Men of Courage Pack the Pavilion

West Texas Men of Courage filled the Wells Fargo Pavilion in San Angelo Saturday for their inaugural Sportsman Expo. A line of men, fathers and sons, and curiosity seekers formed outside the gate starting at around 3 p.m. in 100-degree heat. By the time for the main event, approximately 700 were in attendance, according to those manning the ticket table.

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Above: The crowd lines up starting at 3 p.m. to gain entrance into the Men of Courage expo Saturday. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Inside, it was an exhibition of outdoors and hunting. Over 50 guns and hunting-related prizes were given away through a raffle. The main event was a steak dinner served by Cooking for Christ at 6:30 p.m. followed by a presentation by Andy Peterson.

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Above: Andy Peterson (handing cards out) talks with exhibitors Charles and Keith Grogan. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Peterson, whose life’s purpose today is his ministry, Lion King Ministries, was attacked by a mountain lion while hiking solo on a mountain called Carpenter’s Peak in Roxborough State Park near Englewood, Colorado in April 1998. After a 30-minute hand-to-paw battle with the cat, Peterson said that God intervened and saved him from certain death. “I was given a sudden glimpse of Heaven. The peaceful forgiving face of the Lord was in plain view where once the lion had been. The canopy thinned and the empty trail lightened,” he reported on his website. When the miracle happened, Peterson said he was near the end of his strength and ability to fight as the lion approached for the final kill.

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Above: Speaker Andy Peterson talks about getting attacked by a mountain lion in Colorado. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Peterson was evacuated by helicopter and spent the next several weeks in a hospital recovering. He received 70 staples to mend his head wounds.

Peterson told his story to a captivated audience and explained how the tragedy convinced him to start walking with the Lord and become a better man.

“It was my second chance,” he said.

How West Texas Men of Courage Formed

The expo was the first attempt by the West Texas Men of Courage to reach out to other men in San Angelo community with a message of hope through the belief in Jesus Christ.

San Angelo, like many communities in America, is riddled with drugs, sex, and crime. Families are deteriorating, or just not there, for the kids. And what organizers felt, this was something that could be combatted by forging for San Angelo better male role models. But they had to get the word out to other men that there are men just like organizers who want to help make a difference in improving the community.

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Above: Mitchell Toyota was among the 110 commercial business supporters of the event. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

The West Texas Men of Courage is a fellowship of men who meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Glen Meadows Baptist Church lake house.

“We’re from all different churches from around town. It’s a group of guys who get together for men’s fellowship, Bible study,” said member Todd Dornhecker. The programs vary, but the purpose is to provide a foundation for members to improve their lives and hold one another accountable for leading Godly lives for their families and the community, he said. “It’s how to be a better man, how to be a better father, and how to be a better husband,” Dornhecker said.

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Above: Grogan's Farm & Ranch on Sherwood Way accross from Sam's has aggressively added outdoor outfitter lines, like kayaks, since Keith Grogan's son Charles has joined the family business. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

The group has approximately 30 active members, Dornhecker said. “We have people come and go, depending on what they’re doing,” he said.

Paul Zitzelberger is one of the founding members, and explained how the group formed. “One day a friend of mine, Cody Munden called me and said, ‘Paul, I need to you pray for me.’ I knew he was in a bad spot. That’s because we’ve talked about God, we’ve talked about that, but we never shared,” Zitzelberger said. “Sharing” in this context is when a Christian asks another person if they believe in salvation through Jesus. Sometimes it’s referred to as ‘sharing the Gospel’.  Zitzelberger and Munden had not spoken that deeply before.

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Above: Safari Studios won First Place with this pair of wolves at the annual Texas Taxidermy Assoc. convention in Tyler this year. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

“Cody knew where I was in my faith, so when he called, he was reaching out,” Zitzelberger continued. “He had been hit with a sledgehammer by God, and brought to his knees. He needed help.”

“I said, Cody, it’s so funny that you called me today, because I need you to pray for me,” Zitzelberger said.

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Above: Joe Junek and his son Luke test the feel of a compound bow. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

As both men provided mutual aid to one another to get through their individual problems, both felt that there were other San Angelo men who would benefit from similar fellowship without the judgment or awkwardness of being strangers.

“We both felt it was a calling to form this group. Iron sharpens iron,” Zitzelberger said. “We built this relationship through our faith, and we knew other men needed that, too.”

“We wanted to do something more than just sit on the sidelines and watch our wives drive our kids to church. We need to be driving because our families in San Angelo are falling apart. We need to do our part as men,” Zitzelberger said.

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Above: Cooking for Christ was busy in 100-degree weather cooking steaks Saturday afternoon. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

The two men found a mentor in Glen Meadows Pastor Rev. Mack Roller and together they built the group that has now turned into a men’s ministry.

Zitzelberger said that the group takes on projects for other non-profits to help people in need. For example, Zitzelberger is proud of the work the group has done with Texas Ramps, an organization that builds access ramps for disabled people living in their homes. The group also helps with Mosaic, the horse riding therapy charity, as well as Helping Hands.

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Above: Men gather at the food line. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Saturday’s Expo was a shared vision of the group to reach out to San Angelo for men.

“We knew that this community needs it, because we as a community fall short when we see things happening that are bad, and we don’t do anything about it. We want to, but we don’t just do it,” Zitzelberger said.

“We needed to get out there and reach men of San Angelo who are just like us. They’re hungry for something like this. We’re encouraging men of the community to come together and get with other guys and build this community up”