Courtesy photo             Outdoor enthusiast Steve Shuster of the CLC Outdoorsman Ministry Group will be the featured speaker at the organization’s annual dinner on March 11 at The Christian Life Center in New London Township.

 

By Richard L. Gaw, Staff Writer

Since its formation 13 years ago, The CLC Outdoorsmen Ministry Group has lived by its principle as an open-door gathering of men and women in the local community who are dedicated to spreading the gospel of the outdoors, whether in the form of big-game hunting, fishing or simply the indescribable feeling of being enveloped by nature.

While the organization’s annual dinner on March 11 will certainly attract those with a passion for all three, Outdoorsmen Ministry Group leader Steve Shuster said the Group’s doors will swing wide open again, to those who may not be hunters or fishermen, but are receptive to listening to a story well told, that will be contained in Shuster’s keynote address, “Success to Significance.”

In his own words – and in the message that he will share at the event -- the first 25 years of Shuster’s professional career as a brand and marketing manager at W.L. Gore “were focused on my success – a selfish pride that believes that it was all about winning.”

Suddenly and without warning, the careful building blocks that gave Shuster a false sense of accomplishment began to crumble in the face of real events. His father was diagnosed with cancer and Shuster was in jeopardy of losing his job.

“After all of that perceived vision of success, I found myself in a very dark place,” he said. “I began to ask myself, ‘Why is this happening?’ Through prayer and God’s grace, I began to seek answers.”

Shuster’s friends and mentors then referred him to two books: A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and Half Time by Bob Buford.

“The premise of these books was, ‘Your life is now. You need to look at your purpose for your life, and how can you make an impact from the skills that you were blessed with, to help change the world,’” Shuster said. “The books profoundly altered how I chose – and still choose -- to live my life by re-shifting my priorities. I learned that success has nothing to do with our own significance. It’s about how we impact others by the things that we do and how we do them.

“It’s not about how many cars we have or how many houses we own, because at the end of the day, none of that matters. It becomes an awakening, the realization about how we become servants of significance.”

The event will kick off at 4 p.m. with raffles, displays, vendor tables and items available in silent auction, followed by evening activities that will include the announcement of silent auction winners, dinner and Shuster’s presentation.

“We’re coming out of very difficult times that left a lot of us isolated, and on the back end of that, I worry that we will no longer feel the same need to gather as friends, neighbors and a community,” Shuster said. “I worry that we don’t get together. It’s become more frequent for us to work from home, and it’s become easy to just stay home and watch Netflix.

“This event will be an opportunity for everyone to come together, smile together and share the art of fellowship, as a way of making our lives more significant.”

The CLC Outdoorsman Ministry Group’s annual dinner will be held on March 11, beginning at 4 p.m. at The Christian Life Center, located at 125 Saginaw Road in New London Township. The entrance fee is $10 for everyone over the age of 12. To register for the event, visit www.eventbrite.com and access “2023 Sportsman’s Event,” or call Steve Shuster at 443-553-1010 or Dan Hodges at 610-255-3744.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.