2023 AdventureFest Recap

Speakers:  Friday night:  Micheal Ragozzino, Saturday Morning:  Duane Goodling, Saturday Night:  Tim Bennett

Theme:  Enter through the Narrow Gate

Chili winners:  Mike House, Bill Gramlich 

Written by Pat McCloskey (06/12/2023) posted on chroniclesofmccloskey.com

“John- look who is coming your way to welcome you to Adventurefest 2023!” We chuckled at the inquisitive reptile who seemed to be quite interested in John Casuccio’s blue rubber boots. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I missed Adventurefest last year but was determined to attend this year. We had a great group of guys setting up our tents and settling in for the weekend at the annual Christian men’s outdoor festivities at Agape Farm in Shirleysburg, Pa. 167 guys settled in for a weekend of camping, mini-bike riding, fishing, drone flying, Harley riding, and mountain bike riding at the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake. Greg Nass is a pastor who organizes the weekend with a really responsive crew and his diligence makes the schedule and the weekend flow as smoothly as possible. We had great weather this year as well.

So what is Adventurefest actually and who are the Adventuremen? Tough to put your finger on because it is such a diverse group. But most of the guys are normal Joes who call themselves Christians, and generally have families, are happily married, and seem to like to congregate at Agape Farm every year for many reasons. Some are trying to get their lives back together after a background of alcohol abuse, drug abuse and some crime. Sure, it is great fun to camp and get away with a group of guys who have like- minded interests. All the activities are great and there is always something fun going on. But where the rubber meets the road is when the Assembly of God preachers take the stage after some great music by the Morgan Dolan Band. The theme of the weekend was the passage” enter through the narrow gate.” Most people take the wider road or path, but to take the narrow gate takes conviction and is not easy to do in life. Matthew 7-verses 13-14. Look it up for context.

Friday night……..

After camp set ups, the men all assembled for opening remarks by Greg Nass and Pastor Michael Ragozzino took the stage. Now most people would think that a pastor would be a quiet, pious type with a poignant message spoken in a demure way. Not Michael. He freely shared his background growing up on the North Side of Pittsburgh. 32 rehabs, prison time, heroin addiction at 16, armed robbery for a $500.00 a day habit which put him into several years of incarceration. Finally at the suggestion of his mother, he turned his life around and learned about the Christian faith. He became a pastor and now has a wonderful wife and family and serves in a church in Somerset, Pa. His passionate message to us was that it is never too late. Everyone has a mission no matter what their background is. We left the long building marveling at his faith, his passion and his willingness to be open about a very tough background.

Lights out at midnight.

Saturday…….

John suggested to me that we had another visitor to our camp early in the dark morning. He heard a large movement right outside his tent and a deep measured breath of a large animal which John in his silence thought was definitely a bear. For some reason the turtle, and now a bear, seemed to be sending John a message or was inquisitive about this guy from Moon Township. We laughed about it over our breakfast with our group of ruffians camped near the little lake on the property.

After breakfast and before the group headed to Raystown ( more on this ride next week), we listened to a message from Pastor Duane Goodling who gave an informative talk about the validity of the Bible. He gave us all a sheet with some interesting talking points. Things like- read the Bible. Know what is in the Bible to know what not is in the Bible. There are normative and prescriptive passages in the Bible which can explain some fundamental misunderstandings. Things that were written for the people of the time and things that were written that are timeless. We all were glued to that sheet and were really locked into the message from Pastor Duane which seemed to answer many questions and led to the conclusion that the inspired word of God is the truth. It is not subject to interpretation other than to understand the difference between the normative and prescriptive context.

After a great mountain bike ride at Raystown, we all headed to a delicious meal at Little New York in Huntington, Pa. ( Don’t miss that one if you get there.) Great Greek and Latin specialties. We then returned to the camp and ate a little more before we headed back up to the long building to hear what turned out to be an inspiring message by the Evangelist Tim Bennett. Look him up on Facebook or Google him. http://www.bennettministries.com He and his wife have an amazing evangelistic ministry based out of Mt. Morris, Pa. With great exuberance expected by an Assembly of God pastor and evangelist, Tim flew all over the room with relentless energy as he told us all to “raise the standard” in our lives. There are so many things going on today that are in total defiance to fundamental principles and the message to all of us as Christian men, husbands, fathers, and heads of households was to raise the standards and make a difference in the lives of all that we encounter. Don’t be judgmental. Be welcoming but speak the truth in love. Tim talked about financial troubles and said that if ” you go about your Father’s business, your Dad will always cover the bill.” “Your talent is a gift from God. What you do with it is your gift back to Him.” He was like a machine gun with all of these sayings and really lit up the room even though most of the men were tired from all the day’s activities. But Tim lit a fire under all of us and if you have never heard a Pentecostal message from an evangelist, put it on your list of ” to do”. You will not regret it and you will never forget it. Tim didn’t want us to leave from the weekend without considering what we would do to honor the Lord in everything we do from this day forward. He ignited the room and challenged the Adventuremen. People need hope these days and the timeless message of Christianity fits that bill. Providing hope and comfort in a world full of division, angst, and troubles. Tim challenged the group to put it out there and provide that message of hope. Don’t be afraid. You are giving people good news.

