The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Kids Outdoor Zone (KOZ) made its first appearance in Henderson County this past February. It began because two men at Rozetta Baptist saw a need to help young men who didn’t have positive male role models in their lives. Dan Ashton explains, “Three years ago I sat in on a KOZ presentation at the Iron Sharpens Iron men’s conference in the Quad Cities. I immediately saw how this could be an amazing program to bring to our area. But I was too busy being the interim pastor at Rozetta, and didn’t have the time. I prayed and hoped God would raise up a man to lead the way.”
The next year, Shawn Lain sat in on the KOZ presentation. At its conclusion, he found Ashton in the conference hall and said, “You’re going to kill me.”
Ashton didn’t have any idea what he meant until Lain added, “We’re going to start a KOZ at Rozetta.”
From that time, Lain and Ashton survived a rigorous training program with KOZ in order to become Harvest Team Leaders. They also recruited five other men from Rozetta to join the venture.
TJ Greaney started what became KOZ in 2006 in his home church near Austin, Texas. A neighbor boy lost his father in a car wreck, and Greaney invited the young man to go fishing with him. It wasn’t long before other neighbor boys were asking to go along. Greaney saw the opportunity to minister and share God’s Word with these young men, and he seized it. KOZ was born.
The KOZ team at Rozetta held their first event for boys in February. Three young men showed up. Since then, they’ve met every second Saturday of the month, and the group has grown to nineteen boys who are always ready to hunt, fish or learn a trade like welding.
The gatherings always begin with pledges and a prayer. Then the boys and men sit for a Bible study. From there, the group launches into an event. To date, they’ve engaged in knot tying, gun safety, two-way electrical wiring, welding, creating camouflage ghilli hats, target shooting, and fishing. After the project, they have their Sit-Spot where the boys share their prayer concerns among other items. A lunch follows and then an award ceremony.
The welding experience took place at Oquawka Boats, courtesy of Dopher Thompson. “Patrick Bigger knows everyone,” said Ashton. “We get together to plan, and Patrick says he knows someone who can teach the boys something. And off we go.”
The essential ingredient, however, is building into the lives of these young men. “Almost half of our boys have no significant man in their lives who can teach them outdoor things while also exposing them to God’s Word in a relevant way,” says Ashton. “Our hope is to fill the gap for them. Our prayer is they will come to know Christ as we know Him.”
“One more thing,” Ashton continues. “We men are as blessed as our boys. What a thrill it is to build into their lives in so many positive ways. They wear us out on Saturday, but it’s an excellent tired out.” If you know of a boy who would benefit by being part of KOZ, Ashton can be contacted by texting him at 309-331-3148. You can also message him on Facebook. The young man must be between 8-18 years old.