COFA: Christian Outdoor Fellowship of America

[Mike Brooks]

Mike can be found in the mountains pursuing bighorn Sheep, elk or mountain goats with his camera year-round.

"I love to escape to the mountains", he told me. "I find peace and solace in the hills while getting away from the busy city life. I certainly can reflect on God's wonderful creation by sitting and overlooking a mountain meadow or sitting by a gurgling brook".

"Its not always been this way", he reflected. "Living back in Wisconsin was tough at times. I used to look forward to deer season each year, I lived for deer season, but life was much more then getting into the woods during November. I had an emptiness that I couldn't shake. That's when I realized that hunting could be an incredible ministry if used in the right way. When I first started hunting in Colorado, I knew that inviting others was my ministry to outdoor people. The talk around the campfire was incredible, and guys opened up with things they would have never shared with their wives or friends. Different perspectives were shared and discussed, lives changed. You could see that men wanted to be molded into the image of the Lord. That was exciting to see and hear."

Mike's love for outdoor ministry is his life; he sees the need for reaching out to the lost, hurt and hopeless generation through the great outdoors. "I have sat around many a campfire and listened to some incredible stories about how messed up people's lives are and I have to say that I can relate. I have been there. I have been in the trenches with them emotional and spiritually." Brooks says that "personal pain can either help you get back on track or scare you away". One of my jobs in COFA is to be an encourager to those that are broken-hearted and need a friend. I receive many calls from people around the country looking for a friendly ear to listen."

Can hunting be a good ministry tool? With the success of COFA's Elkhorn camps, I would say absolutely. We have had many receive and trust in the Lord over the years and are faithfully serving the Lord today.

Mike is involved with (RMOA) Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures Television; he is the creator of the show and helps with the camera work. I love creating and getting out into the field, this keeps me in touch with other outdoor enthusiasts.

Mike is one of the four co-founders of COFA; these four men saw the need to have an organized group of Christian outdoor enthusiasts united in a common cause, there are so many outdoor groups and we need to be united in presenting the gospel to all who get into the fields and waters across this land. I feel that the last great frontier of evangelism is in the outdoors, with over 100 million participants in the woods and waters during the course of a year, how can you not miss bumping into these folks and share the gospel, now if the evangelistic churches across America get involved and start ministries that reach out to the outdoor enthusiast, then we are doing something to reach the lost, its now up to you!

Mike is available to speak to church groups, and men's ministries. He also presents elk hunting seminars, for additional information you can contact him at mbrooks33@aol.com or 303.456.0555.
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not into your own understanding, Proverbs 3:5