A lot of people think that Christians are above it all, judgmental and condescending. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is we all acknowledge our sinfulness, limitations, and shortfalls and although we all may not have stories like Pastor Mike and his Northside days, we all have stories where we need redemption. We are all just normal Joes trying to get along in this life as husbands and fathers. All of you who know me, are aware that I am just a normal guy. I have a good sense of humor, I care about people, and I am interested in bettering my life and also hoping to make a difference in this world among my family and my treasured friends. Adventurefest and the Adventuremen do that for me. If you are interested in the organization, please go to www. Adventuremen.org I am honored to be on their board of directors. Come to Adventurefest next year and maybe try one of our Dirt Church mountain bike rides. We get all kinds. Believers, non-believers, good riders, not so good riders, but we have a good time with great food afterwards with a good message from Greg and The Shark. Come on out! Thanks for reading.

AdventureFest 2021 Recap

Speakers:  Jonathan Wyns (Friday), Marc Sauers "Sharky" (Sat), Tom Sember (Sat), Jimmie Rivera (Sun

Worship:  The Morgan Dolan Band

Chili:  Will return 2022

Written by Pat McCloskey (06/14/2021) posted on chroniclesofmccloskey.com

So, I am laying in my tent Friday night listening to the Biblical rains falling on my rain fly and hoping that it will stay dry for me as I get through the night of really foul weather at Adventurefest 2021. For those of you who might be wondering what in the world is Adventurefest, it is a really spectacular weekend of men getting together at Agape Farm and Retreat Center in Shirleysburg, Pa. It is an annual thing that my friend Mark (aka Shark) Sauers and I attend in the mountains of central Pa where there is axe throwing, bon fires, drones, bike tosses, motorcycling, mini-bike riding and for us mountain biking at Raystown. Typical frivolity for a group of 150 or so of us who get together to camp and listen to really great messages from pastors affiliated with the Assembly of God Church.

So, before you hit the click button, give me a chance here to explain the good news presented by the pastors starting with Jonathan Wyns on Friday night as the welcoming speaker. Accompanied to the ” Long Building” by the musical excellence of the Morgan Dolan band, we were treated to a message that initiated the theme for the weekend called ” Boots on the Ground.” A military term basically adapted to the message of getting into your boots and moving forward to present the good news of the Gospel to your friends and family and having the courage to stand up and be the men that we were created to be- as husbands, fathers, and friends. The typical misconception of Christian messaging today is that it is condescending, or ” above it all.” When really the opposite is true when you hear testimonies of guys who sold drugs, used drugs, recovering alcoholics, and general sinners expressing their need for the saving message that Jesus died for our sins and welcomes us into His fold if we only believe. That is it. A positive message if I ever heard one and one that I feel needs to be shared. Shark always says why wouldn’t we share good news? Like telling our friends and family about a good restaurant or a good bike or a good pair of skis. Stuff that we do all the time. Why not share the good news of the Gospel? I did not grow up in the Pentecostal tradition so over the years it took me a little time to understand and be comfortable with the vigor of the messages presented and received by the men. But let me tell you, if you have ever heard an Assembly of God preacher, you will not forget it. Whether you are a believer, have faith, or have no faith, listening to one of these guys stirs something deep in your soul that at the very least will make you think. Jonathan started that and as we made our way back to our soggy tents, I definitely thought about what the heck is going on in our world and what I need to do to at least try to make it a little better.

Saturday morning welcomed us with brilliant sunshine and after I cranked up the Jet Boil and prepared the Shark breakfast, he spoke to a group of 20 or so early risers about the need to move forward like the disciples did in the book of Acts. For those of you who know the Shark, he is a fun loving guy but never sell him short on his faith. The man can present. I was so impressed with my friend’s message about the rag tag group of fishermen who changed the world. The mountain biking at Raystown Lake never disappoints and we connected with our Adventurefest friend Roger Evans from West Virginia. Roger always rides with us and is a quality guy who we really like. Strong rider too. It was just the three of us this year riding but we connected with a young lady from Sunbury , Pa who turned out to be a terrific rider and gave us all we could handle with her riding skills and fitness. Sarah from Sunbury.

