If you had a chance to save a faithful friend, would you?
Let’s begin by defining what it means to be Faithful. This powerful word is used when a person honors their word or commitment; it is used to refer to a person who is reliable, trustworthy and truthful; to describe a person who is steady in their allegiance and constant in their commitment.
We can agree that faithful people are hard to come by these days, faithful companies are even harder to find. Yet Robinson Outdoor Products has been a faithful friend to Fathers in the Field for more than 10 years and they need your help.
Let us tell you more about our friend and faithful supporter. Robinson Outdoor Products was purchased in 2002 by Scott Schultz. They are best known for their Scentblocker, Tree Spider and Whitewater brands which continue to be on the cutting edge of innovative technology in outdoor products and apparel.
Ten years ago Scott felt God calling him to faithfully give from his abundance and be intentional about sharing the Gospel. Around this time he was introduced to John Smithbaker, Founding Servant of Fathers in the Field, and first heard about his desire to help fatherless boys hear the Gospel and learn to forgive their earthly fathers. Scott knew this was God showing him how he could give from his abundance and they began to faithfully support Fathers in the Field.
Additionally Robinson Outdoor Products began placing scripture verses on many of their products and a laminated card with the salvation message in the upper pocket of all of their apparel. Scott puts it this way, “You are in a tree stand and as you go to use the upper pocket to store your range finder, you find the message card. There in the outdoors, surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation, you are presented with the gospel. Hundreds of men who experienced just that have shared how they were blessed by the card.”
Scott remarks, “God called us to share the Gospel, no matter the cost. Robinson Outdoor Products has and will continue to be faithful to that calling, even if it means we lose the company; which we might.”
How is being faithful closing down a major American outdoor company?
Undoubtedly you have read over the past years of the struggles of many companies who openly standup for their Christian values, only to fall prey to our amoral society. Robinson Outdoor Products was not immune to this trend. Complaints rose from the ranks of some of the retail stores who sold their products. They were told that if the card and verses remained their contracts would be terminated. The loss of sales would be in the tens of millions of dollars. They chose to remain faithful to God’s calling, faithful to making sure that the good news of forgiveness in Christ Jesus would continue to be included in all their products.
This faithfulness has placed Robinson Outdoor Products on the brink of bankruptcy. Massive layoffs, cutbacks on salaries, reduction of benefits and possibly more to come. Our society would tell Scott to be sensible and drop the Gospel from his products and save the company and the employees. They would casually trade faithfulness for money, but Scott knows the true value of faithfulness. Our Heavenly Father is faithful to His children; He never lies or abandons His commitment to us no matter how terrible or wicked we are. Scott knows that as a Christian he represents God to others and that God is ultimately in control of everything.
“For us the blessing is obedience! We are doing what God has asked us to do. We do all this to honor and glorify our Heavenly Father; it is a blessing to share what he has blessed us with both materially and with the Gospel.”
Here is how you can help our faithful friends:
Pray for Scott Schultz, support Robinson Outdoor Products @ www.scentblocker.com and share their needs with those in your sphere of influence.
- If they close their doors their faithful commitment to Fathers in the Field will end.
- Let us be the people who reward the faithfulness of others by helping in their hour of need
How their Faithfulness has Blessed Fathers in the Field:
10 years of faithful support of our ministry which seeks to help the 13+ million fatherless boys who suffer from the wounds of abandonment. Boys who struggle with feeling like a piece of garbage their faithless fathers through away and who wander through life without knowing what it feels like to have a man honor a commitment to them.
Fathers in the Field equips churches and their men so that a fatherless boy might experience faithfulness. Each year of commitment starts when a Mentor Father and Field Buddy sign intentional commitments to one another. They agree to attend church twice a month, serve widows once each month and spend time in the outdoors experiencing God’s wonderful creation. During this year of faithful commitment the two plan an End of the Year Celebration trip, a rite of passage journey for the Field Buddy.
Each month as a Mentor Father and Field Buddy prepare for their trip the Mentor Father equips the boy with the skills and tools he will need. We call these tools Journey Gifts, but they are so much more than that. Fatherless boys often wear secondhand clothes or cheap ones that fall apart quickly. When a Mentor Father gives a high quality rain coat and pants to his Field Buddy he is silently saying something about the boys worth and value. These gifts are also only given when the Field Buddy honors his commitment for the month, teaching the boy about commitment and being faithful to his word. Fathers in the Field is able to provide high quality outdoor wear to Mentor Fathers to give to their Field Buddies, because of the provision of companies like Robinson Outdoor Products.
Will you Join Robinson Outdoor Products in faithfully supporting Fathers in the Field financially and with your time?
