Sports history will be made this Friday, August 13, at Nashville’s Greer Stadium when 4,000 copies of the Heart of the Outdoors Bible are given away before the Nashville Sounds baseball game with the Memphis Redbirds. Spiritual Outdoor Adventures, a Nashville-based television ministry hosted by Jimmy Sites, is sponsoring the giveaway that is believed to be the first of its kind in sports.
Heart of the Outdoors, with its rugged camouflage cover, is designed especially for hunting and fishing enthusiasts. This NIV Bible features adventure stories and photos focusing on noted sportsmen who share how to read God’s Word, how to pray and how Scripture has increased their love for the outdoors.
“We saw this as a wonderful opportunity to spread the Gospel in an untraditional environment and make people aware of our unique television ministry,” said Sites. “We are excited about the impact these Bibles will have on the lives of people this week and for many years to come.”
The Bible giveaway is part of the Sounds’ nationally acclaimed Faith Night series that features a pre-game Christian concert, testimony by a Sounds player, a post-game fireworks show and a giveaway. This will be the sixth of seven Faith Nights the Sounds have planned for 2004. The Sounds have already garnered national attention by giving away bobble head dolls of Biblical figures Moses and Samson. A Noah bobble head giveaway is planned for August 27.
“We’ve been strongly encouraging the church leaders we work with to make this Friday’s Faith Night an outreach event,” said Brent High, manager of church & youth programs for the Sounds. High also serves as a deacon over local outreach & evangelism at the Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville. “There are people who might be too intimidated for whatever reason to attend services at a church building, but be more than willing to accept an invitation to attend a baseball game where the same opportunity to learn about Jesus exists. We applaud Spiritual Outdoor Adventures and Jimmy Sites for stepping out in faith to make the Bible giveaway a reality.”
Sites first tried the concept for the national award-winning weekly television series Spiritual Outdoor Adventures while he was the Senior Minister of a 5,200-member church in Nashville. Since that time his pulpit has become the great outdoors. During each episode, the viewer is taken on an exciting adventure such as bow hunting for big game across the world, rifle hunting for whitetail or moose, wing shooting for ducks, geese, quail, and pheasant, or fly-fishing for trophy trout or salt-water cobia.
In a non-threatening way, SOA takes elements of the outdoor adventure and compares them to the life of Jesus. A few minutes in each episode are dedicated to delivering a message from the Bible. Whether it’s how to be a better parent, how to live with integrity in the world, or the importance of being part of a church in one’s community, SOA is dedicated to spreading positive words about how to live better both here on earth and in eternity.
Free Bibles are offered to viewers that do not own a Bible, and a toll-free number is available for them to call (1-888-SOA-WORD). Sites also writes a free Study Guide for each SOA episode. Viewers can download the study guide from the web site (www.SpiritualOutdoorAdventures.org) and print off as many copies as they want. Many families watch the SOA program and then access the study guide for that episode by going to the web site. Several churches across the country are also using the study guides and videos for men’s classes and outreach classes.
On many occasions celebrity guests join Sites in the woods or on the stream. Guests that have already appeared on the program include Rascal Flatts lead singer Gary LeVox, Diamond Rio lead singer Marty Roe, Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, Christian singer Michael W. Smith, outdoor legends Knight and Hale, all-pro Oakland Raider center Don Mosebar, country singer Craig Morgan, and literally dozens of other singers, professional athletes, outdoor celebrities, and actors.
More information about Spiritual Outdoor Adventures, including their air schedule to 40 million households across the country, can be found on the internet at www.SpiritualOutdoorAdventures.org. The Nashville Sounds’ official web address is www.nashvillesounds.com.