Saturday evening the band struck up again and the speaker was a retired fireman from Buffalo who is now a pastor with AOG. Tom Sember gave all of some sobering statistics like percentages of men who are absent in the lives of their children. Percentages of guys in prison who had no father growing up or an absent father. Inner city statistics of kids with no fathers or father figures. Really heart wrenching and Tom, in the AOG preacher tradition, put it out there strongly to us to be the men we are supposed to be regardless of the culture we live in today. Boots on the ground and take that step forward. He kind of resonated with me because I tend to not be a pushy person and am a little shy about sharing the gospel unless people give me an opening. But he said he didn’t care if people thought he was a “Jesus freak”. ” Who cares ?” he said, and we should not care either if we share good news especially in this tumultuous world that we live in. Sleeping in my dry tent again, and looking up at the stars, I thought a lot about what Tom said and rested comfortably after a good ride, good dinner, and really great fellowship and preaching.

One of the great traditions of Adventurefest is the late night hike up the mountain to a wooden cross. It is there that guys present their life stories and how the Gospel has changed them. Growing up like I did, I had it pretty good. But listing to these guys from inner city Philadelphia give their testimonies about where they have been and where they are now and hammering a nail into that cross symbolizing that they are giving it all to the Lord to fix, I am always stunned. Greg Nass, the director of Adventuremen and Adventurefest works tirelessly with his amazing staff, for a year to put on this event and no matter how tired he is, he is always there at that cross and hammering a nail in for our children. That they grow up and know the Lord. Greg is an amazing individual.

Pastor Jimmie Rivera from the City Limits Assembly of God in Allentown,Pa. presented the closing message on Sunday. After Shark and I packed up right before another torrential thunderstorm, we made our way to the Long Building and sat in the front row to listen to a truly amazing preacher. Like I said before, AOG preachers are not shy and Jimmie talked about the courage of Joshua in the Old Testament in very graphic terms that had men wriggling in their seats. But the message was consistent with Boots on the Ground in that Joshua had great faith and put one foot in front of the other, and crossed the Jordan River to victory over the enemy. The perspiration was coming down Pastor Jim’s face as he put it out there about the importance of commitment and not to go back to the norm on Monday morning. Make a difference and be the man, father, husband, friend, you are supposed to be.

So if you haven’t clicked me off yet and are asking yourself, ” McCloskey- what on earth are you doing out in the middle of nowhere sleeping in a tent with a bunch of rowdies every year?” The answer is simple – good news to be shared. Mountain bikes, grills going strong, bacon, drones, basketball, mini-bikes, motorcycles, bon fires, fishing, camping- all make Adventurefest fun. But the messaging all make sleeping in the tent and roughing it a little out of the norm so worthwhile. Come to Adventurefest next year. Ask me, Shark or Greg Nass about it and we will give you details. Thanks for not clicking and reading.

” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3-16

ADVENTUREFEST 2019 RECAP

Speakers:  Jeff Nock (Friday), Brett Rush (Saturday), Shawn Lehman

Worship:  Da Toots

Chili:  (1st) Allen Weyant, (2nd) Tom Burkey, (3rd) Roland Brubaker, (Golden Plunger) Bill Gramlich, Bill Reynolds 

We had another successful year with hundreds of men from different churches filling the fields and woods of Agape Farm.  Over  20 + guys were water baptized, and about 7 men who stood up to recommit their lives to Christ our Lord and Savior.  We had the largest bonfire in our history with flames shooting about 50 ft into the night sky.  A gaggle of dudes headed up to the cross to hammer in a nail until after midnight on Saturday.  Over 50 guys did the nearby 1000 step challenge, and a group  went on early morning Rucks, and countless bikers headed out on a ride around the lake.  We had our largest recovery meeting ever.  We had folks go on other epic adventures that we're not even aware of.  We had guys come from several different states the farthest being North Carolina.  Just getting men to head hours away for the weekend away from their families and responsibilities is a feat and an adventure in itself - sometimes the road trip is big part in building relationships that last.  You see during other men's retreats the guys fellowship, but at AdventureFest we build relationships which I bet will last a lifetime. We're not a comfortable stadium chair in a climate controlled building, we're more like a camp chair next to a fire-pit with smoldering holes burned through it.  These are just a couple of the ways in which we're very different from the others.  We hope you'll consider bringing out your guys and joining us in 2020, and don't forget your camp chair!  We'll keep the fire burnin'.

