Soul Savers hold annual Sportsman's Banquet

The Soul Savers Association Hunting and Fishing group have consistently attracted large crowds to their annual Sportsman's Banquet with another 100-person plus showing Saturday in Plains. The banquet serves as the group's main fundraiser with a silent auction, live auction, games and prizes, music, a guest preacher from Missoula, and a meal of wild game.

The third annual Sportsman's Banquet drew in roughly 112 people said Soul Savers Hunting and Fishing president Dave McGonagle. McGonagle said the funds collected at the banquet go to the group's events such as their turkey shoot on Plains Day and for the next year's banquet. He said they also hope to use some of the money for a fishing tournament.

McGonagle said the annual banquet is more than just a fundraiser for the hunting and fishing group. He said the point of the Soul Savers Association is to show people they can serve God in their hobbies and leisure activities, and that's one thing they try to accomplish at the Sportsman's Banquet.

“We always make sure we have a salvation message,” McGonagle said. “Our goal is to show people they can have fun and serve God at the same time.”

Russ Smith, a pastor from Church Rediscovered in Missoula who uses comedy in his preaching, gave that short salvation message to the members of the banquet. Meggie McDonald played guitar and sang, something she's done for each year's banquet. Auctioneer Jeff Jedlicka from Thompson Falls donated is time by running the live auction while Frank Saalfeld of Plains helped to display the auction items.

Most of the prizes and auction items were donated by people in the community, some who are members of Soul Savers and some who are not. Among the larger prizes were two rifles, two Walls jackets and a spotting scope with a built-in video camera. Among the larger auction items were paintings by local artist Raymond Morgan, a decorative moose table and a third rifle.

Cody Carr took home one of the prize rifles after he won the key that opened its case. The second rifle was raffled and won by Wendy Nunnally from Missoula. After she walked up and retrieved her prize her husband, Nate, stood and delivered a speech to the banquet audience.

He told the people of how Wendy had given up her hunting privileges for years so that she could stay home with the couple's children. He said she has been able to go hunting again the last few years but has had to borrow a rifle from other members of the family. He said winning the rifle - a Remington Model 700, 30-06 - was fitting for his wife.

“I just thought it was pretty cool the way the Lord provided,” Nate Nunnally said. “She's sacrificed so much for her family.”

The Nunnallys are friends of Smith and they traveled with him to the banquet from Missoula.

Sean Peterson brought the Soul Savers Association to life in Plains after it had been something he felt called to do. Peterson has been the associate pastor at Plains Assembly of God and he said he first began working on the idea of the Soul Savers while living in Hawaii.

“It's something God put on my heart a while back,” Peterson said.

He started a group for his love - motorcycles. Quickly they expanded to hot rods and Peterson said, being in Montana, it was natural for them to adopt hunting and fishing.

“We want to let people know that serving God is fun,” Peterson said. “We don't have to be bored to death and have God in our life. We can have a good time.”

Peterson said the Soul Savers Association is active in several states and he hopes to expand it to all 50. Peterson said he is starting a new Christian fellowship starting April 13, at 10 a.m. at the First Security Bank. He said the Soul Savers is not a group associated with any one particular church but should be viewed as a community-wide organization.

Although the Sportsman's Banquet is an event specifically put on by the hunting and fishing group, Peterson said it calls on resources from the entire association.

“Everybody in Soul Savers helps,” Peterson said. “We work together as a team.”

Peterson's wife Jessica helped as one of the people in charge of the meal for the banquet. He said she is a vital asset to the banquet because she is “an excellent cook.” Jessica Peterson said they have tried to serve different dishes made from wild game at each year's banquet. The main dishes this year were elk chili, venison stuffed cabbage, elk stir-fry, venison teriyaki meatballs, and roasted chicken.

One of the highlights at the banquet Saturday was the “mystery meat” contest, where people could pay to try a taste of meat and then guess what it was they were eating. The most popular guess was snake but the contestants were surprised to find out it wasn't snake they ate, but Rocky Mountain Oysters. Renee Sinclair and Kirk Bauer were the winners from the women's and men's division. Sinclair won a half-hour massage from Daphne Boles and Bauer won a Walls jacket.