Channel the Flannel 2025
November 15 was a gorgeous fall day! It was a perfect Saturday for 55 men, ages 16 to 87, to engage in a friendly axe-throwing competition, eat delicious chili, and spend quality time getting to know each other better.
It’s usually pretty chilly in November, which is why we eat chili at this annual gathering. It’s also why we call it “Channel the Flannel” and encourage those who attend to wear “manly” flannel shirts. But with a high of 78 that day, those who came dressed as requested were regretting the dress code!
This year we worked hard at inviting men from the community to join us. We handed out 200 flyers at our Trunk or Treat three weeks earlier, invited our friends and co-workers, and were blessed to have 10 men from outside our congregation join us. We pray that from the seeds we planted, God will provide growth.
After Luke Campbell was crowned the 2025 Champion Axe Thrower, Paul Herrington shared an important devotional message and challenged the men to meet someone they didn’t know and spend time talking about things of eternal consequence. Then, to end our time together, we made a special presentation to the two high school seniors who were there that night. Clark Harrold and Ben Vogel were given axes inscribed with “Proverbs 27:17” to remind them that “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We encouraged them and all young men to remember the importance of having brothers in our lives to help us work our way through the difficulties of life and point us to the truth. Following that presentation, one of our shepherds, Andy Duncan, prayed over them.
Many thanks to Luke for rebuilding the axe-throwing targets, to Daniel Denton for organizing the food, to Justin Harrold for running the competition, to Eric Andreae for designing the flyer, and to all who brought chili and fixings. A good time was definitely had by all!