AdventureFest 2018 Recap

Speakers:  Joey Cullen (Friday), Bobby Basham (Sat), Del Smith (Sun)

Worship:  The Toots

Chili:  (1st) Allen Weyant

Written by Pat McCloskey (06/12/2018)

Agape Farm in central Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful and tranquil pieces of property that one will ever have the privilege of seeing.  Reclining in your tent and looking out at the rolling hills that surround the property and gazing up at the stars at night really makes you enter the spirit of what is Adventurefest, an annual gathering of Christian men worshipping the Lord in a rural setting.  Greg Nass and his staff have done it right picking this pristine spot for a weekend of outdoor activities, inspiring worship services and changed lives of men from all walks of life. 

Friday Night: We set up our camp on the hillside and cranked up the JetBoil for some tasty freeze dried meals ( really- not bad!) and relaxed as we sat around our fire in our camp chairs hoping that the weather would hold out for the weekend.  Casually walking up to the long building, we were treated to a great message and inspiring music. Greg welcomed the group and Pastor Joey Cullen, recounted to us all about being a super hero by walking through our troubles trusting the Lord who has our back.  We don’t walk around troubles, we face them head on. Finishing the night around a huge bonfire, the assembled men from all over the tri state area relaxed and one by one retreated to their camp sites for the night. 

Saturday morning- up early rising to the alarm of a distant rooster and what sounded like a million birds, we prepared some coffee and oatmeal and met our group to mountain bike on the famous Allegrippis Trails which surround Raystown Lake.  I am always amazed at the ministry of Mark “ the Shark” Sauers as he stopped at a very scenic overlook and preached a message to our group of mountain bikers. Slowly, other groups passed by. Some stopping, some not, but like last year, the ones that stopped, were enveloped by Shark’s moving words about the care of our sons and the need to be evangelists representing the body of Christ in all that we do.  You never quite know how this will be accepted by groups riding by, but by the reaction of two seemingly good riders who paused for a rest, it was not what I expected. Shark boldly preached and as one guy cracked a beer out of his pack and observed, the other bowed his head in prayer as Shark closed. Not what I would have expected by the appearance of these two experienced riders. But that just goes to show you that if you put it out there, the Holy Spirit moves in ways that we can’t comprehend.  Another proof to me that we never know when the seed of faith can be planted and God does the rest. 

The most moving moments after the ride came at the lake when Pastor Greg and his staff baptized new and recent believers with a true water baptism.  As I sat and watched, I heard stories from guys whose lives have changed due to committing their lives to Christ in a most demonstrative way. I heard stories about time in prison, selling drugs, gang violence, guys who said they should be dead had it not been for the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Truthfully, I don’t come in contact with believers like this. The worst thing that ever happened to me was a flat tire. But I thought to myself, I am no better than these guys. We all fall short of the glory of the Lord and their stories of redemption inspired me. It continued on the hike to the cross at the top of the mountain.  As we all assembled again to the light of torches and the vision of that wooden cross full of the nails representing the years of believers giving it all to Jesus through an outward sign of pounding a nail in that cross. Stories came again of drugs, jail time, murder, and others, relating to infertility and the longing for a child. People with varying degrees of struggle and having the courage to stand there, facing their demons, and giving all of the pain, and all of the sin and pounding a nail in that cross brought tears to my eyes once again.  Adventurefest does that to you.  You become friends with guys whose lives have changed and hear stories and hug each other with a true sense of affection for a new friend.  We are all alike. No matter what our struggle, no matter what our pain,  we put it all out there in the name of the savior Jesus Christ and allow Him to direct our path.  

Sunday Morning-  arising to a message from Pastor Dell Smith, we all huddled under the long building in wonder at the raging storm and heavy rain pounding the roof, but grateful that the weather held off until we all were safely packed up for the weekend.  Once again the Shark, invited Jason ( a fellow who camped down the hill from us) to join us for coffee and fellowship at the long building. Once again, I was taken aback at the kindness and sensitivity of the Shark in putting out a welcome to a stranger who ended up as a friend in Christ for life.  Driving home, thinking about the weekend and the goodness of the Lord, the Shark suddenly pulled over when he saw a car off the road in the ditch. I missed it, Bill missed it, but the Shark was once again observant and we went back to find a frightened young lady that had slid off the road during the storm.  We called the State Police and eventually the girl’s parents arrived and all was well. But again , I thought to myself that the spirit of Adventuremen was alive and well with Mark “ the Shark” Sauers and once again he was an inspiration caring for others when we did not even notice. 

Blessings abounded that weekend and it is reflected in the stories of the men whose lives have been changed forever.  We were challenged by Pastor Greg to bring a friend next year. One friend!!! We all can do that and one by one, house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood, can expose men to the spirit of the Lord in an incredible weekend outdoor experience.  Come to Adventuremen 2019 and spread the word. Time is short and hell is hot, men. Spread that good word!!!! Halle………………..LUJAH!!!!!