About Us
Michael Manfull, President
Mike grew up in a sporting household, though hunting at that time was not one on of the sports. Through a close family relationship and a very good friend, Mike was introduced to hunting in early adulthood. It soon became a passion of his and has allowed him to hunt whitetails and turkeys in Ohio, New York and West Virginia and has even lead him out to Colorado elk hunting.
Mike also grew up in a Christian home, accepting Christ as his personal savior at age 7. His passion for the outdoors and his desire to serve Christ seemed to culminate naturally into 1:26 Outdoors. After meeting his good friend Lucas Fowler and learning of his love for Christ and hunting, the ministry was born.
Mike is currently the Chief Financial Officer for a not-for-profit organization and lives in Wadsworth, OH. He and his wife Ashley have four children, Brooke, age 9, Ryan, age 7, Joel age 5 and Luke, age 2.
Lucas Fowler, Vice President
Growing up on a 500-acre dairy farm in western New York, Lucas has had a love for the outdoors since he can remember. He enjoys trout fishing in the streams of New York and has hunted whitetails and turkeys in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. His favorite way to spend free time is taking in the outdoors from a tree stand.
Lucas’s passion for 1:26 Outdoors comes from his desire to serve Christ and make Him known among the hunting and fishing communities. After spending years trying to find contentment in this world and coming up empty every time, Lucas committed his life to Christ at the age of 23. Since then, he enjoys sharing the message of peace and abundant life that Christ offers to hunters, fishermen and everyone, everywhere.
Lucas is currently a golf course superintendent and lives in Norton, OH. He and his wife Lianne have two hunters-in-training, Matthew, age 8 and Lauren, age 6.
History
1:26 Outdoors is a Christian Ministry begun by Lucas Fowler and Mike Manfull. Mike and Lucas met at The Chapel in Akron. They soon became friends and quickly became hunting buddies. Both have a passion for the outdoors and both have a commitment to living the Christian Life. It was from these interests that the ministry was born.
1:26 Outdoors was started in 2010 as a part of The Chapel’s Sports Ministry Department. From that start, an application was made and approved to be recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization in 2013. The majority of the ministry participants come from a five county area that covers Medina, Wayne, Stark, Portage and Summit Counties. This coverage is the result the marketing of events at the Wadsworth, Green and Akron campuses of The Chapel. 1:26 Outdoors is working to expand the network of partner churches in this five county area. The ministry origins have been with The Chapel and it is expected that the relationship will continue well into the future. Many of the male and female volunteers that are so valuable to the ministry attend or are members of The Chapel.
Events
Belief Statement
We believe that Almighty God created the heavens and earth and has entrusted man with the earth. We believe that God’s only son, Jesus Christ, is the Messiah and is the only way to salvation. We believe that no man comes to the Father but through the Son. We believe that Christ will return one day to take those who love him and believe in his ways to live in glory with him and the Father. 1 John 5:11-12
Vision Statement
Our vision for 1:26 Outdoors is to be an organization that first and foremost serves God the Father and glorifies him, his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We want to impact those that love enjoying the creation for the love of Jesus Christ. We would like to also have in impact by sharpening those who have knowledge of God’s saving grace and to bring those that do not have that to a full, saving knowledge. Proverbs 27:17
Our events throughout the year include bow shoots, trap shoots, trips to Cabelas and a wild game dinner. The wild game dinner is the anchor event and is held in February/March of each year. The attendance at the dinner has steadily grown each year. Speakers in the past have included Wade Nolan, Dr. Jimmy Sites and for 2014, Tim Herald of “The Zone” on the Sportsman Channel. The speaker for the 2016 Wild Game Dinner will be Hank Parker. The ministry has been very blessed to have received donations for door prizes given at the dinner from local businesses and well know companies such as Mathews and Ten Point Crossbows.
Donations
We take any donation or gift to the ministry very seriously and make every attempt to recognize the business and organizations from where these gifts come. An amount of time is set aside at the wild game dinner each year to say a little about these organizations and to let the attendees know who has supported the ministry. We understand that a donation is a tangible item and constitutes an operating cost to the supporting business. It is our goal that supporters would see a donation as an investment that would have a return.