prizes for 1st ($250), 2nd ($100), and 3rd ($50) to the top group pictures/stories for that month. Winning groups for the months of April through August will also receive MNW baseball caps for the guys in their group. This year's tourney concludes September 6, 2015.

At the end of the tournament, a Grand Prize for the best overall GROUP submission will be awarded. This prize, a $500 MasterCard or Visa gift card, can be used however the group sees fit to reward its outreach accomplishment. This will be the single Grand Prize for the tournament. There will be no individual Grand Prize.

Again, the objective driving this tournament is to build rapport and cultivate relationships. Naturally, we want men to fish with other guys, establishing friendships in the context of having fun that can develop into spiritual ties. Fishing is a terrific forum to get guys together, sharing viewpoints, and learning from each other's life experiences. This year groups will earn prizes based on what they did together and the details of their stories. In other words, the fish caught are secondary to the relationships being forged.

Contest rules and regulations can be found on the MNW website by clicking here.